Martlets Finish with OT Win

The hometown Jackson Rink faithful were treated to a terrific hockey game this afternoon between two hard-working, talented teams. In this, the final game of the 2025-6 JV Hockey campaign, the Martlets hosted the Big Green of Deerfield. Westminster was playing shorthanded again, with mounting injuries and illness, and only 9 forwards and 5 defensemen were in the lineup at puck drop. Both teams arrived with records well above .500, and both teams were looking to end the season on a high note. So all the elements were present for a tightly fought contest, and the 51:13, including the OT, of total action did not disappoint. Certainly, the paying customers got their money’s worth, and then some. The first 2 periods were scoreless, as both teams played well and generated numerous quality scoring chances. This was a fast, up-and-down-the-ice game, with punches and counterpunches exchanged time and time again. Both teams were anchored by quality goaltending, and both ends of the ice featured impressive saves and near misses. The Black & Gold netminding combination of Teddy Pemberton ‘29 and Lucas Steniger ‘29 combined for 33 saves on the afternoon, and the Deerfield keeper, who stymied the Martlets for the first 47 minutes and 38 seconds of the game, ultimately had 36 saves. Deerfield broke the 0-0 tie with 9:16 remaining in the game, on the power play, when a hard shot from the left point through traffic beat Steniger. That goal energized the visitors, and the JVs had to dig deep both to match Deerfield’s intensity and in hopes of finding the equalizer. The coaches were proud of the team’s grit all afternoon, but never more so than in these final 9 minutes of the game, and the season. The forward corps of Sam McGarvey ‘28, Captain Reed Ghriskey ‘26, Benji Hanson ‘27, Dylan Zapata ‘27, Paul Coccaro ‘28, Captain Xavier Kahn ‘27, Soren Techet ‘28, Declan Davies ‘29, and Drew Doering ‘29 all turned in terrific shifts and launched wave after wave of forays against the Deerfield keeper. On the blue line, Patrick Saxe ‘26 (who had one of his best games of the year), Carsten Matthews ‘28 (sporting a few new stitches on his chin—the mark of a true hockey player), Matthew Polastry ‘29, Mike Wang ‘28, and Grayson Augsberger ‘29 left everything on the ice and did a terrific job on increasingly tired legs. With about 4 minutes to go in the game, a Zapata and Kahn 2-on-1 led to a great pass from Zapata to Kahn and a hard shot off the inside of the right post; the puck careened behind the Deerfield keeper and stayed out of the net—a fraction of an inch from tying the game. It looked as if that might be the story of the game. Next came a flurry of strong forechecking shifts and shot after Westminster shot, which were either turned aside by the Big Green goalie or blocked by Deerfield defenders. With about a minute to go in the contest and a faceoff in the Martlet end after an icing and still down 0-1, the coaches called a timeout to rest some legs and plan for one last desperate chance to tie the score. Though the JVs lost the ensuing faceoff, they were able to gather the puck and head up the ice; Zapata and Kahn again combined for a 2-on-1 rush. This old coach knows well that when it comes right down to it, hockey is a game of 2-on-1s, and the best play in hockey is not always the goal, but that quick tape-to-tape pass that creates the chance. And that's what Kahn did, placing the puck perfectly on Zapata’s stick, springing him behind a Deerfield defenseman. Zapata made no mistake and deked the keeper before sliding it beneath his pads and into the net. The assembled fans exploded, and the rink filled with cheers. That tying goal came with just :22 on the clock, and the Martlet fans sensed something special was in the offing. The clock wound down, and the game was headed into overtime. Deerfield had the advantage after the bonus session began, bottling the Martlets up and forcing Steniger to make a few quick saves.  After a stoppage in the Black & Gold end with the first 45 seconds gone in OT and Deerfield pressing, centerman Coccaro won the faceoff on the left dot, and the team moved the puck behind Steniger’s net to the near boards and to Zapata, who took off up the ice under a full head of steam. Deerfield was on their heels as Zapata knifed through center ice and headed down the far wall with the puck on his forehand. Below the goal line, Zapata cut around a defender and towards the Deerfield net and, with all 5 Big Green players locked in on him, found Kahn streaking into the high slot. A perfect pass caught Kahn in full stride, and he ripped the puck up and over the Deerfield keeper’s outstretched glove just under the bar. Sudden victory for the Martlets, 2-1. The team poured off the bench to celebrate, and the capacity crowd in Jackson Rink was on its feet. A great win for the team, and a terrific end to a successful season. This was a team win, and the celebration after the OT winner was a terrific team moment. Kahn earned the hard hat for his electric game-winning goal. Congratulations to our graduating Sixth Formers: Ghriskey, Saxe, Tyler Ungerman ‘26 (on LTIR), Jack Pickett ‘26 (on the sick list), George Baird ‘26 (who stepped up and strapped on the pads as a reserve goaltender), and veteran goalie Danny Maher ‘26. They will be missed. Much appreciation, too, to managers Max Butensky ‘29, Shangkuan Yang ‘28 (also on LTIR), and Lester Gu ‘27. The team ends the year with a 12-7 record (which includes an impressive 11-2 record against league opponents). Martlet fans will have to pack up their tartan blankets and thermoses and wait till next year for more exciting action at Jackson Rink. Many thanks to all the parents, friends, and families who supported the boys this season. Good luck to the boys this spring, and, come December, we’ll see you at the rink!