Martlets Fall to Cardigan

Playing their second game in 24 hours, the Martlets welcomed a very talented Cardigan Mountain School team to Jackson Rink. The 1st period belonged to the Cougars, as they set the pace and kept consistent pressure on the Black & Gold. Cardigan tallied three goals in the opening frame, including two in the span of about 1:30 late in the period, to put the hosts down 0-3 after one. The Martlets could have found themselves in a deeper hole but for the strong play of goalie Alec Rosenbaum ‘23, who was the victim of poor defensive coverage and made several strong saves (he finished the game with a total of 22 saves on the night). After regathering themselves, the team played much better in the 2nd and 3rd periods, ultimately out-scoring Cardigan 2-1 in the final 30 minutes. The Martlets played stronger hockey in all three zones: consistent defensive zone coverage, good balance in neutral ice, and generating sustained forechecking pressure in the Cougar end. Jaden Goodsell ‘23 got the team on the board midway through the 2nd period with a short-handed goal assisted by Nick Orenstein ‘23 – and that really got Westminster rolling. Several good chances necessitated some solid play from the Cardigan goalie, who played well throughout the game. After a powerplay goal for the Cougars – and the Martlets will have work harder to stay out of the penalty box in upcoming games – the team made it 2-4 on a gritty goal from Cole Raycraft ‘23, who jammed home a lose puck in front of the Cougar cage after the keeper couldn’t handle a shot from Easton Masse ‘25. The last five minutes or so featured some additional scoring opportunities for Westminster, but to no avail and a couple of late penalties took the wind out of the Martlet sails. Credit is due to Cardigan, who played a high-paced, disciplined team game. Well done. Likewise, the Martlet defensive corps of Sawyer von Jess ‘22, Keegan Bankoff ‘22, Jack Carter ‘23, Jack Rockefeller ‘23, Luke Reiter ‘23, and Stuart Dorman ‘23 deserve credit for leading the effort to steady the team after a wobbly start to the game. The Martlets will have only their second practice of the year on Monday, and will work to get our systems and chemistry in place for Wednesday, when we travel down to Choate for the first of two games this season with the Wild Boars.