Winter Sports Highlights for 1.22.18

The Martlets were outplayed in every respect, and the game was never close, but the six girls who represented a depleted Westminster squad can take pride in the effort they put forth in Watertown. Co-captain Emma Alpaugh '18 continued her streak of double-figure scoring games and led the way with 11, while Alayna Tawney '19 added a career-high seven points. Paige Phillips '20 played her best all-around game in a while and led the team in steals and rebounds.

This was an extremely exciting game between the Martlets and the wild boars from Choate. This was the second showdown between the two schools. The Martlets played one of their better games of the season from start to finish. Again, Chris Robinson '20 led all scorers with 25 points. In addition, Fritz Gale '18 had 18 of his own points. The Martlets came up short in the closing minutes but it was a quality game from both teams. Kyle Hoffman '19 also chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the game.

 

After an outstanding game against KO, the Martlets came out flat to a hot shooting Hotchkiss team. Hotchkiss led the entire first half. The Martlets went on a run in the second half to cut the lead to 10 but it wasn't enough to outdo the hot start from the Hotchkiss ball club. Chris Robinson '20 led all scorers with 29 points. Eli Cohen '19 and Ian Dardani '18 both played great defense the entire game.

 

 

 

The Martlet White Lightning traveled to the Pomfret School in the far reaches of Eastern Connecticut for an epic showdown against the Griffins. Hitting the courts like horses out of the gate, the Martlets shocked the Griffins in the first five minutes with a 10-0 lead, with a particularly strong performance by "the Triple Threat" Ryan Messina '20, Hunter Hoogkamp '21 and Jack Luppino '21. The Griffins inched forward, closing the gap and briefly taking the lead. Would the White Lightning stand for this? "Nay," cheered the Martlets, as they rolled into halftime just one point ahead with a score of 14-13. The second half was neck-and-neck, and with just nine minutes to play the Griffins were locked in aerial combat with the Martlets at 23-23. The defensive zeal that had carried the White Lightning through the first half, alas, began to fade, and the Griffins seized the day. Nevertheless, the Martlets returned to Simsbury with lessons learned and chins held high.

 

Westminster played a strong game against a very talented Loomis team. During the first period Westminster outshot Loomis 15-4 and had many great scoring chances. The pace of the game was fast and exciting with both teams playing tough hockey at both ends of the ice. The score remained 0-0 at the end of the first period and Loomis found the back of the net midway through the second period to go up 1-0. Westminster battled hard for the entirety of the game but could not get on the board and eventually fell to Loomis 3-0. Ashlee White ‘18 and Emma Lange ‘18 had incredible plays both offensively and defensively throughout the game.

 

First Girls' Hockey played a hard-fought game against a talented Hotchkiss team on Jan. 20 in Jackson rink. Westminster set the tempo from the start. Defenseman Ashlee White '18 and Emma Lange '18 made smart plays down low to ensure speedy breakouts. Forwards Lilly Holmes '18 and Rosy Sieglaff '18 helped execute a near perfect forecheck; pinning Hotchkiss in its end for shifts at a time. Westminster had a game plan of getting every opportunity to shoot. Emma Gurnell '21 was robbed early on by an impressive play by the Hotchkiss goalie. After two scoreless periods, Westminster increased the tempo and took advantage of a two-on-one. Forward Casey Winslow '21 was able to slide the puck over to a breaking Jill Parsons '19 who sniped the top corner to put the Martlets up 1-0. Despite solid play from Westminster goalie Hannah Stone '18, Hotchkiss was not deterred and capitalized on a bouncing puck in front to even the score. The teams headed to overtime and despite an incredible effort by forward Megan Rittenhouse '20, Hotchkiss again went down the other end and won a scuffle in front for the OT win. Westminster outshot its opponent and each player gave their all for the team. In these moments the team resists frustration, but rather looks past the result and instead at building on the good work accomplished.

Jan. 17 was a tough game against Canterbury in which the Martlets met a hot goaltender who stopped 48 shots to earn a shutout. Westminster spent the majority of the game on the Saints’ doorstep, including a few very close calls where the net came off its moorings. Canterbury capitalized with a floating puck in the second period and netted an empty netter with a minute remaining.

 

It was a difficult game against rivals from across Hartford on Jan. 20, which ended in a 5-2 loss. Westminster scored first as Cam Scott ‘18 snuck a shot past the Loomis goaltender late in the first period. Malik Alishlalov ‘20 put one in off an offensive rush early in the second period to make the score 2-0. Loomis scored its first goal late in the second period and never looked back. Five unanswered goals sealed the victory for Loomis, and Westminster dropped another game, slipping to 7-5 on the season.

The Martlets hosted the Mid Fairfield Stars for a scrimmage Jan. 16. The talented Stars were able to get 35 shots on net and Julia Krys ‘19 saved 27 of those. Despite a final score of 0-8, Westminster skated hard and had fun hosting Mid Fairfield for a pizza party afterwards.

