Martlets Fall to Knights

The Martlets hopped on the team bus and traveled up Route 44 – the western spur of the NEPSAC Highway – to take on the Salisbury Crimson Knights. The game was evenly played, with the Black & Gold working hard against a strong, physical Salisbury team – always a tough opponent to play on the road. Xavier Kahn ‘27 led the way for the Martlets with two goals this afternoon; blue liner Lane Gallagher ‘25 tallied the third on a breakaway. Reed Ghriskey ‘26 contributed two assists. The Knights jumped right on top early when an inadvertent icing off the opening puck drop led to a faceoff to the right of JV netminder Danny Maher ‘26. The Salisbury centerman took full advantage, winning the draw and stepping by two Martlet defenders (!) before slipping the puck under Maher’s pads. That put the Martlets down 0-1 only 11 seconds into the game (you read that right). Salisbury added two more quick goals to put Westminster down 0-3 only five minutes in; they added a fourth five minutes later to make it 0-4. Things were looking grim for the JVs, but they doubled-down on their work rate and more balanced play became the norm. Kahn stopped the bleeding when he notched his first of the afternoon. A Salisbury major penalty, which sent stalwart defenseman Richard Kim ‘25 to the locker room, led to a power play in the waning minutes of the 1st period. Thomas Merrill ‘28, improving with each game, collected a puck along the far boards and fired it at the Knight net; Ghriskey was there, as usual, in front of the net for the tip and while the Salisbury keeper made one of his 22 saves for the game Kahn was there to hammer home the rebound. That made the score 1-4 to end the 1st, and the Martlets were energized. Hoping to capitalize on that energy early in the 2nd, the team was perhaps a little too aggressive and a turnover resulted in a Salisbury breakaway to regain their 4-goal lead. Westminster got the next one, however, when Gallagher, after driving into the Salisbury end, was the beneficiary of a nifty Ghriskey play to steal the puck in neutral ice and spring Gallagher on the Salisbury blue line. Gallagher used his long reach to evade the Salisbury keeper and slide the puck into the net. With the score now at 2-5, the 2nd frame ended and the teams retreated to their respective locker room. The 2nd period did feature a penalty shot by Zac Jainchill ‘25 that could have eroded the Salisbury lead: Jainchill had a breakaway of his own late in the session, and clanged the puck off the post as he was hauled down from behind. On the ensuing penalty shot, Jainchill cruised in and deked to the right of the keeper, but the puck slid wide of the post. Nevertheless, the coaches felt good about the team’s grit coming back from the slow start, and this old coach knew, in particular, that the next goal would be an important one. Starting the 3rd with real jump, the Martlets had the Knights back on their heels a little bit and generated several good scoring chances. When Salisbury counterattacked, the now-shorthanded defensive corps of iron man Dillon Seals ‘25, Benji Hanson ‘27, Mikey Wang ‘28, Merrill, and Gallagher were able to hold the line. Kahn struck again about midway through the 3rd to make it 3-5; Tyler Ungerman ‘27 picked up a puck in the Martlet end on the right wing, took a few quick steps, picked his head up, and rifled a cross-ice pass to a streaking Kahn, who went in alone on the Knight keeper and fired the puck five-hole. With that goal, the team could feel the momentum shifting, and the coaches were confident the game was not over. But it was not to be. In a strange play, a flurry in front of Maher with four minutes to go led to a tumble of bodies and a loose puck that was knocked in by a sliding Martlet – an own goal to put the Black & Gold down 3-6. Still, the team was undaunted – a hallmark of this group this year – and renewed their attack. Unfortunately, that effort was blunted when a Westminster tripping penalty gifted Salisbury a power play only a minute after that sixth goal, which they swiftly converted to make it 3-7. And that’s how the game ended for the Martlets. Overall, the coaches were proud of the players' grit, shaking off a bad, perhaps bus-lagged start and playing a good Salisbury team basically even for the final 40 minutes of the game. If there’s one thing the team has discovered, it's that we can’t afford to not play a hard, focused game from the opening faceoff to the final horn. Lots of good play from the entire team this afternoon: the forwards improved their forecheck, played with more confidence with the puck, and had plenty of good chances. The defensemen, as noted above, played a solid game. Maher had 21 saves between the pipes. Kahn earned the hard hat for his two goals and hard-nosed play in the offensive end. Despite the score, the coaches felt the team took a step forward. We’ll keep at it this week. Nothing on the schedule on Wednesday, and the GM is working on a contest on Saturday against a local rival. Stay tuned. Until then, JV hockey fans will have to turn to “JV Puck Classics” late-night on NESN and MSG. See you at the rink!