Hanover — It was going to take a lot to deny Hanover High senior Briland Laycock her 100th career girls hockey point on Sunday morning. And a lot nearly happened.
Laycock wrapped a shot around Souhegan goaltender Makayla Lachance with 13 seconds left in the second period, a goal that ultimately secured for Hanover a 2-0 defeat of the Sabers at Thompson Arena. The score became necessary because of Lachance, who knocked aside 62 shots the Marauders (10-1-1 league, 11-2-1 overall) sent her way in Sunday’s makeup contest.
Cate Wagner potted a Bryn Kable pass with 3:47 left in the first period for Hanover’s other goal. Hannah Curtis assisted on Laycock’s milestone goal.
“Hannah got control on the goal line and passed it to Briland,” Hanover coach John Dodds said. “She skated around the majority of the goal and wrapped it in off the goalie.”
The Williams College-bound Laycock now has 63 goals and 37 assists for her high school career. And the amazing thing, in Dodds’ mind, is the fact she’s gotten there in less than two full high school seasons.
Laycock played two years for the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, Vt., before deciding to return to Hanover for her junior campaign last winter. Assuming the scoring mantle of former Marauder star Matti Hartman, Laycock produced 37 goals and 22 assists to lead the Upper Valley while guiding Hanover to its eighth straight NHIAA Division I state championship.
The current season has simply been more of the same. Laycock has at least one goal and one point in every Hanover game to date. She’s on a 28-game point-scoring streak dating back to last winter, and she’s amassed at least one point in all but one of her 36 career high school contests for the Marauders.
“First, she just loves the game,” Dodds said. “She’s got a really strong work ethic off and on the ice. An example is when we have practice before school. It starts at 5:30 a.m., and she’ s usually the first one on the ice after 5 a.m., out there working on skills.
“Obviously, she has great hands,” Dodds added. “She’s very consistent game to game, period to period. And she’s done this in two years, not four like a lot of them do. The big thing about here is she has really good hands. When she gets near the net, she’s a sniper.”
Lachance did her level best to deny everything sent her way in a performance that impressed the Hanover coach.
“She was really composed, always in position and very quick,” Dodds said. “She was really strong fundamentally down low, getting in that butterfly. There were not that many holes. The five-hole (between the pads) was always covered. It was just kind of impressive the way she did it.”
Hanover finished with a 64-4 edge in shots on goal. D-I’s top-ranked team, the Marauders visit No. 2 Exeter (8-0-1 league) on Wednesday.
Men’s Tennis Dartmouth 4, Louisville 1
Louisville, Ky. — The Big Green (6-0) kept up the torrid start to its spring campaign by topping the Cardinals (3-3) at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Dartmouth opened with the doubles point, taking two of the three matches. No. 5 Ciro Riccardi and No. 3 David Horneffer quickly upped the lead to 3-0 through the first two singles matches, and No. 4 Max Fliegner completed the victory after Louisville claimed its only point.
Dartmouth returns home to the Boss Center to host Minnesota on Friday.
Women’s Tennis William & Mary 6Dartmouth 1
Hanover — Senior Julia Schroeder won both her doubles and singles matches, but the visiting Tribe (4-3) took the win at the Boss Center.
William & Mary opened with the doubles point, overcoming a 6-1 win for Schroeder and Abigail Chiu at No. 1. Schroeder added a 6-4, 6-2 decision at No. 2 singles for the Big Green (3-3), which heads to Princeton for the ECAC Indoor Championship this weekend.
Men’s SquashDartmouth 5, Princeton 4
Hanover — The fifth-ranked Big Green (9-4) bounced back from Saturday’s narrow loss to Penn by turning the tables on the seventh-ranked Tigers.
No. 9 Reg Anderson and No. 7 Jack Harvey swept to wins around No. 8 James Bell’s come-from-behind five-gamer for an early lead. No. 5 Brandon De Otaduy swept his match, as did No. 2 Carson Spahr to complete the victory.
The Big Green travels to Brown on Friday before completing its home schedule against Yale on Sunday.
Women’s SquashPrinceton 9, Dartmouth 0
Hanover — The top-ranked Tigers controled the day from start to finish, handing the Big Green (4-8) its seventh straight defeat.
Princeton won 27 of the 30 games played. Only No. 2 Rebecca Brownell, No. 8 Emma Robrts and No. 9 Zainab Molani avoided 3-0 sweeps for Dartmouth, which visits Brown on Friday.