Martlets Defeat Rhinos

The Martlets played “well enough” this afternoon and skated away with a 2-1 victory over the Rhinos. Coming off a well-played but disappointing loss to Trinity-Pawling last Saturday, the Black and Gold were looking to simplify their game: get pucks deep, win possession, and be creative in the Taft end. This the team largely accomplished, though there’s still work to be done to ensure the forecheck is consistent and sufficiently high energy, and that we’re getting pucks and bodies to the net as we need to. But the coaches were pleased with the overall effort and controlled intensity of the team for the full 48 minutes, and in the end, the win was a well-deserved one. The team outshot the Rhinos 31 to 18 for the game, a fair reflection of the Martlets' overall play and possession of the puck this afternoon. Lucas Steniger ‘29, in relief of the injured Teddy Pemberton ‘29, played a very strong game, making several good saves in critical moments when Taft threatened the Martlet net. Veteran grinder Tyler Ungerman ‘26 got the JVs the early lead when he went in on a semi-breakaway and calmly deked the Rhino netminder right, then left before lifting the puck over the goalie's outstretched right pad. That goal game in the fifth minute of the first period, and energized the entire Westminster bench—it had been more than three full periods since the Martlets had found the back of the net. Ungerman’s tally was unassisted, as he had forced the turnover in neutral ice before streaking in between the two Taft defensemen. Ungerman, who continues to impress the coaches as a solid, defensive-minded, hard-working player, earned the hard hat for his efforts today, which Saturday’s recipient George Baird ‘26 conducting the post-game locker room ceremony. The game settled into a back-and-forth affair after Ungerman’s goal, with each team generating offense and scrambling a bit on defense. In the main, however, it was the hometown favorites who had the balance of the play, and credit to the Taft goalie for several terrific saves. The 1st period ended with the JVs on top 1-0, but this old coach knew well that this was any one’s game. The 2nd frame opened with some inspired play by the Martlets, and ultimately, the period was all Westminster. But despite several moments of sustained pressure in the Taft end, they could not get that crucial second goal—it has been a challenge to score this season, but the coaches are confident the lads will break through soon. The lines of Reed Ghriskey ‘26, Patrick Saxe ‘26, and Sam McGarvey ‘28, and Paul Coccaro ‘28, Xavier Kahn ‘27, and Dylan Zapata ‘27 produced some terrific, hard-nosed play, but each time the Taft keeper was equal to the task. The coaches felt that, in particular, McGarvey and Saxe had their best, most complete games of the season, but that sextet in aggregate played very well today. Drew Doering ‘28, killing penalties and playing hard, also deserves mention, as does Soren Techet ‘28. The 3rd period opened with the Martlets nursing that same 1-0 lead, and everyone in the rink knew that the next goal could very well be decisive. And so it was: on the penalty kill early in the stanza, Saxe forced a turnover just inside the Martlet blue line and split the Rhino defensemen as he raced down the ice on a breakaway. Using his impressive reach, the big power forward deftly slipped the puck between the Taft goalie’s pads to give the home side a 2-0 lead. The JVs, lifted by Saxe’s critical goal, played with grit and enthusiasm for the balance of the period, and Taft had to work hard to earn a few good chances—but Steniger was there with pads and glove every time. With the clock winding down, it looked as if the locals would post the shutout, but unfortunately, with less than a minute on the clock and with the JVs holding that same 2-0 lead, the Black and Gold defensive pair, perhaps a little too aggressive with their play in Taft’s end, got caught low and a bouncing puck was seized by a Rhino, who streaked the full 200 feet before beating Steniger with a strong backhand up under the cross bar. Though the Martlets lost the ensuing faceoff (after a Taft timeout) with 18 seconds on the clock, good defensive play sealed the victory. Certainly, the JVs will take the win, which improves their record to 3-3. Taft is always a strong Founders League opponent, and today was no exception: a solid result for the boys. The team will have tomorrow’s practice to regroup and work on a few things, but Friday brings the Hillside Hawks to town and Saturday the always-physical and hard-charging Salisbury Knights. The Martlets will rest up and fuel up over the next 48 hours and prepare for the weekend. Ticket packages are available at the gate, so plan accordingly: parking will be at a premium for what promises to be a capacity crowd. See you at the rink!