Somersworth/Coe-Brown knocked out Merrimack, 5-3, while Dover slid past Oyster River, 2-1, in Wednesday’s Division Two semifinals at Dover Ice Arena. Dover shut out SCB twice during the regular season in mid-January and is making its 12th State Championship appearance, all since the formation of Division Two in 1995. Dover has won six State Titles, the last in 2015. Somersworth appeared in and won its only State Title as a stand-alone Division Three program in 2011, completing a perfect 23-0-0 season.
STATE SEMIFINALS
Wednesday, March 10 – (at Dover Ice Arena)
Somersworth/Coe-Brown 5, Merrimack 3
The teams did not meet during the regular season and went at each other hard from the outset. The Tomahawks grabbed a 1-0 lead on Brayden Guagliumi’s goal, then twice scrapped back from two-goal holes before the Bearcats’ Jonny Pelletier deposited an ENG with less than 10 seconds to play.
Jake Pelletier and Anthony Bono both scored twice for SCB. Bono’s second gave the Bearcats a 3-1 lead and, after a power play goal by Merrimack’s Owen Sadowski late in the second period, Jake Pelletier’s second goal restored a two-goal lead and proved to be the game-winner at 5:05 of the third period. The Tomahawks’ Dom Carozza scored while shorthanded with 1:28 remaining to make it 4-3.
SCB is now 10-4-1 while Merrimack completed an 8-5-0 campaign.
Dover 2, Oyster River 1
A match-up of the division’s two hottest teams produced their third one-goal game of the season as the Green Wave (13-1-0) quieted Oyster River (11-3-0) to advance, snapping the Bobcats’ nine-game winning streak. OR dealt Dover its only loss, 4-3 in OT, at the end of January.
Ollie Stevens’ power play goal, assisted by Dante Ceppetelli and Dario Ceppetelli, gave Dover a 1-0 lead after one period. They doubled it at 5:47 of the second period with Dario Ceppetelli converting Jameson Plante’s feed. However, OR’s Andy Carlson got that one back 90 seconds later, assisted by Jack Poitras. That’s how it ended as goalies Devon Lapierre of Dover (22 saves) and Claden Daubney of OR (30 saves) turned back everything that came their way.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 13
(at Dover Ice Arena)
Dover vs. Somersworth/Coe-Brown, 5 pm
