New Hampshire Boys D2 Top 8
| Rank | Team | W | L | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Thomas Aquinas | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Winnacunnet | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Oyster River | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Dover | 6 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | Somersworth/Coe-Brown | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Goffstown | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | Merrimack | 8 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | Alvirne | 7 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
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No. 1 St Thomas battled back from an early deficit to win in overtime, 6-5, vs Merrimack in the Saints third overtime game of the season to remain unbeaten. They play Alvirne-Milford on Wednesday on the road before a week layoff.
No. 2 Winnacunnet suffered its first loss this season, falling 3-1 to Alvirne-Milford on the road. After winning the first six games and going winless in the last two, they’ll be looking to get back on track in a tough three-game week. Road games with Goffstown and Nashua South -Pelham and then a home date with Merrimack could be challenging.
Moving up one spot is No. 3 Oyster River. A decisive 5-1 win over Alvirne-Milford and a close defeat to Division 1 Bedford were enough to make some waves in the division. They’ll be travelling to play Merrimack and Alvirne-Milford this week. They’ll need two wins to stay ahead of the pack.
Winning a hard-fought 5-4 game over their rivals was No. 4 Dover. They took out Somersworth/Coe-Brown in a back-and-forth affair and that moves them up a couple spots. A winnable game vs Timberlane is coming up followed by a date with Goffstown to end the week.
No. 5 Somersworth/Coe-Brown dropped a 5-4 decision to Dover and lands them at an even 5-5 record on the season. Portsmouth-Newmarket and Spaulding are up next for the Bearcats.
After a 4-1 start to the season, The No. 6 Goffstown Grizzlies have now gone winless in their last four games (0-2-2). A 6-4 loss to Division 1 Nashua North-Souhegan and a 2-1 loss to Portsmouth-Newmarket have the Grizzlies reeling a bit. They’ll face Winnacunnet and Spaulding at home and then head east to take on Dover to close the week.
No. 7 Merrimack fell one game under .500 after dropping the 6-5 overtime game to St Thomas. A tough three game week is on tap for the Tomahawks. They’ll host Nashua North – Souhegan and Oyster River and then take on Winnacunnet on the road. This is a pivotal week for Merrimack.
No. 8 Alvirne-Milford continued their hot and cold play this past week. They fell flat in a 5-1 loss to Oyster River but stormed back to hang the first loss on Winnacunnet in a 3-1 win. In two home games this week they’ll face St Thomas and they get a rematch with Oyster River. Two huge tests for the Admirals.
** Featured image courtesy of Orlando Ricci