 

The Martlets traveled to Taft for a very exciting game on Jan. 17. Year after year Taft has proven to be a formidable opponent for Second Girls’ Hockey. After two periods the score remained 0-0 despite several shots on goal from both teams. Capitalizing on a power play, just 16 seconds into the third period, Abby Moss '20 found the back of the net to put the Martlets up. Seven minutes later, Susie Mahoney '20 turned the puck over on the blue line, got a breakaway, and shot the puck over the goalie’s left shoulder. Taft called a timeout with just over a minute left in the game and came back with a stacked line and were able to get a breakaway and bring the score to 2-1. On the very next shift a Taft player got a lucky bounce off the crossbar and tied the game up bringing it to overtime. After a hard fought five-minute overtime period the score remained 2-2. Julie Krys ’19 recorded 29 saves.

 

The traveling Martlets made their way to Hotchkiss for a matinee match up with the Bearcats. After falling behind 1-0 early in the first period the Martlets took advantage of a failed clearing opportunity. Abigail Moss '20 came in hard on the forecheck knocking down the attempted clearing pass just beyond the dots, eventually scoring an unassisted goal into the vacated Bearcat net. The Martlets took the lead in the second period on another unassisted goal. This time it was also short-handed as Susie Mahoney '20 took the puck the length of the ice to put the Martlets up 2-1. Later in the second period, the Martlets worked well together to kill off a five on three Hotchkiss power play, preserving a one-goal lead through two periods. During the second intermission, when asked about all of the penalties they were taking, the girls responded that their fourth away game in five since returning from winter break had them in a bad mood as they got off the bus. The solid team play continued in the third period. While Mahoney ended up with a hat-trick on the day, it was the heads up passing by the likes of Greta Baker '19 and Natalie Rubin '19 that set her up to finish the scoring. Julia Krys '19 had another outstanding performance in goal, stopping 23 of the 24 shots sent her way.

 

Second Boys’ Hockey hosted the CT Chiefs and skated away with an important 3-2 victory. The Chiefs opened the scoring in the first period on a power play chance. With a minute left in the initial frame, blueliner Peter Sanger '21 jumped into the offense and buried a Demitri George '18 pass to even the score at one goal apiece. The Martlets took full advantage of the initial 30 seconds of the second period by scoring two goals in quick succession. Still on a carry-over power play, Brett Daubert '20 charged the net and redirected a fine pass by Steve Bray '18 to give the hosts a 2-1 lead. Exactly 20 seconds later it was Bray to Daubert again on almost an identical play. On another power play opportunity, the Chiefs inched one goal closer midway through the middle stanza. Entering the third period with a lead has not been a comfortable position for this team, but the Martlets weathered the storm down the stretch (six skaters on five) and claimed a good team win. Although the post was his friend on three occasions, Will Scott '20 had a good night making 23 saves for his team. Captain Peter Hall ’18 made an impression to lift his team both in the locker room and on the ice. Without question, this was one of the best team efforts of the season.

Second Boys' Hockey was on the road, taking on the Pelicans of Loomis and bussed home with a 4-2 win. In the first period, Loomis capitalized on a bad defensive Martlet giveaway in front of the Westminster net and took a 1-0 lead. Steve Bray '18 answered shortly after, converting on a breakaway opportunity to knot the score at 1-1. In the second period, Westminster's Will Rizzo '21 scored from the high slot for the go-ahead goal. Carson Roth '19 and Demitri George '18 earned hard-working assists from behind the goal to get Rizzo the puck. Loomis tied the score early in the third period, but Quinn Armstrong ’20 broke the tie with an end-to-end rush to make the score 3-2. With less than a minute to play, George secured the game with an empty-net goal. Will Scott ’20 had a strong game in goal for the visitors, making 25 saves on the night. Always a tough place to play, despite some defensive lapses, the team earned a very satisfactory road victory.

 

Third Boys’ Hockey charged into Jackson arena on Jan. 17 and earned its first W of the 2017-18 campaign by a score of 7-3. SK Lee '18 got the Martlets on the board first by receiving a beautiful pass from Rex Flinn '21 and then beating the Taft tender with a nice move. Ryan Szykowny '18 would strike next with a an upper shelf wrist shot, the first of two for him on the day. Other scorers who made their mark included Walker Jones '20, Willie Noble '20, Grant Noble '18 and Wick Carter '19 who added just a bit more insurance. The win was a solid team effort with better passing in all three zones, a high compete level, and stellar goal tending from Ben Ferrell '21 who kept the rhinos at bay throughout the game.

