Prentice Hat Trick Lifts Huskies to Powder Keg Glory

On an afternoon that saw sun, rain, snow, sleet, and howling winds pass over the Lower Field, the Huskies wasted no time setting the tone for the day, netting their first goal just four minutes into the annual Powder Keg match. Senior captain Caleb Duggan tallied his team leading 8th goal of the year when his corner kick was whipped into the near post and deflected off a Tilton defender onto the inside of the post and over the goal line. Not to be outdone, Junior back Jack Wolf scored a 21st minute corner kick in a contender for goal of the season. With an assist from the wind, Wolf curled a beautiful left-footed drive out over the corner of the 6-yard box that curled dramatically back towards goal and into the upper left corner of the net. Tilton was given a lifeline when a late first half penalty kick was called for a dangerous play in the box. Senior netminder Seth Wilkinson stepped confidently up to his line, with either side of the goal flanked by dozens of screaming supporters for each school. The Rams shooter approached the ball with a slow run up and slotted a low drive the left corner. Wilkinson dropped quickly down to his right with arms outstretched and parried the ball wide as the hordes of Husky faithful erupted in cheers. New Hampton capitalized on the momentum and notched their third of the day just a few minutes later. Junior winger Thomas Prentice netted his first of the game in the 44th minute when a Husky fast break saw him put through on goal and his blast from 8 yards out gave the Tilton keeper no chance. New Hampton kept up the intensity in the second half as Prentice bagged his second in the 66th and completed the only Husky hat trick of the season in the 74th. With tremendous support from home crowd, the Huskies continued to control play into the final minutes with a flurry of chances in front of the Tilton net. Sophomore midfielder Evan Britton saw his drive from 12 yards deflected and just a few seconds later senior forward Troy Coan's blast from the corner of the 6 hit the post. The rebound fell to freshman forward Emmett Shea who slammed home from close range to close out an exceptional campaign for the young striker, finishing the season with 4 goals. The Husky back line earned their 8th clean sheet of the year with another stellar performance. Juniors Wolf and captain Will Wood along with freshman center back Rhys Jones held Tilton to just a handful of quality chances on the day. Wilkinson's solid goalkeeping earned him his second shutout in as many games as he finished the day with 8 saves. New Hampton wraps up a tremendous season with a final record of 11-5.