Martlets Defeat NW Catholic

The Martlets hosted the Northwest Catholic Lions for a spirited Farmington Valley tilt on Saturday afternoon at Jackson Rink. This was the only hockey game on the Williams Hill schedule today, and the hometown faithful packed the stands for the game. The Martlets jumped out to a strong 3-0 lead in the first period, but the Lions came storming back in the 2nd frame with two goals to tighten the score – and then they tallied their third to tie the game early in the 3rd period on the power play. The final stanza was a barn-burner, with the teams trading offensive opportunities and both netminders making several strong saves. But it was the Martlets who broke through in the end when Dillon Seals ‘25 rifled home the game-winner with 1:49 to go. Black and Gold goalie Danny Maher ‘26 played his finest game of his career this afternoon to backstop the Westminster victory. Maher turned away 30 shots from the visitors, including more than a few critical saves when the Lions broke through the Martlet defense, flashing the leather like a seasoned pro on more than one occasion. For their part, the JVs produced 36 shots, with 16 coming in the 3rd as the team battled back for the win after yielding that early 3-0 lead. Blueliner Thomas Merrill ‘28 opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the game when he collected an NWC clearance attempt on the far boards and fired the puck through traffic into the upper right corner of the Lion net. Merrill added his second goal of the afternoon 5 minutes later on a strikingly similar play, although this shot came from the near boards before finding the back of the net. Winger Dylan Zapata ‘27 assisted on that goal, winning the puck down low in the Lion end and finding Merrill at the point. Zapata made it 3-0 later in the 1st when he banged home a loose puck in front of the Lion net after a terrific shift with linemates Reed Ghriskey ‘26 and Lester Gu ‘27. Ghriskey and Lane Gallagher ‘25 assisted on that goal. Heading into the 2nd period, perhaps the Martlets were a little too confident – and the Lions were not to be counted out. Flying out of their locker room on the power play, NWC made it 3-1 29 seconds into the period with a pretty goal and then dominated play for long stretches as the Martlets struggled to regain their skating legs. That consistent effort forced several Black and Gold turnovers, and one failed attempt to get the puck deep in the Lion end led directly to an odd-man break against Westminster. A quick passing play from the visitors beat Maher and narrowed the Martlet lead to a single goal. This old coach knows when the momentum of a game is shifting, and after that goal called a timeout to both steady the team but also to challenge them to play with greater urgency and simplicity. That seemed to work, and the period ended with the home side maintaining that slim 3-2 lead. The 3rd period started much the same as the 2nd finished, with the Lions taking control and Maher again and again being called upon to bail his team out. The pressure was too much, however, and NWC tied the score with 12:42 remaining on the clock. The already short-handed Martlets – missing four skaters at the start – lost two key players during the game: Captain Jack Peterson ‘25 went down with a hamstring injury and stalwart defenseman Richard Kim ‘25 banged up his shoulder. That did not bode well as both veterans play major minutes in all situations. With options dwindling and the game seemingly slipping away, the coaches had to cobble together line combinations and defensive pairings for the last many minutes. The team rose to the challenge. Playing fast and hard, the team put together several strong shifts in the final seven or eight minutes. The Lions’ aggressiveness presented the Martlets with a series of power plays, and the PP unit generated several scoring chances that were deftly handled by the Lion keeper. At one point, after sustained pressure, Xavier Kahn ‘27 ripped a shot off the crossbar with a clang that resonated throughout the building and brought the home fans to their feet - but the puck flew high and wide. The score remained knotted at 3-3. After another strong shift by Zapata, Ghriskey, and Gu against the Lion’s top line, it was time for Seals’s laser-guided clapper. Again NWC failed to clear the puck under pressure, and Seals collected the puck near the blue line, took a step, and lit the lamp. With the Martlets now up 4-3, there were some hectic moments in the final 90 seconds. NWC pulled their goalie to get the extra skater on the ice, but the Martlet defense held and Maher made two or three big saves to secure the win. Everyone who pulled on the sweater this afternoon contributed to the victory, even though they didn’t make the scoresheet: forwards Paul Coccaro ‘28 and Zac Jainchill ‘25 both played well in different line combinations, and the blue-collar line of Auggie Jiranek ‘27, Chace Maurice ‘27, and Tyler Ungerman ‘26 contributed several good defensive shifts and also produced their share of chances – including drawing a critical power play late in the 3rd. Defensemen Benji Hanson ‘27 and Mikey Wang ‘28 joined Seals, Gallagher, Merrill, and Kim in locking down the Martlet end and moving the puck up the ice. In short, this was a team victory. An exciting game from start to finish, and, given the Black and Gold’s depleted lineup, a terrific win against an always strong and well-coached local rival. It’s great to head into the winter vacation with a “W.” Though there were plenty of candidates, Thomas Merrill earned the hard hat for his 2-goal effort and a strong game in all three zones. The coaches were most pleased with the team’s grit in responding to losing that early 3-0 lead and getting the final goal. With their record at 2-2, the team will look ahead to the January schedule, when we will face a slew of strong Founders League JV teams, including Trinity-Pawling, Taft, and Salisbury. The next game will be a Friday night thriller against Hillside School on January 10th. Early ticket sales have been brisk, so perhaps Santa will leave a ticket or two in your stocking. Thanks to the fans for all their support, and Happy Holidays to all JV puck fans out there. We’ll see you at the rink!