Martlets Defeat SHS

The third time was a charm as the Martlets and Trojans finally took the ice against one another at Jackson Rink. Mother Nature and other unforeseen events prevented the teams from playing their first two scheduled games. A total team effort was the key to the Martlet’s tightly contested 3-2 victory—that, and the stellar play of netminder Danny Maher ‘26. Maher's performance earned him the first star of the game as, time and again, he stopped high-quality scoring opportunities from the up-tempo Simsbury offense. After a scoreless first period, Westminster got on the board with a power play goal just over a minute into the second frame. Defenseman Richard Kim ‘25 took control of the puck in the neutral zone and skated up the right wall. Soon after gaining the offensive zone, Kim found Zac Jainchill ‘25 open in front of the net, and he made no mistake in finishing the play. The 1-0 lead would be short-lived, though, as the Trojans tied the game four minutes later and took the lead a mere 32 seconds after that. Despite trailing by one, spirits were high in the locker room between periods. The young Martlets were determined not to let this opportunity slip from their hands. The boys went to work immediately, with Jainchill getting his second tally of the night at 1:09 of the third period. From that point forward, the pace of play picked up another level as both teams battled for sustained pressure in their respective offensive zones. Ironically, it was not sustained pressure but a nifty breakout play that led to the eventual game-winning goal. Defenseman Tyler Ungerman ‘26 made a clean breakout pass from the defensive zone up to Jack Pickett ‘26. Pickett quickly moved the puck to a streaking Benji Hanson ‘27 flying through the neutral zone. Hanson finished the play with a snap shot just inside the right faceoff dot that beat the goalie over his left shoulder. The goal solidified Westminster’s first victory of the season. Running it back, enough cannot be said about the team effort put forth this evening. Defensemen Lane Gallagher ‘25, Ty Lambert ‘26, Jeffrey Niu ‘26, and Auggie Jiranek ‘27 worked the corners hard, won puck battles, and controlled the front of the net. Senior captain Justin Cardia ‘24 complimented Jainchill and Hanson on the first line. At the same time, Lorny Goodyear ‘25, Will McCarthy ‘25, Henry Baird ‘26, Juneyeon Kim ‘26, and Luke Zappia ‘26 blocked numerous shots, kept the play moving through neutral ice, and gave the Trojan defensemen fits on the forecheck. Finally, the combined effort of our fourth liners—Jordan Pham ‘27, Jack Doherty ‘26, Colin Daly ‘27, and Finn Seeley ‘25—gave the team a welcome lift as it was our first game in over a week. Westminster is back on the ice tomorrow night versus Pope Francis. The Cardinals will surely bring a skilled and heavy game to Jackson Rink.