Samuelsen's OT Winner Sends Wildcats to Semis
Kimball Union 2, Thayer Academy 1 (OT)
Junior forward Thomas Samuelsen ended one of the most exciting high school hockey games in recent memory with a laser-like wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle to propel the Kimball Union boys’ varsity hockey team to a 2-1 overtime victory of Thayer Academy in the quarterfinals of the NEPSAC Elite-8 tournament. Samuelsen, who had been around the net with great chances all game, cashed in on a feed from fellow junior Nik Armstrong by sending his shot just under the short-side crossbar five minutes into the extra session, sending the raucous KUA crowd into a frenzy.
The game began with KUA taking the play to Thayer in the first period, but strong goaltending from Thayer kept the score 0-0. KUA opened the scoring in the second when senior Bobby Young converted on the powerplay after being set-up in the slot by fellow senior Mike Lombardi. The score remained that way until midway through the third, thanks to some strong KUA defense and outstanding goaltending from junior Sean Dynan. However, Thayer scored a 5-on-3 goal to knot the game at one with ten minutes remaining. Dynan made several big saves in the final minutes to keep the game tied and to set the stage for Samuelsen’s overtime winner.
Next up for KUA is a semi-final clash on the road against Dexter School on Saturday. The winner of that game will face off in the NEPSAC final on Sunday in Manchester.
