A good crowd came to the Clinton Arena for the Clinton Warriors boys hockey first-round game against rival Whitesboro in the first round of Clinton’s holiday tournament.
The game pitted the No. 5 and No. 6 teams in the state in the Small Schools division. Clinton eventually fell 4-3 in a competitive game. Whitesboro remains No. 5 in last week’s poll and Clinton fell to No. 7.
Clinton got the action going in the opening minute with Kole Davignon, Brenden Karuzas, and Antonio Femia working to find a shot.
Clinton couldn't score but Femia did deliver a big hit to get the fans into the game. Killian Kulpa had a shot saved soon after and Whitesboro took the chance to go to work with the puck.
Clinton goalie Josh Trask picked up his first save of the game and another after a trade of possessions. Clinton responded by picking up the tempo on offense and after a hard collision, found themselves on the power play with 11:45 to play in the first period.
It was an empty opportunity for Clinton as they couldn't capitalize on the man-advantage. As the game wore on, Whitesboro picked up the physicality and Clinton continued with their patient and opportunistic approach.
Another shot from Femia was saved and the officials reset the puck for a faceoff in Clinton's zone. The stoppage in play cut Clinton's momentum as both teams took a short break.
Whitesboro had a good chance to score and another shot was deflected by a defender. Whitesboro kept up the physicality, but Clinton still managed to get two shots from Kulpa saved.
Unfortunately soon after, a good play from Whitesboro led to the first goal of the game at 6:32 remaining…