Winter Sports Highlights 1.9.17

The Martlets controlled the pace of the entire game on Jan. 4. After jumping out to a big lead, the Martlets had to make some adjustments, due to the style of play by Watkinson. Watkinson didn't go away easily, the team fought hard the whole game. Devonte McCall '17 had his best game of the season, as he poured in 27 points. Josiah Green '18 and Max Brigham '18 both had strong offensive games respectively. Chris Swanson '17, Delando Clarke '17 and Manny Meltzer '17 also played great defense and had key assists. The Martlets look forward to hosting Loomis on Friday night.

 

It was a hard fought game between both teams. Westminster jumped out to an early lead, but the Loomis squad continued to battle back, which eventually led to a one-point halftime lead over the Martlets. The second half went back and fourth, with Loomis taking a late 10-point lead. Then it was the Martlets turn to fight back and bring the game to overtime by a big time shot from Chris Robinson ‘20. When the game went into overtime, Loomis pulled away in the last minutes. Devonte McCall '17 ended the game with 34 points and a monstrous 20 rebounds. While Josiah Green '18 chipped in with 24 points for the Martlets. The team looks to bounce back against Choate Wednesday.

 

Westminster faced a disciplined Taft team on Jan. 7 at Jackson Rink. The first 16 minutes was fast paced and Westminster did well in setting the tempo. Defenseman Ashlee White '18 and Hannah Carbone '19 made smart decisions below the goal line that resulted in some of the best breakouts the team has seen this season. Forward Abby Munger '20 did her best to create offensive play as she looked to shoot from all angles. Megan Rittenhouse '20 had great zone entry and was integral in the five shots Westminster had in the first period. Despite the momentum, the team broke after the first period without getting on the board. The first few minutes of the second period was dominated by Westminster as Cynnie White '17 and Taylor Adams '20 got the forecheck going. Westminster maintained possession, but had a hard time hitting the net. Just four minutes in, Taft was able to make a chance off the half-wall count and scored to go up 1-0. Westminster was resilient and battled back in the next shift. Defenseman Emma Lange '18 made smart pinches down the right side and forced some good turnovers down low. Taft struck again at the two-minute mark. Westminster scrambled to gain the momentum back. The talented Taft goalie turned a Westminster offensive away. With just one minute left, Taft took a shot high that took a tough bounce off the glass and landed just inches from the crease. A forward slipped it over the goal line solidifying their lead at 3-0. With a good deal of work to do, Westminster took to the third period trying to keep shifts short and to hit the net. Rosy Sieglaff '18 had the best chance of the period, as the Taft goalie was just able to get the tip of her glove on Sieglaff's wrist shot. Westminster earned a power play in the last two minutes. Coach David Pope called a timeout and pulled the goalie. The six on four effort was hard fought, but Taft was able to hang on by sending a puck the length of the ice into the empty net. Westminster will take some valuable lessons from this afternoon and will be back to work at practice on Monday to prepare for a tough Choate team on Wednesday. 

Second Boys’ Hockey, after a three-week hiatus, had to get back in the saddle quickly Jan. 5 by hosting a very competitive Hillside team at Jackson Rink. The Martlets got off to a slow start, getting outplayed and outshot in the first period, but Spencer Rellinger '17 made several key saves to keep the opponents at bay. However, at the very beginning of the second frame, Westminster found the back of the net first on a power play chance. Max Powers '17 collected a pass from Quinn Armstrong '20 and sent a waist-high shot on cage that deflected in for a 1-0 lead. The hosts held this lead until the four-minute mark of the third period when a tired Martlet power play unit got caught out at the end of a long shift and the visitors capitalized to tie the game at one goal apiece. Fortunately, the deadlock didn't last very long. One minute later, Brett Daubert '20 and Conor Brennan '17 fed the puck to Wyatt Pastor '20 who was camped out in the Hillside crease. Pastor beat the Hillside netminder for the winning tally. Understandably, given the extended layoff, the play was sloppy at times and Westminster continued to spend far too much time in the penalty box. Nonetheless, the boys found a way to win. The team heads to Trinity-Pawling School on Saturday and will have to play a smarter, sharper and more complete game in order to continue this early-season winning streak.