Martlets Defeat Choate

The Martlets made the I-91 trip south to Wallingford for the annual Candlelight Term contest with the Wild Boars. For the last several years, this Founders League tilt has been a back-and-forth affair, but today the Martlets played well in their own end and moved the puck with purpose and selflessness in the Choate end to skate away with a solid 7-1 victory. Anchored by Lucas Steniger ‘29’s 27 saves, Sam McGarvey ‘28 led the offense with a hat trick, and blue liner Thomas Merrill ‘28 added two of his own to pace the Black & Gold offense. Reed Ghriskey ‘26 contributed a short-handed goal, and Dylan Zapata ‘28 completed the scoring with a nifty tip-in in front of the Choate keeper. McGarvey’s first tally came about 5 minutes into the 1st period when Benji Hanson ‘26—who had an overall really solid game with two great assists—fed the puck from down low to a crashing McGarvey to get the Martlets on the board. Fewer than three minutes later, McGarvey found the back of the net again, taking a pass from Merrill on the near faceoff dot and, after a step or two, firing the puck over the left shoulder of the Wild Boar netminder. With the Martlets seemingly in control, the 1st period featured several offensive chances, but the Choate goalie, who had an impressive afternoon with 38 saves, turned them aside. This old coach knows full well that a 2-0 lead is the worst lead in hockey, and Choate proved the old adage true when, with fewer than 20 seconds on the clock in the 1st, a careless Westminster turnover left a Choate player with the puck in front of Steniger. No mistake was made, and the “clang” of bar-down told the tale: the 1st ended with the Martlets on top, 2-1. Both teams regrouped between periods, and the JVs were determined to tighten up their defense and play good team hockey despite the challenging long change of the upcoming 2nd (the 2nd period has proved an Achilles heel for the team in this young season). And while the play was not as consistent as the 1st or as the coaches would have liked, the Martlets did settle in and control the play. Merrill made it 3-1 when he ripped a slapshot from the right point, the culmination of a long stretch of good JV possession in the Choate end. Ghriskey padded the lead when, on the penalty kill, he outdueled two Wild Boars in center ice and accelerated into the Choate end to beat the keeper five-hole. Only two minutes after that, McGarvey completed his hat trick with a nifty goal that was really the hard work of Zapata, who picked a loose puck up in neutral ice, beat two Choate defenders to the outside, and then slid a perfect pass right onto McGarvey’s tape in front of the net. With the score 5-1 in favor of Westminster, the game settled into a more back-and-forth affair, but the Black & Gold were playing well. In the final frame, the Martlets added two more: Merrill took full advantage of a bad Choate change to break into the home side’s zone and beat the goalie under the bar, and Zapata, who was flying all afternoon and productive all game, neatly tipped a Matt Polastry ‘29 shot from the point under the keeper’s pads. The coaches were pleased with the team’s play, particularly with our strong defensive zone coverage (still a work in progress—not quite at 100%, to be honest) and just playing good hockey in the offensive end. This was some of the more selfless hockey we’ve played, with good passing and some exciting creativity on all of the lines. Not on the scoresheet but deserving mention for their solid overall play are Grayson Augsberger ‘29, who improves every day, and Henry Baird ‘26, who sets the standard for hard work and team commitment. The team boarded the bus for the return trip to the Hill (complete with snacks and drinks from the Baird family—many thanks!), and will have to take care of their academic work and get a good night’s sleep: tomorrow, a rare Thursday game against local rival Simsbury High School. The Martlets will be looking to avenge a tough loss last year to the Trojans. The puck drops at 4:30 pm, so water the Christmas tree, walk the dog, and get your Dunkin order in: this one promises to be a terrific hockey game. See you at the rink!