Martlets Fall to Yale U15

The Martlets dropped a tight, contested matchup against the visiting Yale Bulldogs U15 team this evening at Jackson Rink. Playing a rare Thursday night contest, the JVs jumped out to an early lead but, perhaps losing their focus a little bit, particularly in the 3rd period, could not overcome the fast-paced and highly-skilled Bulldogs, who earned the win in a comeback performance. Though the Martlets jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and enjoyed a 2-1 lead at the end of the 1st frame, the Bulldogs were not to be denied and tallied one goal in the 2nd and another in the 3rd to skate away with the 2-3 victory over the Black & Gold. Martlet netminder Lucas Steniger ‘29 was outstanding throughout the game, producing 25 saves, including several terrific ones following defensive breakdowns and some undisciplined play by his teammates in front of him. On the other end of the ice, the Bulldog keeper had an equally impressive game, turning aside 28 Westminster shots to secure the victory. Xavier Kahn ‘27 put the Martlets up first when he collected a pass from defensemen Soren Techet ‘28 and ripped a seeing-eye shot through traffic and over the keeper’s blocker. This goal came just 3 minutes into the game, and perhaps led to some overconfidence on the part of the home side. The Bulldogs came charging back and earned the equalizer on the power play, when the JV defenders failed to clear a loose puck and left a free man undefended in front of Steniger to bury the opportunity. As the 1st period wound down, Kahn put Westminster up 2-1 with his second goal of the game, this time on a perfect feed from linemate Dylan Zapata ‘27. Zapata, with an electric shift, won the puck on the forecheck, and, eluding a pair of Bulldog defenders, skated behind the Yale net before whirling and serving a terrific pass to Kahn, who was waiting on the far post. Zapata set the standard for his teammates this evening, earning the hard hat for his efforts. To be honest, this old coach was feeling pretty good about the Martlets chances after Zapata’s shift and with the 2-1 lead in hand when the first period ended. The coaches were concerned, however, that the team—riding a 5-game winning streak in which it has outscored opponents 35-6—might have some challenges in a tight game or when forced to chase the lead for the first time in a while. And that proved to be the case tonight. The 2nd and 3rd periods were dominated by the Bulldogs, while the Martlets engaged in some selfish play and poor decision-making. Too many turnovers on both blue lines, too many odd-man breaks against, too many penalties, and, in general, a loss of focus doomed the Black & Gold this evening. Despite a timeout called with 6 minutes to go to catch their breath and refocus, and 2 powerplay opportunities in the waning minutes, the Martlets simply could not find their stride, and the consistent selfless playmaking that has characterized the last many games was seemingly beyond their grasp. The team and the coaches were certainly disappointed, as we know we’re a better team than we showed the hometown fans tonight. With full credit to the Bulldogs, the JVs will lick their wounds after this one, and it will hopefully be a good lesson learned as we look ahead to our final 3 games of the season. Next up: the always strong Berkshire Bears, and the Martlets will have to play well on the road to beat them. That puck drop is at 4:30 pm in Sheffield, so get the household chores out of the way early on Saturday, hop in the car, make a stop in Canaan for some coffee and a snack (Homegrown Coffee is a great option—uncompensated endorsement), and support the Black & Gold against Berkshire. See you at the rink!