Another title for Hockeytown

I've had the pleasure of covering almost every state title game the vaunted BFA-St. Albans girls hockey team has played - and they've played a lot.

By my count they have won eight in 10 seasons - although nitpickers will say it's seven in nine years. That's because the VPA didn't start sanctioning the state tournament until nine years ago.

But I digress. Suffice to say the Comets own girls high school hockey and it will be a long time, if ever, before that changes.

The Comets won their eighth title on Friday night, and although they have won some close games in the past, none was more close nor more in doubt that their 1-0 win over Spaulding at Norwich's Kreitzberg Arena.

Let's be fair, BFA was outplayed and outshot - 23-8.

But they weren't out hustled and they weren't out-hearted (OK, I know I'm stretching for words here!).

They caught a break - well, maybe more than one - on their only goal.

But you know what? They took advantage of their big break. Had they squandered it, they might still be playing. Both defenses were simply that good Friday night.

Speaking of defense, how about BFA freshman goalie Shanley Howrigan?

How clutch is this kid?

She stole the show in the Comets' quarterfinal win over MVU with a pair of thefts on breakaways. She didn't face as many quality shots against the Crimson Tide, but she was rock-solid. Did I mention she's a freshman? Some kids crumble under pressure - and that's no slam on them - so adults do, too.

But not Shanley - she was poised all night and a huge reason the Comets are basking in championship glow once again.

Another reason is the BFA coaching staff, led by Luke Cioffi. With all due credit to his assistants, Luke's steady hand, upbeat personality and never-say-quit personality has been a constant through a decade of excellence that will never be topped - 10 Frozen Fours, 9 title appearances and 8 state titles.

Congrats to all of those associated with program - past and present - to the coaches, players, parents and fans. You are truly the best high school girls hockey program in Vermont's history.

I will be posting photos from the title game later this week - if you would like to know when they are posted, shoot me an email shawn@coldhollowphoto.com and I'll send you a link to the photos along with a coupon code to save some dough on your next order with www.coldhollowphoto.com.

State title time

The weird winter weather has thrown all kinds of curves at me for what I will be covering this weekend.

As of now I'm planning covering both the Division I and II girls hockey finals at Norwich - may try to tweet in between periods (@scorrow) but in the past it's been tough to find wireless connection at Kreitzberg Arena.

Saturday I am slated to be at the MVU boys basketball quarterfinal before heading to the state wrestling championships at Vergennes.

I will not be at the Division II girls basketball state championships as previously planned on Sunday, but I will be at the Division II boys hockey finals on Monday night.

After that, who knows?

Also, I am still editing the MVU-MMU boys hockey semifinals and hope to be able to post these and the Stowe-Brattleboro semifinals on Sunday.

Cheerleading State Championship photo information - Updated

****Updated Thu. Feb. 25, 11 p.m. ****

Thanks for your patience - all the photos are now uploaded.

Here are the links to the photos - Enjoy!

Vergennes cheerleading - 190 photos

Winooski cheerleading - 164 photos

Mount Anthony cheerleading - 193 photos

Brattleboro cheerleading - 149 photos

South Burlington cheerleading - 173 photos

Essex cheerleading - 234 photos

BFA-St. Albans cheerleading - 247 photos

Fair Haven cheerleading - 185 photos

BFA-Fairfax cheerleading - 130 photos

Green Mountain Union cheerleading - 106 photos

Lyndon cheerleading - 143 photos

Mill River cheerleading - 113 photos

Milton cheerleading - 139 photos

Otter Valley cheerleading - 96 photos

Poultney cheerleading - 156 photos

Rutland cheerleading - 235 photos

Richford cheerleading - 198 photos

If you are looking to purchase photos from the state cheerleading championships we will be posting these very soon on our sister website www.coldhollowphoto.com

We shot photos of all 17 teams that competed and we plan on posting over 1,500 photos - all edited and divided by school - on our website this week. As you can imagine, it takes a while to edit that many photos and that is the reason for the delay.

