Martlets Fall to Bears

Playing their second tough opponent in 24 hours, the Martlets welcomed the Bears for the marquee event of the evening at Jackson Rink. The JVs knew Berkshire was having a strong season in this challenging league, and anticipated a fast-paced, physical contest. The game did not disappoint, as the Bears proved the equal to their reputation and established early on that despite their long bus ride they were ready to play. The Martlets, for their part, were short-manned on the blue line and knew they’d have to play a smart, structured game in all three zones. Though the final score affirms the Bears’ depth and older, veteran roster, the Martlets hung in for most of the game: they trailed 0-1 after the 1st period and 0-3 after the 2nd, but tired legs, frustration, and a loss of focus in the final 10 minutes or so of the game led to 4 more Berkshire goals. Workhorse netminder Danny Maher ‘26 faced 34 shots and made 27 saves tonight, and in the first two periods made more than a few NHL Tonight-worthy saves. In fairness to Maher, at least two of the Bears’ goals came off Westminster deflections, and one or two others resulted from lost puck battles in front of his net. While the Martlets managed 19 shots for the game, the Bears’ keeper deftly handled them all in posting the shutout. Westminster lined up with only five defensemen available for the game, and credit to that quintet is due: Dillon Seals ‘25, Lane Gallagher ‘25, Benji Hanson ‘27, Thomas Merrill ‘28, and Mikey Wang ‘28 worked hard throughout the game and certainly had their hands full with the swift and skilled Bear forwards. Up front, Dylan Zapata ‘27 played with high energy and physicality, and Reed Ghriskey ‘26 played his usual strong defensive game at center. Paul Coccaro ‘28 had a strong game, playing with increased confidence and earning the hard hat for his consistency. The line of Jack Peterson ‘25, Lester Gu ‘27, and Xavier Kahn ‘27 also played an overall good game, adding pace and responding to the Bears' uptempo physical style. Supporting the effort and working hard was the lunch pail crew of Auggie Jiranek ‘27, Jack Pickett ‘26, Zac Jainshill ‘25, Chace Maurice ‘27, Henry Baird ‘26, and Tyler Ungerman ‘26. Also worthy of recognition is backup keeper George Baird ‘26, whose enthusiasm and encouragement working the door kept his teammates energized. In the end, this was a matchup between an older, mature Berkshire team with lots of experience and confidence, and a younger Martlet team still learning how to compete at this level. This old coach has seen a lot of Western New England hockey over the years and well knew that this would be an uphill climb. And so it was, but the coaches are proud of the guys’ compete level and commitment to our systems and to getting better each shift, each period, and each game. We’re also happy with how the boys have generally stuck together in a season where the scoreboard often doesn’t reflect the team’s efforts. As we head into the final week of the season, the Martlets have two more tough opponents on their dance card: a rematch at home against Avon on Wednesday, and then it's on the road to Deerfield on Saturday. The boys will be back at work for Mini-Game Monday, always a highlight of the week. The puck drops at 4:30 pm on Wednesday against the Winged Beavers, who bested the Martlets 1-5 in a tighter game than that score suggests this past Friday. The team will look to redress that against what promises to be a packed Jackson Rink, so arrive early for preferred parking and a seat on the red line. We’ll see you at the rink!