Martlets Defeat Choate

The Martlets were on the road today for their first Founders League contest of the season, taking on the Wild Boars of Choate. Always a good matchup, this game did not disappoint as the JVs skated to a come-from-behind 3-2 win. With tender Jake Holland ‘24 backstopping the Black and Gold defense, the hardworking Westminster side would not be denied and scored twice in the third period to seal the win. Holland posted 22 saves on the afternoon, including several late in the game as Choate threw every Boar in the pen at the Martlet net. Holland earned the hard hat for the game for his stalwart play and leadership – by locker room acclamation as the team celebrated their first win of the year after the game. For their part, the JVs threw 38 shots at the Choate net, and credit must be given to the Choate keeper for keeping his team in the game with several impressive stops, particularly with his nimble side-to-side command of his crease. After a scoreless first that saw many good chances from the JVs turned aside, Jake Bulger ‘24 opened the scoring in the second period on the power play when he took a terrific pass from Dylan Ness ‘26 and slotted home a hard wrister from the high slot. Ness who, like his surname-sake, was Untouchable on the afternoon, dug the puck out of the near corner and made a perfect diagonal pass to Bulger on the far point. The Martlets continued to play well, generating several good scoring chances, but the Choate keeper was equal to every effort. The Wild Boars knotted the game at two apiece when midway through the frame a defensive breakdown in the Westminster offensive end led to an odd-man two-on-one break against Holland. Holland got a piece of the puck, but it tumbled over his right shoulder and into the net. The second period ended in that 1-1 deadlock. Early in the third period, Choate struck again: a shot from the high slot was saved by Holland, but a Wild Boar seized the puck and fired it wide on a second shot to the left side; the rebound off the end boards came right back to his linemate’s stick, who easily tapped it into the Martlet open net: 1-2, Choate. But the Martlets were not deflated, nor would they be denied. Several strong shifts followed Choate’s go-ahead goal, and the Wild Boar’s keeper was called upon time and time again. Xavier Kahn ‘27 – the Martlet X-Man – picked up a puck in the Black and Gold end along the near boards and streaked down the side and past the Choate defender before angling inside and beating the keeper in the upper right corner. An electric goal, it was exactly what Westminster needed. Ness assisted on Kahn’s goal for his second point on the afternoon, wrapping the puck around Holland’s net and up the boards to Kahn. Nursing the 2-1 lead, the Martlets took a sloppy interference penalty with about five minutes to go, and Choate took full advantage, firing several shots on Holland. After successfully icing the puck on the penalty kill, Daniel Venture ‘24 intercepted a Choate breakout pass in center ice and went in alone on the Wild Boar net. Making no mistake, the calm and cool Venture buried the eventual game-winner – an emphatic shorthanded goal to punctuate the Black and Gold grittiness on the afternoon. The last four minutes of the game, much of it with an empty Choate net, were a little frenetic, with the Martlets scrambling in their end. This old coach, already with a full head of gray hairs, or what’s left of his hair gray, anyway, added a few more. But the Black and Gold held on, with the entire team contributing to the win. Of particular note was the line of Anthony DiBartpolomeo ‘25, Jackson Alpaugh ‘24, and Jack Grahling ‘25 who did everything but get on the scoresheet (though Alpaugh clearly scored late in the game, unacknowledged by the officials or the league office in Toronto), and defensemen Ben Norten ‘25, Miles Kim ‘24, Lane Gallagher ‘25, Dillon Seals ‘25 (in his JV debut), and Richard Kim ‘25, who joined Bulger in a steady, consistent game on the blue line. Also of note were the defensive contributions of shot-blocker extraordinaire Reed Ghriskey ‘26, who had one key blocked shot with about a minute to go and Choate on the offensive. All-in-all a much-needed, much-deserved team win. The Martlets enjoyed an upbeat ride on the bus back to campus and will get to work tomorrow in preparation for local rival and perennial powerhouse Simsbury High School on Friday night. That contest promises to be a must-see event: it marks the return of a decades-long Simsbury tradition that has always been a highlight of the JV season. Tickets are going fast, so make sure you connect with your “guy” so you’ll be there in Jackson Rink for the game of the year.