If you would like to be notified when your favorite team has been uploaded into the system, email shawn@coldhollowphoto.com or use the comments section below.

If you are curious about pricing, we sell any photo on our site for as little as $2.99 for one 4x6.

If you would like to see all of our pricing, here's a cheerleading gallery from our website - click on any photo and add it to a shopping cart to see all the different products and pricing we offer.

Finally, we do have some photos from last winter's cheerleading season online, as well.

Thanks for taking the time to check on the status of the photos!

All the best,

Shawn Corrow - Cold Hollow Photography - (802) 782-5317

This one's for the girls

The BFA-MVU girls hockey playoff game Friday night was remarkable in a number of ways.

First of all, there had to at least 1,000 people there, easily the largest crowd ever to watch a girls hockey game in Franklin County, if not Vermont.

I've been to a half-dozen state title games and I don't think the crowds have been any larger at those games than the crowd at Hungerford Rink at the CPSC.

This brings me to my next point - when can we stop having the girls hockey semifinals at Norwich? The place is beautiful, but even if you put a 1,000 people in it, it seems empty.

Better, I think, to have the semifinals at the site of the highest-seeded team and leave the title game to Kreitzberg Arena (it should be played on a neutral rink).

Rumor has it that was a tentative plan for this year, but I guess it fell through. Hopefully, it will change for next season.

Anyone who was at the game Friday night knows why that would be a great idea.

As far as the game goes, kudos to the Comets for their win - and big-time kudos to the BFA-St. Albans boys team for its monumental upset of top-seeded Essex on Saturday.

But congrats are in order, too, for the MVU girls.

They showed they can compete in Division I - as if there was any real doubt - and although they came up short in the playoffs, they played hard - and more importantly - showed real class in defeat.

Both girls teams were great models for the dozens of starry-eyed young girls in the crowd who eagerly anticipate their chance to don the jerseys of their hometown high schools.

I hope to post photos from the BFA-MVU playoff game later tonight.

Update on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 11:44AM by On the Sidelines

The photos - all 586 of them! - are uploaded!

I will not be at the BFA semifinal game, but I have blocked out Friday night to cover the title game.

I will be at the MVU boys hockey semifinal on Monday night at UVM.

Loud and proud

I photographed (for the Free Press, the Messenger, the Caledonian Record and my website) the Vermont Cheerleading Championships at Vergennes on Saturday.

What an amazing event - so loud, but a lot of fun to watch. I'm guessing this is about the 15th one of these I've been two, starting way back when the event was held in three different sessions at St. Mike's.

This year, Vergennes H.S. hosted the event. Great gym, nice and bright and set up very well. Not sure if it will be back there again in the future, but it has my vote.

Rutland stole the show with an amazing performance. Clearly, they were the class of the field, but there were many other outstanding performances.

Here are the results:

Division I: 1. Rutland, 198; 2. Essex, 180; 3. Vergennes, 159; 4. BFA-St. Albans, 154; 5. Milton, 140; 6. BFA-Fairfax, 133; 7. Lyndon, 121; 8. Mount Anthony, 115.
Division II: 1. Richford, 180; 2. Poultney, 157; 3. South Burlington, 155; 4. Winooski, 143; 5. Mill River, 123; 6. Brattleboro, 118; 7. Fair Haven, 107; 8. Otter Valley, 91; 9. Green Mountain, 80.

New England qualifiers: Coed - Rutland, Essex, Richford; Division II South Burlington; Division IV Vergennes.

I will be posting galleries - from the warmup and competition routines over the next week. I will divide the photos - I'm guessing at least 100 per school - by school for easier browsing. If you would like to know when your team has been posted, please send me an email - shawn@coldhollowphoto.com - and let me know what school you are looking for.

Or you can add your request in the comment section below - just make sure you leave me your email.