Facing another local rival, the girls produced their second straight 7-0 victory. Rebecca Sargent '20 (at #7), Caroline Miller '18 (at #4) and Valeria Osorio '19 (at #1) all earned decisive 3-0 wins. Lucy Noel '18 (#6), Katie Kosior '18 (#3) and Ellie Bailey '21 (#2) all dropped their first games, only to come back to win in four. The most exciting match was played by Natalie Fay '19 at #5, who took her first game, but dropped the next two (nine and eight). Refusing to lose, she gutted out an 11-9 game four, then nailed down the team shutout with a resounding 11-3 win in the fifth. Additionally, Eve Cathcart '20, Georgia Swank '19, Blake Cote '19 and Anna Veber '21 all added 3-0 exhibition wins.

 

Having already twice suffered 4-3 losses this season, the girls came out on the winning side of a close one Jan. 17. The first round of matches saw the Martlets take a 3-1 lead. Lucy Noel '18 made short work of her opponent at #7; Natalie Fay '19 dropped game one, but came storming back to take three straight for the win at #6; and at #2, Ellie Bailey '21 split her first two games, then earned a gritty third-game 14-12 win, followed by a resounding 11-4 decisive game four win. Having no better luck at #3 than they had at #4, the girls needed a win in one of the last two matches on court, at #1 or #5, to close out the match. Both would go to five, with swings of momentum. Caroline Miller '18 went up two at #5, but lost the next two narrowly to set up a winner-take-all fifth. Meanwhile, Valeria Osorio '19 took a 1-0 lead, but dropped the next two games. While Osorio was composing herself and evening up her match with a surgical 11-6 game four win, Miller played a seesaw game five, prevailing 11-9 to collect the "nail". It was a clutch win, especially as Osorio twisted her ankle tangling with her opponent in the first point of her deciding game. Though she played gamely, she fell 11-7 for her first loss of the season.

 

Deerfield rode to victory on the strength of a very strong top of the ladder, sweeping the top five spots without dropping a game. The Martlets put up a good fight in those matches, but could not withstand the visitors' all-around shotmaking and deadly short games. The hosts did find some success at the bottom two spots, earning two wins. Lucy Noel '18 used deft short balls to earn points when she wasn't pounding her opponent into the back corners, winning in three straight at #7. The match of the day was played by Natalie Fay '19 at #6, who dropped her first two games, but eventually wore her opponent down with relentless defense and good depth, earning a comeback win ((7), (9), 5, 7, 8).

The match started with some promise for the Martlets when Khalil Walker '19 was able to win his match in three games. Nate Londal '19 provided more hope when he made a bid for his second straight 0-2 comeback after winning the fourth game 15-13 to force a game five. Unfortunately, he could not maintain his edge and fell in the fifth game. The other matches were all dominated by Avon so the team outcome was never in question only the final score. Aly Tolba '18 and Avon’s Will Curtis put on a great show on the glass court using a white ball. Some of the rallies went on and on with boasts, drops, lobs, sharp rails, volley nicks and great gets. It was fun to watch. After one long point both boys walked to their respective corners to catch a breath, almost like a boxing match. Tolba dropped the first game but kept strong pressure on Curtis with his backhand drops and won in four with an overset victory in the fourth game.

 

First Boys' Squash found themselves down early to Pomfret. Co-captain Chanler Miller '18 was down 1-2 and Khalil Walker '19 was down 0-2. Fortunately, co-captain Connor Seeley '18 won his match in three games to give the team an early 1-0 lead. Walker was frustrated but determined and fought back finally winning a five-game match. Miller made some adjustments but still found himself down two match balls 8-10 in the fifth before pulling out a fantastic five-game win to the delight of his teammates, coach, mother, sister and grandmother! Now, instead of being down 1-2, the Martlets had a strong 3-0 lead. In the second round of matches, the Pomfret boys showed their mettle by contesting every point. They never gave up and made the Westminster boys earn every victory. Co-captain Andrew Doucette '18 was still smarting from a loss earlier in the week and look discouraged. After dropping the first game, Doucette was more focused and used lobs and tight rails to win in four games. Nate Londal '19 was up 2-0 and then found himself in game five. Londal was super sharp in the fifth game and controlled the T from start to finish for the third five-game win of the afternoon. Sean Ryan '18 was up 2-0 but his relentless southpaw opponent took the third game and pushed Ryan to the end in a very close fourth game. Aly Tolba '18 won in straight sets.

 

In a fiercely competitive match, the Avon Old Farms squad won the top four matches while the Martlets prevailed in the bottom four matches. An indication of how tight this match was is the fact that five of the individual matches went to five games, with the Martlets winning three of those and the Winged Beavers winning two. This was definitely a marked improvement from the team’s Jan. 13 performance at Kent. The black and gold fought for every point and generally speaking played smart squash.

