Martlets Fall to Pope Francis JV

The Third Boys were excited to play on home ice following a lengthy road schedule to begin the season. Family, friends, NIL groups, and our raucous JV team bolstered the friendly confines of Jackson Rink. This afternoon’s tilt brought the Pope Francis JV team to campus. The first match-up between the two easily favored the Cardinals. However, the Martlets have been playing much better hockey lately, leading to their first win of the season in their most recent game. Westminster opened the scoring just over five minutes in. Winston Caracappa ‘28 carried the puck into the offensive zone along the right wall and found Jordan Pham ‘27 all alone in the high slot as he trailed the play. Pham corralled the pass and quickly fired a low wrister past the Cardinal netminder. Pope Francis responded by carrying the play for the next five-plus minutes. They generated a high volume of shots from every angle of the offensive zone. Martlet goaltender Nick Lopriore ‘26 was clearly up to the task in his home debut. While the Cardinals managed to tie the game at the 10:55 mark, Westminster's first period performance was something the boys could build upon. The second period saw more back-and-forth play, with each team playing a solid 200-foot game. The Martlets successfully killed off a penalty towards the end of the period but gave up the go-ahead goal just seconds later. Pope Francis extended their lead to 3-1 heading into the second intermission. Westminster took advantage of the break to gather themselves for a third period push. The Martlets scored two of the next three goals, making the score 4-3 Pope Francis with just over four minutes remaining. Pham’s second goal of the game, unassisted in a net-front scrum, was followed by Teddy Russell ‘26 scoring a beauty from the high slot. Newcomer Brooks BeVier ‘28 recorded the assist. It’s a close call between BeVier and teammate Luke Champoux ‘28 for the best hockey name on the roster, but I digress. Westminster pulled their goalie for the extra attacker with just under two minutes to play. Despite creating some increased pressure in the offensive zone, the Martlets took an untimely penalty for too many men on the ice following a bad change. Pope Francis capitalized on the ensuing power play, making the final score 5-3. While the outcome did not favor the Martlets, they should be proud of their level of play. The boys will need that and more when they face Avon Old Farms on Wednesday.