JV Martlets lose in OT to hometown rival Simsbury High Varsity

The Martlets, playing their second game in two days, welcomed perennial rivals Simsbury High School for the 2025 chapter of the venerable Battle of Hopmeadow Street. This storyline of this game was not in the Martlet’s favor: the Trojans outworked the Black & Gold for most of the game, playing a disciplined, hard-nosed game that proved that tonight, they simply wanted it more than the hometown favorites. Coming off their victory at Choate the day before, perhaps the JVs were over-confident or took the visitors for granted, but the good structure and selflessness of the Choate win were rarely in evidence today. Undisciplined play in our own end left netminder Teddy Pemberton ‘29 exposed way too often, and the loss of puck battles after puck battle suggested a lack of toughness and a willingness to do the hard work on the part of the Black & Gold. The Trojans asserted their mettle right on the first shift of the game, when they won the opening faceoff, got the puck deep, and scored on a rebound 24 seconds into the game—the kind of game we want to play. Not a great start for Westminster. The game settled in after that, and the Martlets were able to even the score four minutes later on the power play, when blueliner Matthew Polastry ‘29 ripped the puck from the top of the near faceoff circle past the Trojan keeper. Polastry played a strong game throughout and was one of the few Martlets tonight who met the controlled intensity of the visitors. Paul Coccaro ‘28, another consistent performer, and Mikey Wang ‘28 assisted on Polastry’s goal. The 1st period ended in that 1-1 draw, and the teams retreated to their respective locker rooms to regroup. The Martlets came flying out in the 2nd, and quickly seized the lead on the very first shift: Patrick Saxe ‘26 slammed home a rebound off the backboards scarcely 30 seconds into the period to make it 2-1, Martlets. Dylan Zapata ‘28, forechecking hard, and Polastry assisted on Saxe’s goal. But the Trojans rebounded quickly, evening the game less than 2 minutes later when they got the puck to Pemberton’s net and grinded away at the loose puck until it was in the back of the net. That’s the kind of goal the Martlets need to work towards more often, frankly. At 2-2, the visitors played with renewed confidence and energy, and pressed the JVs hard. Early in this season, the middle stanza has been a challenge for the team, and today was no exception. Too much running around, too many careless turnovers, and too many miscues were undermining the team’s efforts. Simsbury capitalized on the Martlets's disarray and soon seized a 2-3 lead. But the Martlets were able to make it 3-3, again on the powerplay, when Saxe notched his second goal of the game, very much like his first, hammering home a rebound to the right of the Simsbury keeper. Reed Ghriskey ‘26 and Zapata assisted on that goal. With the game knotted at 3 apiece, the teams headed into the 3rd period. The final 16 minutes were an exciting affair, with both teams generating offense and both keepers producing some solid backstopping. But neither the Martlets nor the Trojans could solve the riddles of the opposing keeper, so the game headed into overtime. The Martlets had the first chance, when a rare Simsbury miscue gifted the puck to Zapata, who ripped a quality shot from the high slot that the Trojan keeper made a flashy glove save on. On the ensuing faceoff, the Trojans broke through the Martlet forecheck and raced down the ice on a 2 on 1 and made good: a quick cross-ice pass beat Pemberton under the bar: Westminster 3, Simsbury 4. This loss was disappointing, as the coaches felt the game never should have gotten to overtime: if the JVs had played well as they proved at Choate they’re capable of playing, the visitors would have had their hands full. Saxe earned the hard hat for his gritty play and brace of goals; we’ll need more of the same moving forward. Hopefully, as we head into the winter break at 2-2, the team will learn the lesson of this game: it’s simply impossible for a hockey team, even a good hockey team, to beat quality opponents without good defensive structure, a commitment to winning puck battles, and the selfless play that produces scoring chances and goals. This old coach has participated in over two decades of games against Simsbury, and knows well the commitment of the local hockey culture—these guys play hard. That’ll also be true of the Martlet’s opponents in January: the team will face quality Founders Leagues opponents. With a few days of practice before the break, the team will get some good skates in and work on skills and play-making, but when we return after the New Year it’ll be all business. Enjoy the holidays with family and friends, have some eggnog, light the Menorrah, put the cookies out for Santa, and take advantage of the mistletoe, because starting January 6th, it’ll be time to get to work. See you at the rink!