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Martlets Fall in Overtime

When it comes to a Westminster-Avon hockey game, it never seems to matter what kind of season or what record either team brings into the contest: it's always a pitched battle and a tight game. This afternoon was no exception as the Seconds traveled to nearby Avon for another edition of this rivalry classic. The Winged Beavers boasted an impressive 18-3 record and had won the first game between the two teams 1-3 a month ago on Jackson rink. For their part, the Martlets had played several strong, tight-checking, defensive games but had too often come up on the short end of the score. Unfortunately, that pattern held today. The star of the game for the Black and Gold was Rich Mugler '22 between the pipes, who had 41 saves on the afternoon and kept his team in the game – particularly during a long stretch in the second period when Avon dominated play and pummeled the Westminster end. But that's not to say the Seconds didn't have a legitimate chance to win the game: they certainly did. The Martlets got on the board first when Will Mazzaro '21 caught a quick pass from linemate Oscar Ball '22 and fired a wrister over the Avon keeper's left shoulder midway through the first period. Centerman Ryan Huntley '21 started the play when he intercepted an Avon pass in neutral ice and chipped it off the boards to Ball. That line had a fine afternoon, generating several scoring chances. Fellow forwards Will Rizzo '21, Newt Cutler '22 and Xander Cardia '21 also had a strong afternoon, matching Avon's top line defensively and forcing the Avon keeper to make a few tough saves of his own. The line of Peter Diorio '23, Jack Adams '23 and David Harris '21 turned in several excellent shifts, trapping the talented Avon defensemen in their zone and forcing turnover after turnover. The same can be said of the line of the recently-returned-from-injury Jack DeGulis '23, Willie Noble '20 and Beck Winsor '21. In sum, the Martlet forwards did everything they could to both contain Avon and get pucks and bodies to the net. It was, however, the Martlet defensive corps – again shorthanded owing to injury – of Nate Stevens '21, Sawyer von Jess '22, Ben Michaud '22, Jack Rockefeller '23 and Keegan Bankoff '22 who deserve the credit for the team's solid performance. The defensemen collectively won battle after battle in the Westminster end, cleared the front of the net for Mugler, and head-manned the puck effectively to start the Martlet attack. Avon finally broke through the Martlet defense late in the second period to make it 1-1, and the third period was back-and-forth, although in fairness Avon had the better of the chances. With 20 seconds remaining in the game, the Martlets called a timeout to catch their breath and set up for a face-off in their own end. That accomplished, the game headed to overtime. The Martlets have suffered from some bad "puck luck" this year, but the play that started the overtime might be the worst of it (of course, you make your own luck in hockey, and Avon's high-pressured forecheck and talented forwards deserve some credit here as well – but this is our writeup). Off the opening OT face-off, the puck was thrown into the Martlet end where a Westminster defensemen easily won the race and collected the puck and prepared to turn in to the corner and head up ice – but the puck stuck in some snow just to the left of Mugler, and the defensemen lost control of it. The trailing Avon forward pounced, and quickly stepped back in front of Mugler and tried to stuff the shot in. Mugler made the initial save, but in the absence of defenders Avon had several tries at the puck and managed to force it in underneath Mugler's pads only 25 seconds into the overtime frame. A heartbreaking defeat for the Martlets, who played hard all game and executed the coach's game plan effectively against arguably the best team in the league. But credit to Avon: they played equally hard and never quit despite the Martlets' frustrating defense. Though the result is certainly disappointing, the team could walk out of Avon's rink with their heads high having taken a team like Avon to OT. It's certainly not the first game the team has come up on the losing side of a hard-fought, low-scoring affair, but this one stings a bit more. But the lads have good hearts and spirits, and the team will be back on the ice tomorrow preparing for Deerfield home on Saturday. The coaches very much appreciate how hard the boys work day-in and day-out, and share their frustration at not having greater success on the scoreboard. But the coaches take the long view: the team has improved, come together, and overall has enjoyed a productive season. Here's to a similarly well-played game this Saturday as the team will look to finish the season with a win, and to just a little bit of luck.
 
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