Stephen Peck among 6 standouts from Avon Old Farms win over Tabor

Avon took down Tabor Thursday night in its first game of the Christmas Classic. (Jay Kenney/NEHJ)

AVON, Conn. — Avon Old Farms continued its red-hot start to the season Thursday.

The Winged Beavers rode excellent goaltending and a total team effort to beat Tabor, 4-0, in their first game of the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic.

Tabor goaltender Gus Ackerman was peppered with 27 shots in the first 25-minute half of hockey, while Avon goaltender Stephen Peck (New York, N.Y.) faced only four shots. Tabor fell behind early due to an early goal scored by Avon senior forward Joe Odyniec (Ridgefield, Conn.) 2:10 into the first period.

Both teams tired as the period wore on, and Tabor went into the locker room searching for a stronger start to their second 25-minute half of hockey, perhaps encouraged by the fact they were only trailing by a single tally.

After only scoring a single lamplighter in the opening 25 minutes, Avon tallied three goals in the final 25 minutes. Andrew Pitts buried the second goal and Northeastern University commit Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.) added two more goals at 6:12 and 10:05 of the second half of hockey.

Peck may have only seen a total of 15 shots, but many were high-quality scoring chances when the game was still tight. Avon’s depth and unrelenting pursuit of the puck were too much for Tabor to handle Thursday evening, and the Winged Beavers managed to stay out of the penalty box and play a disciplined brand of winning hockey.

Tabor faces St. Paul’s at Koeppel Community Sports Center at Trinity College at 11 a.m on Friday. Avon Old Farms is also playing at 11 a.m. against Kent at Jennings-Fairfield Arena.

Here are the standouts from Thursday’s game:

Joe Connor

Avon Old Farms, 3/11/05, FWD

Connor was named the player of the game, and all you have to do is look at the stat sheet to see why. He totaled two pivotal goals late in the game to give the Winged Beavers a dominant lead over Tabor. The Northeastern commit has posted five goals and 11 points in six games this season.

Stephen Peck

Avon Old Farms, 1/18/05, G

It’s easy to forget the many big saves Peck made considering the margin by which Avon out-shot its opponent, but Peck was a brick wall throughout the content. His positioning was excellent, rebound control was solid, and he gave his team confidence as the game wore on. Without Peck’s strong performance between the pipes, this would have been a different game. Peck has only allowed four goals in six games to start the season.

Cam Gaffney

Tabor, 12/6/04, FWD

Gaffney was one of the most noticeable players on the ice throughout the game. He was constantly around the puck, making good decisions, and playing a strong two-way game. While he was not awarded on the scoresheet, he deserves a mention. Gaffney has started off his season with one goal and seven points in five games.

Blake Jones

Avon Old Farms, 2/22/05, D

The uncommitted defenseman put on a tremendous performance on the blue line. Jones played well at both ends of the ice, showing talent with and without the puck. Strong play from blue-liners like Jones and Yale University commit Hudson Miller is exactly what makes Avon tick, and enables them to outshoot teams like Tabor 47-15 over 50 minutes of hockey.

Charlie Gollob

Avon Old Farms, 2/10/04, FWD

The Avon forward was involved in nearly all of the Winged Bears’ goals Thursday night, totaling three assists. Gollob’s offensive output helped Avon win its sixth straight game, providing secondary scoring for head coach John Gardner’s already strong roster.

Jack Kennedy

Avon Old Farms, 5/14/04, D

It’d be easy to look past the strong play of Miller and Jones and miss the great defensive performance that Kennedy put on Thursday evening. It wasn’t flashy, but like any other great defensive defenseman, Kennedy did his job and he did it well. Peck has to be inspired by strong defensive efforts like this in front of him to start the tournament.