Martlets Fall to AOF

On a rare Friday night made necessary by a cancellation earlier in the season, the Martlets made the short trip down Route 10 for an always-spirited contest against long-time rival Avon Old Farms. The Winged Beavers are talented and well-coached, but as this old coach knows anything’s possible when these two teams meet on the ice. The final score belies the overall tightness of the game, as the Martlets got better and better as the game wore on – the game stood at 1-3 Avon late into the 3rd period until a deflection from the point and an empty-netter made it 1-5 when the final horn sounded. Netminder Danny Maher ‘26 had an especially strong game, saving 37 of the 41 shots he faced this evening. Several of those were highlight reel worthy as the Winged Beavers tried to pad their lead. Fittingly, Maher earned the hard hat for his efforts. Maher kept the team in the game and the effect was significant: the boys played with increasing confidence and assertiveness as the game progressed. For their part, the JVs had 23 shots on net, most coming in the 3rd period as the team battled to chip away at the Avon lead. The game was an exciting one from the opening puck drop, as each team traded rushes and scoring opportunities. But it was Avon who broke through first, with six minutes to go in the period, when a hard shot from the high slot ripped through traffic and over Maher’s blocker. The Black & Gold dug in, however, and anchored by Maher were able to keep the score at 0-1 when the period ended. The coaches were pleased with the overall effort, and the between-periods talk was simply to keep building on the play and try to elevate each shift. The 2nd period began where the 1st left off, with the Martlets standing firm in their end and slowly generating more offensive momentum. The hard work paid off at the 5:14 mark when Thomas Merrill ‘28 – who had a gritty, hard-working game, as he always does – fired the puck passed the Avon goalie from the top of the far faceoff circle. Dillon Seals ‘25, another consistently hardnosed player, assisted on Merrill’s goal. That tally energized the team, but unfortunately for the Martlets Avon came right back down the ice on an odd-man break and regained the lead only 20 second later. The Winged Beavers followed that goal with another quick one a minute later, and suddenly the Black & Gold, having worked hard to get back in the game, were down 1-3. To their credit, the Martlets shook those two goals off and the next 15 minute of game time were back-and-forth, with both teams generating pressure and scoring chances. But the JVs simply could not find a way to get the puck passed the Avon keeper, who made several good saves and – distressingly for the Martlets – benefited from more than a few pucks ringing off the Avon goalposts (including two in quick succession on one shift). Avon made it 1-4 with two minutes to play when their sustained pressure trapped the Black & Gold in their end and a Winged Beaver defensemen unleashed a slap shot that was deflected on its way to the net. The coaches called a time out, mostly to rest the team but also to prepare to pull Maher after the faceoff and get that sixth man on the ice. The Martlets won that faceoff and got the puck deep in the Avon end, but a turnover led to a quick break up the ice for Avon and the empty netter. Overall, an exciting game from start to finish and the coaches felt this was the most complete game the team had played in a while (it helps, certainly, that the long stretch of illness and injury that plagued the Martlets in January and early February is behind us). Merrill’s and Seals' solid play on the blue line was joined by Carsten Matthews ‘28, who gets better every shift. Defensemen Benji Hanson ‘27, Mikey Wang ‘28, and veteran Lane Gallagher ‘25 also had strong games. Overall, the defensemen did a good job of playing simple D-to-D-and-up puck movement. On the forward side, hard working shifts were turned in by the lines of Auggie Jiranek ‘27, Jack Pickett ‘26, and Zac Jainchill ‘25 and of Chace Maurice ‘27, Henry Baird ‘26, and Tyler Ungerman ‘27 – the team is more competitive when these guys are on the job, focused, and keep their legs moving as they were tonight. One thing the Martlets struggled to do tonight was consistently get pucks to the net, so while forwards Xavier Kahn ‘27, Jack Peterson ‘25, Lester Gu ‘27, Dylan Zapata ‘27, Reed Ghriskey ‘26, and Paul Coccaro ‘28 had some stretches of puck possession, we’ll need to do a better job of translating that into solids first, second, and even third scoring chances. The team felt good about their overall performance, despite the result, and with some ice for bumps and bruises and some pizza for comfort, the team returned to campus. We’ll have less than 24 hours to get ready for our next contest, as the powerhouse Berkshire Bears will be descending from the mountains of Western Massachusetts for a 6:30 pm tilt at Jackson Rink. So cancel your plans, treat yourself to an early dinner, and grab your best sweater and toque set. Plenty of good seats are still available. We’ll see you at the rink!