Sports Highlights 01.12.2015

Back to back games for the Martlets caused a slow start for the home team on "Game Day on the Hill," and the squad found themselves down 2-0 early in the second period against Trinity-Pawling. The boys were finally able to break the opposing team's tight defense to open the game up with four goals later in the second from Peter Horsfall '17, Jack Fitzgerald '15, Taggart Corriveau '16 and John Hunt '17. The third period proved to be the best for Westminster, as they took a total of 24 shots in the last frame and added two more goals to take a 6-2 lead. Fitzgerald scored again, and Will Brophy '15 was also able to put one in. The final shot count was 45-18 in favor of the Martlets, and the boys closed out the 6-2 win in front of a raucous home crowd.
 

Westminster's Second Girls' Hockey squad put together a complete game in front of a home crowd on Saturday, taking down the challengers from Northfield Mount Hermon 7-0. Karus Sabio '18 made her debut as a Martlet, taking up the space between the pipes for her first of what will surely be many shutouts. Sabio was backed up by a very strong defense that rarely let the puck get all the way back to the goal. It was a balanced game for the girls, as every player recorded at least one shot, and the third line stepped up to play smart and aggressive hockey. The girls started their torrent of scoring early, when Anne Bitterli '16 scored twice in the first, assisted by Katie Neilsen '18 and Susanna Baker '15. In the second period the Martlets had a goal from Ana Wigmore '16, assisted by Cynnie White '17 and Kendall Brown, and an unassisted goal from Eliza Christman '15. The girls kept the pressure on in the third and scored three more times with goals from Katie Neilsen (assisted by Baker and Bitterli), Kendall Brown (assisted by White) and Maggie Kelly (assisted by White). Bitterli, Kelly and Brown recorded their first goals of the season.
 

In a long-delayed match, the Martlets finally got the chance to play the Tigers from Suffield Academy for the first time since 2013, winning the match 8-3. The Seconds players for the Black and Gold swept matches 1 through 7, losing only one game along the way. In the first round, Luke Tressy '16 got the team off to a good start with a sweep at #2 (1, 6, 4). Tressy has made himself into a dangerous player by working to expand his repertoire of shots. Using a very powerful serve, Niles Nicholas '17 completely controlled his match at #3, winning 3, 3, and 4. Connor Seeley '18 played finesse squash at #6, using good width and length to defeat his hard-working opponent 5, 8, 5. In the second round, Chris Hark '17 prevailed against a game opponent in a close three-game match at #7 (8, 8, 9), while Jack Sargent '17 needed a marathon 17-15 victory in the fourth game to close out a win at #5. Chanler Miller '18, playing up because George Doolan '15 was ill, used all four corners to his advantage in a 4, 4, 5 win at #3, and George Knight '15, who has risen to #9 on the combined varsity and JV ladder, continued his stellar play by winning 4, 4, and 2 at #1 for the Martlets.Since Suffield brought 12 boys, Coaches Cervas and Doucette rounded up four players from the Thirds to give the extra Suffield boys some contests. Those boys fought gallantly with John Pfister '15 and Sean Ryan '18 losing in five games at #s 8 and 9 respectively and Andrew Doucette '18 losing in four hard-fought games at #10. Max Grout '17 defeated his opponent at #11, three games to one, in a very entertaining match that saw both players flying all over the court to retrieve balls. Since the Martlets had not played a competitive match in over a month, this was an opportunity to work off some rust and show Coach Cervas that the boys spent their time productively over winter break. Next up is a trip to Salisbury on Wednesday.
 

The Martlets' Third Boys' Hockey squad played a hard-fought game against Trinity-Pawling that was back and forth from start to finish. Westminster controlled the neutral zone, and while they couldn't capitalize on the numerous power plays, they were dominant in five vs. five play. The boys notched a goal at the end of the first when Tucker Weiber '18 found the fabric, but TP tied it up in the next period. At the end of the second, Westminster took the lead again with a goal from Ryan Szykowny '18. Tyler Rome '16 and Brendan Jacobs '16 put the team up 4-1 in the third to secure the win.