PEMBROKE — Hanover boys hockey head coach Johnny Abban isn’t looking for his team to be playing its best hockey at this stage of the season.
But coming off an overtime loss to defending Div. 3 state champion No. 19 Nauset last week, and a tie against Quincy/North Quincy, Saturday’s 3-1 Patriot League win over fellow Div. 3 threat Scituate was a positive step in the No. 22 Hawks’ (9-1-1) direction as a title contender.
Three different scorers gave Hanover a big lead after two periods, while Ryan McArdle (26 saves) and a sound defensive performance disrupted much of what the potent Sailors (6-4-2) threw at them.
As of Friday, the Hawks ranked No. 1 in the latest MIAA Div. 3 power rankings. Scituate, who is now 7-4-1 against Hanover since 2021, ranked No. 5.
“We’ve had some unbelievable, epic games over the years against Scituate, so any time you can beat them, you take that,” Abban said. “Every day is different. But I like the leadership we have, I like (that) we’re doing a lot of the little things right. And that’s important. I always preach to the kids, this is a dress rehearsal. … So, hopefully, we’re trending in the right direction.”
Hanover’s scoring depth was on full display against Scituate.
Shots were even at 9-9 in a high-flying and physical opening period, but the Hawks headed into the second leading 2-0. Jack Doherty’s shot from the point slid through traffic past the kick from Scituate goalie Mark Francis (22 saves) just 1:43 into the game. Teams traded quality looks to no avail, up until Henry Phillips finished off a savvy feed from Ryan Kisiel at the backdoor with 59 seconds left in the frame.
Kisiel’s tip on Shane Fanning’s shot from the point only 39 seconds into the second period rounded out a 3-0 lead.
“We have three really solid lines, especially for defense too,” Hanover junior defenseman Luke Munroe said. “We just all really work well together. Move the puck, (we have) good shooters.”
“Everyone’s pitching in,” Abban added. “These kids have bought in. They’ve been around. It’s good to see as a coach. … Even our defense is chipping in on the offense.”
Perhaps the difference in the game was Phillips’ finish at the end of the first, which swung momentum.
The Hawks rolled that into an early strike in the second for the 3-0 lead, and they carried play for much of the frame from there to out-shoot Scituate, 9-6.
“That was a big goal,” Abban said. “Gives us a little breathing room. It’s just, they found opportunities and (made) the most of them. A game like this, you have to and they did.”
Scituate quickly rediscovered the pressure it applied in the first with a strong third period, nearly matching its 15 shots between the first two periods with 12 in the last. Thomas McGuiggin sniped the top far corner after a race to the edge at the left circle for Scituate, cutting the deficit to 3-1 with 12:28 to go.
But that’s all the Sailors could get past McArdle in a strong outing, while the defense did well to spoil a handful of other promising rushes.
“(We) block shots, get the puck out, pinch at the blue line, keep pucks out – that’s about it,” Munroe said. “It’s hard work. Just gritty, gritty hockey.”
Leading that defensive effort were Munroe and Fanning, who have been tremendous for the Hawks.
“They take away time and space,” Abban said. “They both have hockey IQs. … And they just wear you down. They have the IQ, and they make all the small plays.”
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