Martlets Defeat AOF

The JVs welcomed long-time rival Avon Old Farms to Jackson Rink for the premier match-up of the day. This is always a top-flight hockey game, and the hometown faithful were treated to a back-and-forth, exciting game this afternoon. Avon is always skilled, they play hard, and are well-coached, and the Martlets knew they’d have to be ready to compete. Playing with only nine forwards and five defensemen owing to injury, illness, and, ahem, early departures for the long weekend, the short bench also knew that 48 minutes of solid hockey was required today—no excuses. Avon did not disappoint and played a strong game, generating 34 shots on Martlet netminder Lucas Steniger ‘29, who was stellar between the pipes and turned aside 33 of those bids. For their part, the JVs fired 28 shots on the Winged Beaver goalie. That ratio is a fair assessment of the game and Steniger’s role in securing the win. But the coaches were pleased and proud of the team’s overall effort: most importantly, the team stayed out of the penalty box (mostly) and kept their focus on playing good hockey in all three zones. The Martlets got on the board first when, on the power play, Xavier Kahn ‘27 received a pass from Dylan Zapata ‘27 and fired a shot on the Avon net; linemate Paul Coccaro ‘28, who keeps showing up on the scoresheet, perfectly tipped Kahn’s shot over the Avon keeper’s right shoulder. That goal came with about 6 minutes to go in the opening frame, and that tally stood up as the 1st period ended with the JVs on top, 1-0. Both teams retired to their respective locker rooms to prepare for the 2nd, and the Martlets knew that Avon would make a push to even the game as soon as the middle period started. And that was the case, but Steniger, fronted by the Black & Gold defensive corps of Soren Techet ‘28, Matthew Polastry ‘29, Mikey Wang ‘28, Carsten Matthews ‘28, and Grayson Augsberger ‘29, was equal to the task. The Martlet blueliners as a group played a terrific game, and Augsberger—who earned the hard hat today—had another really solid game. Westminster made it 2-0 when Zapata, assisted by Coccaro, broke free from an Avon defender and went in on a mini-breakaway from the visitor’s blue line and, deking right, then left, buried the puck behind the outstretched Winged Beaver goalie. Avon had their chances in the 2nd, but the period ended with the JVs on top by that 2-0 score. This old coach knows that a 2-0 lead is the worst lead in hockey, and during the brief interval before the 3rd period, the coaches reminded the team of the essentials for winning a hockey game: win the defensive blue line, gain the offensive blue line, get the puck deep, and play from there. But Avon, proving the old cliche true (they’re cliches for a reason . . .), got the next goal, early in the 3rd, to cut the Martlet lead in half. A Winged Beaver forward seized a loose puck down low and lifted it up and over Steniger’s shoulder on the short side. A bit of an odd bounce, but Avon certainly made no mistake. But today, the JVs would not be denied: on the very next shift, Sam McGarvey ‘28 grabbed a mishandled puck away from Avon in the Winged Beavers’ high slot and ripped a quick snap shot into the top left corner (to be fair, McGarvey is not going to miss from there). Some scrambling in the Martlet end ensued as Avon made another push, but it was the line of Coccaro, Zapata, and Kahn—the team’s best line these last few games—who administered the coup de grâce: Zapata, whirling and twirling on Avon’s blue line, shook a pair of Avon defenders and streaked in on the near side before threading a perfect pass across the goal mouth to Kahn on the proverbial silver platter. That goal came with roughly 7 minutes to play in the game, and while the team had to kill off a couple of penalties, that 4-1 score was on the scoreboard when the final horn sounded. This was a complete team victory, and the line of McGarvey, Patrick Saxe ‘25, and Reed Ghriskey ‘26 played well throughout, as did the line of Declan Davies ‘29, Drew Doering ‘29, and Jack Pickett ‘29. It was great to have backup veteran presence Danny Maher ‘26, back on the door after a brief illness, too: not the same without him. The goal this afternoon was to play clean and hard until the final buzzer, and that’s what we did today. It’s always a challenge to play right before the school goes on its midwinter break, but the team is to be commended for its focus and efforts—a well-deserved victory over one of the toughest opponents on the JV schedule. Avon will have their chance to even the score when the Martlets make the trip down the road on February 25th. But before then, the JVs will enjoy their long weekend, and when they return, they’ll be on the road to take on the Hotchkiss Bearcats—another tough opponent. So Black & Gold fans will have to find some other diversion this coming weekend as the team enjoys a short vacation (puzzles are always good family fun; birding? Winter Olympics?), but make your plans to be in Lakeville a week from today to see the Martlets and the Bearcats battle it out. See you at the rink!