Boys’ hockey: Late goal from freshman Jaden Haas vaults Concord over Bow in tightly-contested battle

Concord freshman Jaden Haas celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal late in the third period in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Bow.

Concord freshman Jaden Haas celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal late in the third period in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Bow. RICH MIYARA / NH Sports Photography

Bow goalie Mason Marquis tracks the puck during a net-mouth scramble during Wednesday's matchup with Bow at Everett Arena. Marquis turned aside 26 of the 28 shots he faced in the Falcons' 2-1 loss.

Bow goalie Mason Marquis tracks the puck during a net-mouth scramble during Wednesday's matchup with Bow at Everett Arena. Marquis turned aside 26 of the 28 shots he faced in the Falcons' 2-1 loss. CHIP GRIFFIN / Photos By Chip

Bow goalie Mason Marquis prepares to save a shot from Concord’s Rowan Arndt during Wednesday’s game.

Bow goalie Mason Marquis prepares to save a shot from Concord’s Rowan Arndt during Wednesday’s game. CHIP GRIFFIN / Photos By Chip

Concord sophomore Carter Doherty looks to make a pass as Bow defenseman Massimo Palelli closes in on him during Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory for the Tide.

Concord sophomore Carter Doherty looks to make a pass as Bow defenseman Massimo Palelli closes in on him during Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory for the Tide. CHIP GRIFFIN / Photos By Chip

Concord freshman Jaden Haas slides the puck past Bow goalie Mason Marquis to put the Tide ahead 2-1 with 2:01 remaining in the third period of Wednesday's matchup.

Concord freshman Jaden Haas slides the puck past Bow goalie Mason Marquis to put the Tide ahead 2-1 with 2:01 remaining in the third period of Wednesday's matchup. CHIP GRIFFIN / Photos By Chip

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

Monitor staff

Published: 01-11-2024 12:00 AM

Modified: 01-11-2024 5:54 AM


CONCORD – For pretty much every team in Division I boys’ hockey, Concord’s the barometer to measure up against. 

And even though Bow (4-2) wound up on the wrong end of a 2-1 score on Wednesday night at Everett Arena, Falcons head coach Tim Walsh came away with much reason for optimism.

“They’re the best team in the league. We didn’t play our best game, and it was 2-1,” he said. “I’m not content with that. I’m not happy we lost. I’m encouraged, though. I’m encouraged that we didn’t have our best game, and we were right there.”

Concord freshman Jaden Haas scored on a 2-on-1 off a pass from junior Cam Chandonnet with 2:01 remaining in the third period to put the Tide (5-0) ahead for good. 

After a scoreless first period that saw Concord outshoot the Falcons, 11-5, Concord junior Rowan Arndt fired a shot into the top right corner of the net to make it 1-0 at the 5:07 mark of the second. Less than two minutes later, Bow senior Aidan Labrecque scored on the power play to even the score. 

But it was the Tide who generally dictated the flow of the game, particularly in the third period, culminating with Haas’ go-ahead goal.

“I thought we had them on the ropes in the third and took it to ‘em pretty good,” Concord head coach Dunc Walsh said.

Concord outshot Bow 11-5 in those final 15 minutes, during which the Tide’s Walsh said his group did a better job playing aggressively.

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“Throw pucks on net and go to the net,” he said was the message during the second intermission. “We could’ve knocked in a couple rebounds. We had a ton of chances there, but it wasn’t to be. We finally got one late, nice play by Chandonnet on the winning goal to Haas. It’s a good win. I knew it was going to be a hard-fought game.”

Wednesday’s victory was the Tide’s second 2-1 win over its last three regular season games. Through five games overall, the team’s allowing an average of just 1.2 goals per contest.

“We talk about it all the time: You gotta be good in your own end,” Dunc Walsh said. “I thought tonight we didn’t allow a ton of good chances.”

On the other side, Bow goalie Mason Marquis did his part to stymie most of the Tide’s scoring chances, stopping 26 of the 28 shots he faced and keeping his team in the game.

“Mason’s huge,” Tim Walsh said. “Sometimes your goalie has to be your best player.”

The Falcons played Wednesday’s game without junior forward Owen Webber, one of their top players. Walsh said his absence has spurred other experienced players, like senior defenseman Brodie O’Neil, and senior forwards Luke Virta and Billy Smethurst, to step up and command even greater leadership roles.

Their collective efforts may not have been enough to win on Wednesday, but Walsh hopes the performance can serve as a motivator and confidence-booster as the team presses ahead.

“What I told the kids exactly was, we can beat every team in the league, including the one across the hall,” he said. “It showed them tonight that we were capable of doing that. If we play for a full 45 minutes at our capabilities, I have no doubt in my mind we can beat every team in the league, and that’s what the kids need to know. They need to hear that.”