Brunswick hockey team skates past Frederick Gunn, Berkshire, runs record to 22-5-2, heading into matchup vs. Salisbury

By David Fierro on February 13, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Brunswick players gather after the team scored a goal during a recent victory against The Hill School at Hartong Rink.

Report provided by Mike Kennedy

The postseason begins soon and Brunswick School’s hockey team is certainly heading into it in top form.

The Bruins recently earned victories against Frederick Gunn School and Berkshire School and sports a spectacular record of 22-5-2 with four games remaining in their regular season. Brunswick hosts NEPSAC rival Salisbury School at Hartong Rink on Wednesday, with the puck dropping at 5 p.m.

Currently, the Bruins, coached by Mike Kennedy, are ranked No. 5 in the NEPSAC Elite rankings. The top eight teams qualify for the Elite 8 Tournament and Salisbury currently ranked fourth, so Wednesday’s game between Brunswick and Salisbury is indeed, an especially significant one, as it will go a long way in determining seeding for the tournament.

This past Saturday, the Bruins posted a 5-3 road victory versus Berkshire. Brunswick finally earned a victory in Berkshire’s Olympic rink in Sheffield, Mass. — having come up empty in four previous tries dating back to 2016.

The Bears opened the scoring in the first period, but the Bruins broke through with just 33 seconds to go in the opening frame on another goal by senior co-captain Sean Gibbons to tie the score before the intermission.

Will Baker has been rock-solid in goal throughout the season for Brunswick’s ice hockey team, which has excelled.

In the second period, the visitors added two more tallies on back-to-back shifts — from senior co-captain Luke Drury and Gibbons — to jump out in front by two. The home team did answer, though, with a goal of its own, before a phenomenal individual effort from senior defenseman and Dartmouth commit Cooper Cleaves staked the Bruins to a 4-2 lead after two periods.

Junior Tucker Spiess tipped home an insurance goal in the third period, before Berkshire capped the scoring in the game’s final minute.

On Friday, Brunswick blanked Frederick Gunn, 4-0, at Hartong Rink.

The Bruins were on top of their game from the first puck drop and dominated all three zones on their way to the shutout victory.

Photo by David Fierro: Brendan Giles has the record for most goals scored in a single season this winter season for the Bruins.

Gibbons, who leads the NEPSAC with 38 assists, became Brunswick’s single-season leader in assists early in the first period after setting up linemate Oliver Czaja for the matchup’s opening goal. The West Point recruit broke a record formerly held by Andon Cerbone, who now plays at Quinnipiac and had 36 assists in 2019-2020.

Drury stayed hot with another power play deflection that found the back of the net in the second before Gibbons added two more tallies – one in the second and one in the third.

Senior Will Baker made a few big saves early in the game and in the second period to keep Frederick Gunn at bay and finished off the blank sheet with 20 saves.

Defenseman Blake Stant – a junior transfer from Gunn – got on the board with an assist in the third to conclude the Bruins’ highly impressive triumph.