Sports
Falcons Fall to Howell
Farmington loses an early lead and chalks up a 4-3 loss to the Highlanders.
CHELSEA – The first primetime game of the first-ever Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase, kept the nearly 300 fans in attendance on the edge of their seats the entire game.
The Farmington Falcons got off to an early lead, but couldn’t stop the hat-trick machine that is the Howell Highlanders, and were defeated 4-3.
Branden Burton picked up his first hat-trick of the season, and Howell now has four players who have accomplished the feat. His scoring threats won his team the game.
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With :50 seconds remaining, Burton and Jordan Simmonds skated down-ice on a 2-on-2 rush. As Farmington keyed in on Burton, he was able to pass the puck back to Simmonds who found the back of the net. The goal broke a 3-all tie and gave Howell the final lead.
But it wasn’t over.
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Farmington pulled goalie Josh Cliff and started an onslaught on Howell goalie Andrew Brownlee. That is, until Ethan Baker got called for a critical interference penalty with :31 seconds left.
“I got pushed from behind. He might have done a little acting,” Baker said. “I did push him. I didn’t think it was worthy of a penalty. …I was enraged. I thought it’s over, there’s the game. It’s a buzzkill, a big downer. “
Baker was right; however, one mistake doesn't outweigh the success he had. Baker, a senior forward, scored the first two goals of the night following turnovers in the Howell offensive zone.
“We were really pressuring them, fore-checking them big time. As soon as we got two goals I think we sat back and watched,” Farmington head coach Mark Vellucci said. “We put so much pressure on them they were turning the puck over. That’s how we got our goals too.”
Despite the early deficit, Burton and the Highlanders bounced right back and scored two of their own before the end of the first period.
Burton put Howell ahead for the first time, three minutes into the third period. He received a pass from Simmonds that went through the heart of the Falcons' zone defense and was able to put the puck over Cliff's right shoulder.
Farmington answered two minutes later. Cooper McLean took full advantage of a three player pile-up in front of Brownlee and lifted the puck over his pad.
Simmonds finished with one goal and three assists.
The loss is just the Falcons second of the season. They look to rebound Friday night when they take on Livionia Churchill at 6:15 p.m
