Details
Martlets Hold Off Rhinos
The Seconds hosted Taft on a pleasant Wednesday afternoon at Jackson Rink. The game was knotted at 3-3 in the waning seconds of the final frame when Jack Rockefeller '23 ripped a wrist shot from the left point over the glove hand of the Taft keeper with 46 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Martlets. Ryan Huntley '21 set up that goal after a terrific rush through neutral ice and a slippery inside-out move that put him in alone against the Taft goalie. The Rhino tender, who played a strong game throughout, made the first save, but Huntley seized the rebound, circled behind the Taft net, and hit Rockefeller crashing from the point. A thrilling end to an exciting back-and-forth matchup. The game was a spirited contest from the opening puck drop, occasionally spilling over into some chippy play from both sides particularly in the third period. Oscar Ball '22 got the Martlets on the board first, when he took a deft pass from linemate Newt Cutler '22 and fired it into the Rhino net barely four minutes into the game. The Martlets made it 2-0 three minutes later when Huntley buried a rebound off a Will Rizzo '21 shot from the right faceoff dot on a Westminster powerplay. Rockefeller assisted on that play with a nifty cross-ice pass to Rizzo. Unfortunately, Westminster let Taft back into the game at the very end of the first period, when a defensive breakdown and some running around in its own end led to a Taft goal. Martlet goalie Will Scott '20, who had another strong game and posted 27 saves overall, had no chance as his teammates left a Rhino untouched in the crease with the puck. And so the first period ended with the Seconds up 2-1. The second period was a contentious one, as Taft found its legs and consistently pressed the Martlet defense. The Rhinos notched the only goal of that period to make it 2-2 when the horn blew — clearly their physical play was wearing down the hard-working but depleted defensive corps of Nate Stevens '21, Rockefeller, Keegan Bankoff '22 and Sawyer von Jess '22 (steady blueliner Rex Flinn '21 was out with a lower body injury). Westminster regained the lead at the 10-minute market of the third period when Will Mazzaro '21 found the top corner of the net (Stevens and Cutler assisted on that goal). But to its credit, Taft kept coming, and a rash of penalties by both sides led to long minutes of 5-on-4, 4-on-4 and 5-on-3 opportunities for both sides. Only Taft, however, could take advantage, and got the equalizer when the Martlet penalty killers failed to clear the puck, which led to a clear advantage down low against keeper Scott for an unmarked Rhino to knock the rebound home. Some frenetic end-to-end play ensued in the final minutes of the game, until Huntley grabbed a puck on the far boards, streaked through the Rhino defense, and set up Rockefeller for the game-winner. While the coaches were very pleased with the outcome, the team will have to think about maintaining its composure in tight, physical games — and staying out of the penalty box when the game is on the line. That'll be a goal moving forward, and the team will have to respond quickly: the Seconds will host the always-skilled Hillside School Friday and a talented and physical Salisbury School Saturday. Plenty of seats in Jackson Rink; see your local ticket agent for the best seats.
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