Winter Sports Highlights for 1.8.18

The Martlets had three players in double digits against a fierce Watkinson team on Jan. 3. Chris Robinson '20 and Max Brigham '18 both had 15 points apiece. Brigham also had 15 rebounds — with seven offensive. Kyle Hoffman ’19 added 13 points with 10 rebounds. The was game was tied at half at 24 all, however, the Martlets came out firing in the second half to establish a decent lead. Watkinson fought back, and by late in the second half it was a two-point game. Tavian Montanez '21 sealed the game with a key floater in the lane and a pair of free throws. Eli Cohen ’19 chipped in with a few buckets, along with playing great defense.

 

The Martlets lost to a polished Marianapolis team on Jan. 6. Marianapolis played quality team ball throughout the entire game. Both teams game out of the gate with good energy. However, the Martlets found themselves down by 15 at the half. Chris Robinson '20 led all scorers with 29 points, eight assists and six steals. Captain Max Brigham '18 had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Westminster went down by as much as 20 points but the team battled back to cut the lead to eight. Simon Aber '18 played one of his better games of the season late in the second half. In the end, though, the Marianapolis lead was too much to overcome.

 

Jan. 6: Basketball - Second Girls’ 13 vs Northfield Mount Hermon School 43
The Martlets faced a tall, quick and well-coached NMH team on Jan. 6. Held to only 13 points the, the team struggled to generate much offense throughout the game. NMH's solid defense and strong, organized offense kept the ball out of Westminster’s hands for most of the game. Though the girls struggled to find the hoop, they never gave up and worked hard until the very last second of the game. Sophia Gasser '18 led the team with five points while Becca Gavel '18 and Alisa Toner '21 both added four points.

 

As the temperatures sank lower than the sunset, the Martlets fearlessly faced the Northfield Mount Hermon Hoggers with grit and grace. Ryan Messina ’20 had a standout game on both defense and offense and Gabe Grimeh ’19 continued to steal, block and hustle his way down the court. Bear Lockshin ’19 and Phalla Phoap ’20 both had their debuts as Martlet defensive specialists, sticking to their opponents with the strength of an ox and the speed of a tiger. As the game progressed, Roman Mitchell ’20 provided excellent momentum in the second half, sinking multiple threes in a row and bringing life to the scoreboard. Hunter Hoogkamp’s ’21 intensity was palpable throughout the game, and as the buzzer rang at the end of the second half, he was clearly hungry for more than just dinner. All around, a fantastic effort by the boys as they look toward a month packed with fierce competition.

Westminster fell to strong, tough Taft team on Jan. 6. Taft netted an early power play goal and the period ended with Taft up just 1-0. Westminster had a tough second period with Taft scoring just 10 seconds in. The Martlets then spent a large majority of the second period killing penalties, making it difficult to gain momentum. Despite a surge in the third period and great play up front from Lilly Holmes ‘18 and in net from Hannah Stone ‘18, Westminster was not able to get on the board and lost the game 2-0.

The Jan. 6 game against Trinity Pawling was the first following a long winter holiday break, and there was still a little rust in the gears. TP was fast out of the gate, moving the puck up ice quickly, and taking the lead early in the first off a screen. Westminster was not to be outdone, and Sean Clarke ‘19 scored in the first period to even the game. Westminster played better in the second and third period, but they gave up a goal on the power play, and TP seized the momentum. A few posts and crossbars, but the Martlets were unable to find the back of the net. TP scored its third goal on an empty net late in the third to seal the win. Alex Gadowski ‘18 was steady between the pipes, stopping 20 of 23 shots.

 

It was a brutally cold game but the Martlets were on fire! Goals came from Layla Ennis '19 (two goals), Caroline McDermott '20, Liz Murphy '19, Cecily Carter '20, Abby Moss '20 (two goals), Jenna Kosior '21 (first of her hockey career), Francesca Bradley '21 (first of her hockey career) and Meg Cournoyer '19 (two goals). Highlights include Cournoyer’s second goal, which she batted out of the air with the shaft of her stick after Greta Baker '19 lifted it; Kosior and Bradley's goals in their first season playing hockey and third game they've skated in; and Julia Krys '19 keeping it solid as always between the posts with another shutout.

