Martlets Fall to T-P

The Martlets made the long trip to Pawling, NY to take on the Pride and launch the 2025 portion of this season. The bottom line was the Black & Gold could not find a way to put the puck past the very talented Trinity-Pawling netminder, who made save after save to foil the Martlet attack. For the game, the Martlets fired 35 shots at the Pride net – and likely missed the net on another 15 or so attempts. But Benji Hanson ‘27’s slap shot from the left point late in the third period was the only puck that found its way past the goalie, ripping through a crowd of Westminster and T-P bodies and ringing off the inside of the far post before dropping behind the goal line. Henry Baird ‘26, just of the IR,  assisted on that play, picking up the puck on the far boards and finding Hanson open.  On the defensive side of the puck, stalwart goalie Danny Maher ‘26 faced 22 Pride shots and made several terrific saves to backstop his team. Many thanks to the traveling faithful who joined the Martlets at T-P, but this old coach knows very well that hockey games are won at the most basic level: winning puck battles all over the ice. That was the story of this game: T-P simply outworked the Martlets too often, and despite the imbalance in shots taken, T-P battled hard throughout the game and took full advantage of Martlet lapses and their ensuing opportunities. Looking ahead, the Martlets will have to commit themselves to playing hockey as it was intended: with Grit & Grace. A few Martlets deserve special mention today: Paul Coccaro ‘28 played a solid game, killing penalties and contributing in all three zones; Auggie Jiranek ‘27 continued to set the standard for hard work and commitment to his teammates; Chase Maurice ‘27 and Tyler Ungerman ‘26 turned in several solid blue-collar shifts and drawing two penalties; and defenseman Dylan Seals ‘25 had one of his best, most complete games in the Black & Gold. In the end, though, the Martlets will have to pull their proverbial socks up, elevate their effort,  and re-commit to some fundamentals to compete in the Founders League. The coaches are confident they can. That work will begin on Monday as we prepare for Taft this coming Wednesday. The Rhinos are always a quality opponent, especially at home, and the Black & Gold must be sharp. Many thanks as well to the Baird grandparents for the chocolate chip cookies and drinks for the team (this old coach indulged perhaps a little too much). The Taft game is likely to be blacked out on local cable, so you’ll have to be in attendance to catch all the action. See you at the rink!