Martlets Fall to Cardigan

The Martlets welcomed the Cardigan Cougars for their second game in 24 hours, a tough task at any point in the season but especially so at this early stage when we’re still working on our systems and conditioning. Though the team didn’t get the result we’d hoped for, the coaches felt the team took a good step forward overall, particularly in our defensive zone coverage. Compounding the challenge, the Black & Gold found themselves shorthanded, playing with only 10 forwards and 6 defensemen (and thanks to Mark Broderick ‘29, who stepped off the ice from the Thirds game immediately before ours and gamely suited up for the JVs—and played several smart, solid shifts). The game overall was a pretty even match, which pleased this old coach, too: Cardigan is always a highly-skilled, well-coached side, and this year was no exception (they also have several games and weeks together under their belts). The 1st period was a back-and-forth affair, which each team trading opportunities and the Cougars enjoying a slight edge in shots on goal. But Teddy Pemberton ‘29, again between the pipes, was equal to the task and kept the Cougars off the board. The Cardigan keeper, too, made his share of solid saves. Both teams, playing an up-tempo and physical game, found themselves in the penalty box on probably too many occasions but the penalty killing units for each were able to kill them off. Cardigan opened the scoring, and gained some real momentum, as perhaps the Martlet legs were tiring, about 5 minutes into the 2nd frame when a Westminster miscue on the offensive blue line led to an odd-man break against Pemberton. The backchecking Black & Gold couldn’t quite catch the speedy Cardigan forwards, and two quick passes and a terrific shot under the bar beat Pemberton to make it 0-1. The long change in the 2nd period led to some raggedy defensive zone coverage in the Westminster end, and some running around, and less than 2 minutes later Cardigan made it 0-2 when a well-placed shot from near the goal line snuck in over Pemberton’s shoulder. The game settled back into a more even affair after that, with the Martlets generating several solid chances. The period ended with that same score line, and the teams prepared for the 3rd period. The final stanza was likewise a spirited one, with the Martlets mounting their attacks and the Cougars countering with good speed and playmaking. Much credit goes to the hardworking Westminster blueliners—Carsten Matthews ‘28, Grayson Augsberger ‘29, Benji Hanson ‘27, Mikey Wang ‘28, Matthew Polastry ‘29, and Broderick—who all played well and had their hands full all evening. Plenty of work for that crew this weekend. With 2 minutes to go in the game and the Martlets having been unsuccessful finding the back of the Cardigan net, a Cougar won a puck battle in the corner to Pemberton’s right and chipped the puck to the front of the Westminster net; a Cardigan teammate slapped the puck out of the air—a baseball swing—to knock the puck over Pemberton’s glove. A skilled play, to be sure, but also a little flukey. That made it 0-3, and after a timeout the Martlets pulled Pemberton for the final minutes and played 6-on-5 (which quickly became a 6-on-4 when Cardigan took a penalty). Despite generating some good chances, the Black & Gold continued to be frustrated by the Cardigan defense, and when a mishandled puck skipped over the Cardigan blueline a Cougar pounced and fired it into the empty net. 0-4, Cardigan. A tough loss, to be sure, but the team is taking shape. The short bench was a factor, as the Martlet forwards had to work hard against this strong team on little rest. Still, Sam McGarvey ‘28, Paul Coccaro ‘28, Xavier Kahn ‘27, Dylan Zapata ‘27, Reed Ghriskey ‘26, Lester Gu ‘27, Drew Doering ‘29, Soren Techet ‘28, Tyler Ungerman ‘26, and Henry Baird ‘26 gave it everything they had left. And lets not forget the great teammate netminder George Baird ‘26 on the door, always supportive and bringing good energy to the team Ghriskey earned the hard hat for blocking more shots than anyone on the bench could count—his leadership on and off the ice is invaluable. The boys will rest up on Sunday, but then it’s right back at it this week: three games on the schedule, starting with the Wild Boars of Choate on the road Wednesday. This Founders League match is always a tight one, and word on the street is tickets are going fast. We expect to have several players back in the lineup, and we’ll be ready. See you at the rink!