Martlets Tie Kent

The Martlets traveled over hill and dale to western Connecticut to enter the ring with the Lions of Kent. The JVs were playing their second game in as many days and were short more than a few players as well owing to injury and illness. But the lads played hard, competing in all three zones against a strong Kent team boasting only one defeat thus far this season. Leading the effort was Sebastien Blanc ‘23, who posted 39 saves in the effort, many of them outstanding, to keep the Martlets in the game. Perhaps inspired by the Varsity’s victory before our game, the Black and Gold jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Corbin Simons ‘25 tallied the first Westminster goal, taking a pass from Jack Grahling ‘25 from the near corner before firing a wrist shot past the Kent goaltender. Jayden Lee ‘24 added to that lead roughly 5 minutes later when he took a strong headman pass from Jack Rockefeller ‘23 along the far wall, then used his speed to beat the Kent defensemen to outside before cutting in and beating the goalie. Simons also assisted on that goal, starting the play behind the Westminster net. The Martlets looked to finish the first stanza with that 2-0 lead intact, but a bit of sloppy play and a bad bounce sent a Kent forward alone in on Blanc. A nifty left-right move was enough to beat Blanc, who managed to get his glove on the puck before it tumbled in to the net. With the momentum, Kent came out after the short break with real energy and evened the score midway through the second period – a stretch where it must be said they had the balance of the play. This time, a failure on the Martlet’s part to clear the puck led to one too many chances on Blanc. Kent looked to take the lead for the rest of the second period, but Blanc was more than equal to the task, giving his team time to regroup and level the ice a bit. Near the end of the frame, a pair of Kent penalties gave Westminster a 5-on-3 advantage, and while the Martlets generated a flurry of shots, the Kent tender (who had 33 saves of his own) was always there and the period ended knotted at 2 a piece. That 5-on-3 extended into the third period, and the Martlets took advantage of the break between periods to shuffle the lines and prepare for the powerplay. Winning the opening faceoff of the third, Westminster worked the puck deep, set up, and two quick passes later Jack Adams ‘23 scored the go-ahead goal only 30 seconds into the period. That goal energized the tired Martlets, and for the next several minutes it seemed they might add to their lead. But the Kent goalie played well, and unfortunately Westminster lost its focus and got caught up in some extracurriculars – which led to a double minor for the Martlets. The Black and Gold succeeded in killing off the first of those penalties, but with about 40 seconds to go in the second Kent beat Blanc after a scrum in front of his net. That tying goal came with 4 minutes to go in the game – and was followed immediately by another Martlet penalty. The Black and Gold killed off that one as well and managed to get their legs under them for the final minute, so regulation ended with the score 3-3. Five minutes of overtime ensued, and the OT proved to be wideopen: end-to-end play and both goalies were called upon to make several solid saves (including Blanc on a breakaway with seconds on the clock) and both teams produced really good scoring chances. The Martlets best chance came when Cameron Freeman ‘24 jumped on a loose puck off a faceoff and ripped a point-blank shot that was turned aside by the keeper. Though the team felt they had a chance at the victory, two games in two days is a tall order, particularly shorthanded. Earning a tie against a very good team on the road late on a Saturday afternoon will have to suffice. The team has some time to rest and recover, but the next game is a big one: at Avon on Wednesday. They’ll be ready. Many thanks to the Timone family for the post-game snacks; the boys, well-fed, were clearly spent on the bus ride home.