 

Second Boys’ Hockey hosted the Pride of Trinity-Pawling in the first contest of 2018. Despite an impressive tying goal, the Martlets ultimately lost another game in OT. TP got the initial goal of the game in the middle of the first period on an unassisted short-side tally. At the very end of the second frame, Westminster's captain, Peter Hall '18, got the equalizer after intercepting the puck just inside Westminster’s own blue line and launching a wrist shot that didn't miss. Early in the third period, TP converted on a power play to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. The Martlets staged a strong offensive surge after pulling their goalie with a minute remaining in the game. Zach Papapetros '20 fed a pretty cross-crease pass to Steve Bray '18, who netted the game-tying goal with 49 seconds left. In OT, the Martlets failed to convert on a power play chance and eventually allowed a costly turnover in their end which resulted in the winning sudden-victory score for TP. Ben Ferrell '21 got his first start in goal for the Seconds, making 15 saves in a fine effort. Like most games this season, the Martlets outshot their opponents but couldn't make the necessary defensive plays late in the game to secure a win or tie.

 

The first of the two matches was a rematch against Loomis, who had been a 4-3 victor the first time the teams met. Alas, the result was the same, although the unfolding was more dramatic. Loomis took two of three in the opening evens round, with Ellie Bailey '21 and Lucy Noel '18 falling in three at # 2 and #4, while Natalie Fay '19 won three close games (9, 8, 10) at #6. Round two saw two more 3-0 results, with Caroline Kelter '19 falling at #3 while Valeria Osorio '19 prevailed at #1. Needing to win both remaining matches, the girls could only manage one. Rebecca Sargent '20 played disciplined and intelligent squash at #5, running off three straight games after dropping the first. The final match, at #7, was a thriller. Annabel Bradley '19 went ahead, then fell behind, then drew even, but fell just short of the comeback win in game five. Some consolation was to be had by virtue of a four-set win by Eve Cathcart '20 in exhibition action. Playing Tabor for the first time ever, the girls had better luck. Osorio earned another 3-0 win on the strength of her effective short game. Bailey played a tight match, but fell 14-12 in the fourth. Kelter used her power to earn a 3-0 win. Noel showed tremendous grit in pulling out a five-setter. Sargent also went to five, but came out on the wrong end in a match that could have gone either way. Fay also collected a second win, prevailing in four, and Bradley got some satisfaction, winning in four after dropping her first game. Cathcart notched a second exhibition win in straight sets.

Second Girls' Squash was matched against Loomis and Tabor on Jan. 6. Westminster rose to the challenge after two of its rostered players filled in for the First Team. The girls managed a 6-1 win over Loomis with Georgia Swank '19 leading the way at number #1. Westminster fought hard but lost to a talented Tabor team. Overall, it was a great effort for the Martlets.

 

On a frigid afternoon, the Martlets heated up the Kohn Squash Pavilion by playing spirited squash in defeating two worthy opponents. In the first match of the afternoon, the black and gold turned back Brunswick 5-2 while in the nightcap the boys fought ferociously for a 4-3 victory over the Berkshire Bears. These were hard-fought, competitive, very entertaining matches.

 

Sixth out of Six Teams

The boys had just two days in the pool after the long winter break to prepare for the Jan. 6 event, rescheduled from its weather postponement on Dec. 10. Understandably, the young Martlet team was not in peak condition but managed to pull off several strong swims. Co-captain Matt Norris ‘18 swam a good 200 IM for third place and Liam Seeley ‘20 swam a personal best in the 50 Freestyle. Co-captain Albert Gao ‘18 battled through nagging illness to swim a great 100 IM. In the end, the team finished sixth out of six teams.

 

The girls rang in the new year with some great swims in what turned out to be a marathon of a meet at Trinity on Jan. 6. With only two full days of practice under their belts before the meet, the girls focused on strategically executing their races and getting back into the swing of the season. Alex Wolf ‘19 and Simonne Ponce ‘21 had a great day, swimming a lifetime best in the 50 Freestyle. Alex Lin ’19 swam a solid race in the 200 Free, and led off the 200 Free Relay with a fast split. Jane Ogden ‘19 and Cecilia Raymond ‘20 finished third and fourth in diving, respectively. In the end, Westminster finished fourth out of six teams.