MHS loses to N. Country (0-1) in playdown

By ED DEVARNEY| Sports Writer

Alex Harris (#11) helps out Amanda Cherrier (hidden from view) against N.Country on Thursday.

It was the invitation to the Royal Ball for this Cinderella of MHS sports teams…. Indeed, the weather, the foliage, the storybook drive, was all very “Disney-esque”….However, there ain’t no such happy ending for MHS field hockey this year… On the way up routes 15 and 100 to last Thursday’s game in Newport, I almost thought there was some kind of quarantine in the towns along the way; it was THAT deserted on the highway. Almost like a scene from the popular TV show “Jericho.”. This was a pleasant contrast to what you usually find on the road(s) to Newport. Most of the time you can’t find a straight stretch road to get past the slow-joes. All in all, just a beautiful day for a field hockey game (Or any other event, for that matter).

This was pretty much the best I have seen Milton Varsity play all season. There was no wondering if Milton had their game face on; it was VERY obvious they did. I wouldn’t call their attitude “reckless abandon,” either. MHS played some VERY INTELLIGENT hockey on Thursday. Milton kept the Falcons scoreless all the way through the first half. North Country came into this game as the seventh rated team in our division I guess N. Country’s coach figured Milton was gonna be a pushover and crawl away whimpering. That’s not what she got.

The game’s defining moment came about 20 minutes into the 2/2. That’s when the Falcons intense pressure on the goal (18 attempts) paid off for them. It must be said, however, that this wasn’t a simple case of the correct placement of the ball using skill, etc… One of the advantages of pretending to be a roving cameraman at these games is that you get to see the defensive action from 5 feet in back of the goal. In this case, I ought to call that vantage point “Disappointment Alley.”

Time and time again in this game, I had watched goalie Jenna Templeton kick out goal attempts to the far left or right side to render them “in bounds but unusable” In one instance, there was a flurry of shots on the MHS goal that no one except Templeton could have survived. Players aren’t usually supposed to talk to spectators, but when Templeton made one particularly “instant save” with her left foot, she looked back at me with wild-wide eyes, and simply stated “I can’t believe I saved THAT one.” Part of North Country’s single point shot was indeed textbook in that the player set up and smacked it from about 12 feet out, whereupon Templeton set up for the low ball by getting her stick right tight to the grass. This would have been Jenna’s eighteenth save in regular play had the shot not deflected off ANOTHER stick that was 4 feet in front of the goal. At 40-50 miles per hour and four feet away, it’s impossible to adjust one’s stick height in time to save the day. Bottom line: The goal went in about 18 inches higher than originally shot.

Milton took a lot of tries up the field in retaliation, but the Falcons were not gonna give up their shot at playing (and losing by 3 points to) Bellows Falls on Saturday. The Yellowjackets had just two formal attempts on goal throughout Thursday’s game. Curiously, the Burlington FREEP had the Yellowjackets playing a Division 2 team, Mount Abe on Saturday. Actually, Windsor is also home to the “Yellowjackets.” Now my head REALLY hurts from all the confusion… But I learned something today.

The words “being proud of” don’t even come close to describing how I feel about a team (Milton) that has come sooo close to a win and/or various ties all year long while retaining the determination, guts and professionalism to keep going. Tip of the hockey hat to Varsity, big time. But it’s time to move along.

It’s also time again to change the guard at the Field Hockey Palace in Milton VT. Coach Amber Holcomb came into the job stating that she would take the post for a single year and is keeping her word. Next year, she will be pursuing a post-graduate degree in Pennsylvania. Our most gracious thank-yous are extended to her for doing what is always a tough job. Coaching field hockey (or any high school sport) comes with a lot of responsibility and distraction. High school coaches can’t keep “all the people happy, all the time,” so they tend to do what is the right thing in their own mind….. Folks ought to remember that, and be grateful that there are generous souls like Holcomb out there to step up when no one else will. Amber’s successor will probably be… well, someone we are all familiar with. This will be comforting to a team that will have nine seniors and at least a dozen VERY talented underclassmen.

As for our four graduating senior players Meg Lawrence, Amanda Cherrier, Erika Beaucage and Kari Reen our special thanks goes to you for keeping chins held high through a tough season. You set the example to be followed by others. These young women will leave us in 2008, but will forever remain cogs in the field hockey machinery here at MHS.

As for this writer’s display of solidarity by “not shaving until Varsity wins,” I took out the razor on Saturday and let ‘er fly. Can’t you tell by the scars?? Here’s the deal: You DID win. You won the support and respect of me and everyone else around you. So, a deal’s a deal. Beside, it was too itchy….

'Til next year!!!!