Martlets Defeat Williston

The Martlets hopped on the old College Highway and headed north to Easthampton, MA to take on the Wildcats of Williston-Northampton in Lossone Rink—a classic old barn that’s also one of the coldest rinks in New England. The game was all Martlets from the puck drop, as the team, coming off a disappointing loss the night before and playing with a short bench, controlled the play and generated many good scoring chances. The Black & Gold were aided by the Wildcats seeming disinterest in playing hockey this afternoon, opting instead to spend a good portion of their afternoon in the penalty box. As a consequence, the Martlets tallied 4 power play goals today, which is as many as the team’s had in many years. The Wildcats have the talent to be a more competitive team, so their decision-making left many in the crowd, and on the Martlet bench, scratching their heads. Lucas Steniger ‘29 anchored the Westminster defense and played well again, posting 27 saves for the game in an impressive performance. Williston’s lone goal came late in the 3rd period on a rare power play for the Wildcats, when a shot from the point was expertly deflected up and over his right shoulder. That spoiled Steniger’s shutout, which was too bad—he deserved it. Other than that, the Martlets dominated this game. Sam McGarvey ‘28 got the Martlets on the board in the 1st period on the first of many power plays when he picked up a pass from Reed Ghriskey ‘26 along the boards and fired a perfectly placed shot under the Wildcat keeper’s left arm. That was the first of McGarvey’s three goals this afternoon, and the hat trick earned McGarvey the Hard Hat. The 1st period ended with the JVs up 1-0, and while both teams had their chances it was clear that the Martlets had the advantage. It was in the 2nd frame that Westminster took control. Whether 5-on-5 or on the power play, the Martlets consistently worked the puck deep and produced quality scoring chances. Westminster made it 2-0 when Dylan Zapata ‘27 caught a perfect, thread-the-needle pass from slippery centerman Paul Coccaro ‘28 across the net front and had nothing but a full net to shoot the deftly placed puck into.  Zapata’s not going to miss from there (heck, I’m not going to miss from there). Linemate Xavier Kahn ‘27 also assisted on that goal. McGarvey notched his second of the day, again on the power play, soon after when Ghriskey found McGarvey to the left side of the Wildcat net and McGarvey beat one, then a second Williston defender before depositing the puck in the upper left corner. The goals then started coming as Westminster took control of the game. Ghriskey scored next, gathering a loose puck and firing it past the goalie after a solid offensive shift in the Wildcat end. Connor Quinn ‘29, who had a solid game overall, assisted on Ghriskey’s goal. Coccaro made it 5-0 when he slammed home a rebound of a Kahn shot; Kahn had raced wide into the Williston zone before zipping a low backhand on cage; the resulting rebound found Coccaro’s stick and he made no mistake. Zapata started Kahn’s rush and also assisted on the play. The second period ended with the scoresheet full of Williston penalties and Westminster goals. Between periods, the coaches emphasized the importance of staying focused and not getting “sucked in” to the nonsense the Wildcats were offering. For the most part, the team did a good job of doing just that in the final period. Though the Wildcats did manage their lone goal of the game in the concluding stanza, the JVs added three more: first blueliner Mikey Wang ‘28, who’s been threatening to light the lamp all season, got his first goal of the year when he picked up a puck early in the 3rd, stepped around a Wildcat defender to the inside, and ripped a low hard shot that simply overpowered the Williston netminder and tumbled into the net. Defensive partner Soren Techet ‘28 assisted on Wang’s goal. Next was Quinn putting the puck in the back of the net; his goal came after a series of passes in which every Martlet on the ice touched the puck and, with the Williston defenders’ heads spinning, he did the “McLaughlin” between the legs move to lift the puck over the keeper’s pads. Quinn’s goal came only seconds after Williston’s only goal of the game, so the counter score was particularly satisfying for the Black & Gold bench. McGarvey completed the scoring, and his hat trick, when he picked up a loose puck in the corner to the right of the Williston goal and seemingly beat every defender in the zone before calmly writing the puck just under the crossbar top left. And that’s how the game ended, with the Martlets in possession of a solid 8-1 victory. A good team win, the kind that warms this old coach’s heart, and very player deserves a nod: the defensive corps of Benji Hanson ‘27, Carsten Matthews ‘28 (playing in front of his hometown fans), former Wildcat Matthew Polastry ‘29 (who had a terrific game), Grayson Augsberger ‘29, as well as Techet and Wang all played will. Not on the scoresheet but having an impact too were forwards Declan Davies ‘29, Tyler Ungerman ‘26, Drew Doering ‘29, and utility man Jack Pickett ‘26. The coaches were most proud, however, of the team’s overall sportsmanship: though there were certainly times when the coaches had to lean on the players, and we took a few penalties we could have avoided, in general Westminster not only outplayed their opponents today but won in the important “intangibles” grit and grace categories as well. The team will have a little bit of time to rest and recover after two physical games in a row. But we’ll also have to be focused on Saturday, when the Kent Lions will come to town for a 5 pm Founders League puck drop. The varsity plays beforehand, but true fans of the game know that this is the premier matchup of the day. So book the babysitter, fill up the thermos with your family-friendly beverage of choice, and make sure your woolies are cleaned and pressed. See you at the rink!