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Bruins Bag Banner With OT Win in Kittredge Tourney
By Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires.com Sports
10:03PM / Sunday, January 15, 2017
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Caleb Kollmer capped the 46th Gib Kittredge Hockey Tournament in style.


The Berkshire Bruins defenseman Sunday scored midway through the second overtime to give the hosts a 4-3, come-from-behind victory over Avon, Conn., in the Bantam Division title game.


Seamus Hayes scored with just less than three minutes left in regulation to complete the Bruins’ comeback from a 3-1 deficit, and Nate Haley made two saves in the last 10 seconds of regulation to send the game to OT.


“Whenever you win the Kittredge, you get to look at the banner for a couple more years,” Bruins’ coach Rob Abel said. “A lot of these guys, this is their last season, and the rest probably have one more after this with the Bruins. And then, who knows what happens after that.


“This is a big deal, winning the Kittredge. It’s a big name, and it’s always nice to win at home.”


Earlier on Sunday evening at the Boys & Girls Club, Berkshire’s Squirts Division Majors dropped a 6-0 decision in their title game against Pawling, N.Y.


Camillus, N.Y., won the Peewee Division title with a 2-1 win over Ludlow, Mass.


Sunday’s Bantam Division final marked the second time in six hours that the Bruins faced off against Avon. The two teams met Sunday afternoon in their third round robin game, already knowing each had qualified for the final.


In the first meeting, without the possibility of overtime, the teams played to a 2-2 draw. Avon tied it midway through the third period, and, in a precursor to the title game, Haley made a big save late -- this time with about three minutes left -- to preserve the tie.


The first time they played, the Bruins had a 2-to-1 advantage in shots on goal. In the rematch, their advantage was 29-16.


Berkshire’s Abel agreed there was not much separating the two evenly matched squads.


“I think we just wanted it a little bit more,” he said of the overtime. “It’s our home ice. This is just a great bunch of kids. They all get along. They like each other.


“I would say we got the better of them a little bit in overtime. Ice opens up a little bit more, and speed becomes a factor. We had a little more speed at the right time. But helluva game by both teams -- helluva two games.”


The first overtime period was four minutes of 4-on-4 hockey. The second and decisive OT was three minutes of 3-on-3.


Avon jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Sunday evening on goals by Brendan Occhino and Matthew Mitrano, the latter on the power play midway through the first period.


Brian Czarnecki got one goal back when he scored on a cross from the left wing with 4 minutes, 36 seconds left in the first, but Avon scored on an odd man rush with 8 seconds left in the first period to go ahead, 3-1.


Aidan Engel cashed in on a turnover in the Bruins’ offensive zone to cut the deficit to one midway through the second period.


Then with less than four minutes to go in regulation, Seamus Hayes beat Avon’s Daniel Pauling with a wrister from deep on the right wing to tie the game, 3-3.


It was one of the few times all day that Pauling did not come up with the save. He had 48 saves in the two games to keep Avon in it.


“I’d say the one thing we still need to work on and get better at is finishing plays and putting pucks in the net,” Abel said. “We get a lot of chances. Helluva goalie we were playing against. And Nate [Haley] stood tall. He made one big save at the end of the game there. That was a game-saver right there.


“Just a fun game to be a part of. I don’t do a lot of coaching in games. I just sit back and watch them. They played well.”


Berkshire’s Squirts played well enough to reach Sunday’s final but could not get over the hump against a Pawling team that outshot the Bruins, 24-11, and went 3-for-6 on the power play.


Berkshire coach Jarrett Bayliss was not happy with the outcome but thrilled with the effort his players gave on their home ice all weekend.


“All in all, it was a great weekend,” Bayliss said. “The Kittredge Tournament seems to be a turning point for us, year after year, where, developmentally, our kids really step up and start to play and, hopefully, carry it forward into the rest of the season.


“I think it has to do with the intensity of the Kittredge Tournament, and the kids recognizing that for the first time in the season. Once their game’s elevated -- at least last year -- it seems to stay that way, and that’s what we’re hoping for.”

 
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