BARRE, Vt. — Hartford High’s Cavan Benjamin rushed the puck into the U-32 end Friday night. The rangy defenseman curled out from behind the net and flung a perfect pass back between the circles to gliding hockey teammate Nolan Morlock.

Staring point blank at Raiders goaltender Chase Pickel, Morlock ripped off a shot, only to see the netminder make the save. Gliding back towards the blue line following the whistle, Benjamin used one arm to raise his stick and whack on the ice in frustration.

It was that kind of night for third-seeded Hartford, which fell to the second-seeded Raiders, 3-0, in the VPA Division II semifinals at the Board of Recreation Rink. The Hurricanes, defending division champions, reached the final four for a fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in six years.

“We talked about how we couldn’t let them come out and put us in a tough spot,” said Hartford coach Todd Bebeau. “We had two odd-man rushes to start and didn’t get a shot and then we took a neutral-zone penalty (during the fourth minute). That opened up the door for them to do what they can do.”

U-32 scored all its goals during a first period in which it kept Hartford mostly on its own side of the center line. Hartford’s defensemen showed signs of fatigue as they repeatedly battled Raiders below the face-off dots.

“We used long stretch passes to get the puck in deep and turn their defensemen around,” said U32 coach Shane Locke, whose team eliminated Hartford at the same stage of the playoffs and in the same location two years ago before winning the division title.

“Then we kept it down low and that left our defensemen open at the blue line. We got our first two goals off rebounds from their shots.”

Hartford (13-8-1) rarely kept the puck in its opponent’s zone during the first period, quickly ending its forays there with a long-range shot and rarely able to maintain possession with passes. 

U-32 opened the scoring with a power-play goal during the fourth minute after Tyler Spaulding was called for tripping. The Raiders went up, 2-0, two minutes later.

U-32 (19-3) pushed its advantage to 3-0 just 27 seconds before the first intermission when a scramble at the left post resulted in the puck drifting towards the opposite pipe, where it was poked across the goal line.

“Getting that third goal was absolutely huge,” said Locke, whose team enjoys the services of rushing defenseman Max Scribner, certainly one of the state’s top blueliners. “Especially because we played shorthanded for nine minutes in the second period.”

Hartford deployed two lines and its second forward unit played a clear, defensive style for the first half of the game, laying back at the center line to force the Raiders to advance the puck through four and five players.

Bebeau credited that second group of Spaulding, Richard Rosenbeck and Carter Williams for often going against U-32’s top line and playing well enough to allow Hartford’s first line to rest before producing scoring chances.

“My kids showed the last two periods what we’re all about,” Bebeau said. “We could have been blown out of this barn but we came back with a lot of passion and heart to not allow any more goals.

“We scratched and clawed to keep our season alive,” Bebeau said “My heart is filled with gratitude for the privilege of coaching this group.”

Hartford couldn’t score on second- and third-period breakaways and hit the post with a shot during the middle stanza. The Hurricanes took only three of the game’s eight penalties but were outshot, 31-17.

“The reality tonight is the better hockey team won and that’s not a knock on my kids,” Bebeau said. “It wasn’t through lack of effort and the two best teams in our division are playing for the title on Sunday.

“I’m disappointed that I can’t coach this senior group anymore. They embody what high school athletics are all about.”

Hartford will lose seniors Nick Daniels, Cavan Benjamin, Nolan Morlock, Sonny Snelling and Logan Caffrey to graduation in June.

U-32 faces top-seeded Harwood (20-2) in Sunday’s division championship game at the University of Vermont’s Gutterson Field House.

Tris Wykes can be reached at ctwykes@aol.com.