Martlets Defeat Bears

The Martlets were on the road this afternoon to Sheffield, Massachusetts to take on the Berkshire Bears—always a tough team and year-in, year-out hard-fought, physical contest. Playing a complete team game, the JVs skated away with a well-deserved 4-2 win. The coaches were pleased with the effort, the boys willingness to put the team first, and the generally positive energy that was obvious from the moment the bus pulled out of the Jackson Rink parking lot. With steady Teddy Pemberton ‘29 between the pipes (replacement skates and all), the team played solid structured defense and consistently moved the puck up the ice with speed and purpose. Pemberton’s 20 saves, a few of them highlight-reel worthy, were matched on the other end of the ice by the Bear netminder, who posted 19 saves of his own and frustrated the Martlets on several occasions. The game was an exciting one from the opening puck drop, with both teams playing fast and hard. It was the Martlets who got on the board first, when Xavier Kahn ‘27 picked up a loose puck on the far boards, beat two Bears, and curled in on the end line before rifling the puck between the goalie’s pads. Kahn’s tally came 4 minutes into the contest, and the JVs gathered in that momentum and produced several strong shifts. Three minutes later, Dylan Zapata ‘27 doubled the Martlet lead on an electrifying goal, fed by Kahn, when he raced down the near wall in neutral ice and muscled his way past first one, than a second, Bear defender before beating the keeper. Zapata’s was a bigtime goal, and the bench was on its feet. The 1st period ended with that 2-0 lead intact, but this old coach knows—and as readers of this space have learned over the years—that a 2-0 lead is the worst lead in hockey, and sure enough the Bears still had plenty to say in the 2 periods remaining in the game. And so it was: Berkshire cut the Black & Gold lead in half late in the 2nd period (there were 26 seconds on the clock) when a seeing-eye shot following a scramble in front of Pemberton found the back of the net. The 2nd frame was marred by a serious of penalties for both teams, mostly the result of the pace, the physicality, and the intensity of the play. But it did make it hard for both teams to find any rhythm, so after the 2nd stanza concluded with the JVs up 2-1, the teams retired to their respective locker rooms to prepare for the decisive 3rd. And the final period did not disappoint the dozens of fans in attendance. Both goaltenders were called upon, and made, key saves, and both teams had their chances. The Martlets worked hard and earned the next goal when Paul Coccaro ‘28, the centerman of the line with Zapata and Kahn—easily the Martlets most productive line this season—banged home a rebound of a Zapata shot with 8:52 on the clock. That goal came after a particularly effective shift down low in the Berkshire end, but it was set up by equally good shifts from the Martlets’s other two lines. Captain Reed Ghriskey ‘26, centering Patrick Saxe ‘26 and Sam McGarvey ‘28 played very well, with Ghriskey blocking shots and leading the team, and wingers Saxe—who had one of his most effective games of the season—and McGarvey working up and down the ice. Likewise, the line of Declan Davies ‘29, Drew Doering ‘29, and Jack Pickett ‘26—now sporting a new battle scar on his chin, the mark of a real hockey player—also turned in a strong game this afternoon. Pickett earned the hard hat for his gritty play and badge of honor. With the score 3-1 Westminster, the final 8 minutes of the game promised to be some of the most exciting hockey of the season. And so it was: Berkshire, refusing to quit, made it 3-2 with 4 minutes to go when a hard shift bottled up the Martlets and a slapshot through traffic from the point beat Pemberton (who never had a chance to see the puck). The final minutes of the game were a real battle, with Berkshire pressing and Westminster countering. After an icing call against the Black & Gold with :20 on the clock, the coaches called a time out to give the team a chance to catch their breath. With the Berkshire keeper on the bench, the Martlets battled hard in their own end, with Matthew Polastry ‘29 finally winning the puck in the waning seconds and firing it from just inside the Martlet blue line into the empty Bear net. 4-2, Westminster. On the one hand, this was the team’s 11th victory of the season—but on the other, more important, this was one of the most satisfying wins this year. Everyone contributed: the blue line corps of Polastry, Soren Techet ‘28, Benji Hanson ‘27, Carsten Matthews ‘28, Mikey Wang ‘28, and Grayson Augsberger ‘29 all played a solid, consistent game, moving the puck up the ice and managing the Bear forwards effectively. Chairman of the Boards Danny Maher ‘26 was, as always, indispensable on the bench, in the locker room, and just in general. And while we're at it , let’s not forget the contributions all season of Max Butensky ‘29, on the LTIR list but who has stepped up and been one of the more effective and efficient managers we’ve had in a long while. In sum, again, this was a team win, and the coaches could not be more pleased and proud of the boys—particularly after a tough performance in our last game. Many thanks to the legions of faithful fans who made the long trip to Berkshire to support the boys. The team will enjoy the weekend and get back to work on Monday. Next up: perennial powerhouse Avon Old Farms, on the road. The Martlets bested our local rival a month ago, but the Winged Beavers know how to play, and playing them at home is a steep hill to climb. The JVs will have their work cut out for them. That game is a 2:30 pm puck drop, so plan accordingly: tell your boss you have an “appointment,” get the kids out of school early, and gas up the car: see you at the rink!