Martlets Fall in OT

Playing the second night of a back-to-back, Westminster welcomed Pope Francis to Jackson Rink. As predicted, the Cardinals brought a heavy game, but credit the young Martlets for holding their ground and not letting the emotional tenor get the best of them. Pope Francis scored the only goal of the first period, as both goalies took center stage in the early defensive battle. Danny Maher ‘26 picked up right where he left off the night before. He used good positioning, athleticism, and a flashy glove hand to make numerous saves in the face of quality scoring chances. Pope Francis managed to get another puck past Maher before the Martlets joined them on the scoreboard at the 8:09 mark of the second period. Jack Pickett ‘26 finished a beautiful passing sequence with a wrister that beat the Cardinal goalie high to the gloved hand side. The power play tally began with Ty Lambert ‘26 swiftly skating the puck up through the neutral zone and passing to a streaking Benji Hanson ‘27. Hanson went wide right (sorry, Buffalo fans) and quickly found Pickett at the left faceoff dot for the finish. The up-and-down pace of play continued until Pope Francis re-established their two-goal lead with just over two minutes to play in the period. Westminster cut the lead back to one on a Benji Hanson goal, assisted by Justin Cardia ‘24 at the 14:29 mark. Following the JV team’s incredible three-goal, third period comeback win in the matinee game, the young Martlets looked to make a comeback of their own. Keeping with the defensive theme, the final stanza was scoreless until Hanson tied the game with just seven seconds remaining—his second of the night. Playing by strict NCAA rules, the overtime format had the teams switching ends and playing three-on-three. Unfortunately, while excited to give it a try, the Martlets were a bit over their skates and lost just twelve seconds in. The team is back in action on Wednesday when they welcome Avon Old Farms to Jackson Rink for a 4:00 puck drop.