Martlets Fall to Hotchkiss

The Martlets hosted the Bearcats late this Wednesday afternoon for what always promises to be a spirited and competitive hockey game between these two Founders League rivals. Unfortunately for the hometown faithful packing Jackson Rink, the Martlets seemed to still be on their long winter weekend as Hotchkiss took control of the game in the 2nd period and skated away with a decisive 2-6 victory. The Black & Gold struggled to find their legs and do all the little things this old coach knows well any team has to do consistently to win a hockey game: win puck battles all over the ice, play good, structured defense in their own end, and forecheck effectively and assertively in their opponent’s end. The Black & Gold were outshot 42-33 for the game, indicative of the pressure the Martlets often faced. Netminder Danny Maher ‘26 made 36 saves and certainly did his part this afternoon, but his teammates couldn’t build off that effort. In fairness to Maher, two Bearcat goals came from chance deflections off Martlet defensemen; both of those goals – one in the 2nd and one in the 3rd – came amidst some good offensive play from the JVs, so the timing certainly undermined the Martlets’s ability to maintain any momentum. The Bearcats got on the board first midway through the 1st period, but the Martlets were able to answer when Jack Peterson ‘25, fresh off the IR and sporting a new look of black tape on his stick, collected a rebound from a Lester Gu ‘27 shot from the right circle on the power play. The black tape was clearly working, as Peterson collected the puck and fired it past the Hotchkiss goalie. The Bearcats regained the lead in the first minute of the 2nd frame on a breakaway, but the Martlets settled in and answered again a few minutes later when Dillon Seals ‘25, also just back from the IR, took a nifty backhand pass from Dylan Zapata ‘27 below the goal line and went bar down to light the lamp. That made it 2-2 and the Black & Gold were feeling pretty good about their chances with the game tied and playing at home. But Hotchkiss redoubled their efforts and slowly took the game away from Westminster. The Bearcats scored four unanswered goals after Seal’s game-tying tally and cruised to the victory as the Martlets struggled to compete. When the final horn sounded, the Black & Gold had to accept that they’d been outplayed in what was perhaps a winnable game. The team gathered in the locker room for a brief post-mortem, but the upshot is the boys will be back on the ice tomorrow to prepare for Saturday’s game on the road against Choate. The Martlets have six games remaining this season, all against tough opponents, and the goal will be to improve one practice and one game at a time. The Wild Boar rematch on Saturday – the Martlets came away with the victory in the first matchup back in December – is slated for a 5:15 pm start in Wallingford. The team will be looking for a reset against another Founders League team. That game time is perfect for a hockey-game-and-then-dinner Valentine’s Day date, so make your plans ASAP. See you at the rink!