 

Following up on their solid performances on Jan.. 15 at Avon Old Farms, the Martlets defeated a determined Pomfret squad by the score of 7-1. There were two four-game matches and one five-gamer, and many of the individual points were hotly contested. The boys have had some successes as the team approaches the midpoint of the season, but there is still much work to be done, especially in learning how to control a variety of squash shots so as to be able to use all four corners of the court to put pressure on opponents.

 

With only five boys able to make the long trek to Pawling, New York, the Martlets were down 0-2 before the match even started. Fortunately, the five boys who were able to come controlled their matches by playing smart, efficient squash and the black and gold won the match 5-2. As always, TP's players were gracious, and although Westminster won all 15 games played, a number of the games were tightly contested.

 

 

The Martlets soared Jan. 20 as they handily defeated the Wild Boars from Choate. Very good squash was played across the board, and only one game was lost.

 

Westminster hosted a young and enthusiastic squad from Renbrook on Jan. 16. At the top of the ladder, #1 Boyan Alipiev '19 and #2 Zach Eckerson '21 had their hands full against two tenacious and feisty opponents. Alipiev lost in three, while Eckerson split the first four games and then ran out of steam in the fifth and decisive frame. The remaining eight Martlets prevailed in their respective matches. Jimmy Chey '20 bounced back from a first game loss to win the next three, the last game going down to the wire with Chey coming out on top, 12-10. Dinh Truong '19 followed suit, also losing the first game and then coming back with three consecutive wins to close out the match. Quoc Truong '20 got off to a fast starting by taking the first two games convincingly, and then eked out a 14-12 win in the third game as his opponent hung in there until the final point. Ral Reyes '20, Cam Jury '19, Nate Chaves '19 and Memo Tejapaibul '20 played steady and methodical squash in defeating their opponents three games to none. The match of the day belonged to William Mell '21, who played a tough and gutsy match, winning the first two games, losing the third in overtime, 10-12, and then returning the favor to clinch it, 12-10.

 

The girls were missing nine of their own on Jan. 20 as they hosted Wilbraham & Monson Academy and Ethel Walker School at Hibbard Pool. Lots of swimmers stepped into new roles and brought their performance to new heights against solid opponents from the visiting teams. The Martlets took third in the 200 Medley Relay, swum by Katherine Ashe '21, Angelesia Ma '20, Michelle Wu '21 and Alex Wolf '19. Sydney Schuster '21 and Simonne Ponce '21 both swam best times in the 200 Freestyle. Ashe and Ma teamed up for second and third in the 200 IM, with Ma lowering her personal best substantially. Wolf then swam a lifetime best in the 50 Freestyle, good for second place, and the diving duo of Jane Ogden '19 and Cecilia Raymond '20 placed first and second, respectively. Ashe took second in the 100 Fly with Wu in fifth with a best time, and Wolf and Ponce both swam lifetime bests in the 100 Freestyle. Wu and Schuster teamed up for fourth and fifth, respectively, in their debut outings in the 500 Free, and the 200 Free Relay team of Ma, Schuster, Ponce and Ally Marenco '18 took second. Co-captain Dallis Alvarez '18 took fourth in the 100 Back, and Ma and Siena Holowesko '21 both swam best times in the 100 Breaststroke.

 

The boys were missing some key members this weekend but still managed to snatch a win and a good tie against talented visiting teams from Wilbraham & Monson and Eaglebrook. The meet began with a second place finish in the 200 Medley Relay by co-captain Albert Gao '18, Eddie Shin '21, Layton Harmon '21 and Kieran Haug '21, followed by two huge personal best swims in the 200 Free from Harmon and co-captain Teagan Stedman '18. Harmon hacked six seconds off of last week's time to touch out his opponent by .07, and Stedman dropped six seconds off his lifetime best to take fourth. J-C Lane '21 and Shin teamed up in the 200 IM in their first ever attempts at that race for the black and gold, with Lane finishing second with a fast time. Liam Seeley '20 and Emmett de Kanter '19 both swam personal bests in the 50 Freestyle, and Hayden Cathcart '18 took second in the diving event. Harmon then chopped another six seconds off his time in the 100 Fly (third place), and Gao tied for first in the 100 Free, with de Kanter finishing fifth in a lifetime best time. Haug then won the 500 Freestyle with his best time, and the 200 Freestyle Relay team of Shin, Stedman, Seeley and de Kanter took second. Gao won the 100 Backstroke with a speedy swim while Lane and Haug added fast times of their own, and Shin swam his best 100 Breaststroke time yet to take third. In the final event, the 400 Freestyle Relay, Westminster's B relay team needed to beat Eaglebrook's B in order to get the tie. They trailed after the first two legs by Seeley and Grant McCargo '21, but in the third split Lane closed the gap significantly and Cathcart motored home in the anchor leg, passing his opponent to finish fourth and avoid the loss. Overall, the boys had some jaw-dropping breakout swims, which is a testament to their hard work and the camaraderie they have developed over the course of the young season.