Martlets Defeat NMH

The Martlets sent a hybrid JV/Thirds squad up to Northfield Mount Hermon to take on the Hoggers. A skeleton crew, with three lines and three defensemen, the Black and Gold controlled the play for much of the game. With rookie goaltender Danny Maher ‘26 between the pipes, the Martlets were able to hold off NMH in their end and consistently work the puck up ice for forays against the Hogger keeper. Maher had 15 saves on the afternoon, including a handful of impressive glove saves on hard shots from short range. Xavier Kahn ‘27 got the Martlets on the board midway through the first when he took a pass from the near corner from linemate Dylan Ness ‘26 and ripped a quick wrist shot over the shoulder of the NMH goalie. Though firing shot after shot, Kahn’s was the only tally in the first and so the opening frame ended with that 1-0 score and the NMH tender working overtime to keep his team close. Kahn made it 2-0 early in the second when, after some nifty possession passing in the NMH end with linemates Reed Ghriskey ‘26 and Ness (both of whom assisted on the play), he fired up the bench by pulling off a “Michigan,” lifting the puck up and over the keeper’s left shoulder. With 2 assists on the scoresheet already, Ness added a goal of his own when he accepted a pass from Kahn in tight and fired it under the goalie’s pads. To complete the trifecta in the middle stanza, Ghriskey was the beneficiary of another series of offensive zone passes: Kahn to Ness to Ghriskey on the near post: 4-0, Martlets at the end of the second. The Martlets felt good about their chances during the break before the third, but this old coach knows overconfidence when he sees it. Despite some reminders about structure and balance, a lazy forecheck early in the final period allowed the Hoggers to break the puck out and earn an odd-man break against Maher. They took full advantage, beating Maher low on the blocker side to make the score 4-1. The Martlets got their lead right back, however, when Ness picked up a loose puck on the far boards in the Westminster end and scored on a breakaway. NMH had been aggressively forechecking, trying to climb back into the game after their first goal, but the untouchable Ness made one sidestep and was away. With the score at 5-1 Westminster another bit of sloppiness, this time in neutral ice, led to a second NHM goal. A mishandled puck gifted a breakaway to a Hogger forward, who went in and beat Maher cleanly up under the crossbar. But the Martlets refocused, and a few minutes later, Ness completed his hat trick to get to that final 6-2 score. After Maher made a strong save, he nicely directed the puck to the side to defenseman Dillon Seals ‘25. Seals quickly found Ness streaking up the boards in front of the Westminster bench. This time on the near side, Ness zipped past the Hogger defensemen and went in alone again before lifting a backhander over the goalie's outstretched pad. Overall, a good team win for this combined squad. Everybody present contributed: Zac Jainchill ‘25, Benji Hanson ‘27, and Jack Pickett ‘26 had strong shifts all afternoon, as did the line of Auggie Jiranek ‘27, Henry Baird ‘26, and Justin Cardia ‘24. On the blue line, Seals was joined by Tyler Lambert ‘26 and Tyler Ungerman ‘26. Lambert in particular played a smart, heads-up game. This game report would not be complete without recognizing the terrific play of the Hogger keeper, who was none other than Martlet JV Hockey alum Alex Martinez. Martinez had 48 saves against his former teammates and played a solid, gutsy game all around. We wish him all the best this season. And so the Black and Gold headed home with the win – the team was certainly energized by the outcome and, despite the long bus ride back to Williams Hill, looking forward to tonight’s Winter Formal. This old coach will be there, too, though not with his dancing shoes on. Happy Holidays to the team, to parents and families, and to all our fans – including the parents of Jack Rockefeller ‘23, who came down to support the team (they just can’t stay away, I guess). See you at the rink in January!