Though the game was much closer than the final score indicates, Deerfield learned today that we cannot afford lapses in energy and defensive zone coverage against talented teams.
The first half of the first period was a back and forth affair, with all three of our forward lines entering the zone with speed and all six defensemen moving the puck confidently down the ice. We had a few chances to take the lead, but Loomis would score first after Liv Mikesell ’20 made a great stop on the initial rush. The visitors were able to get to the rebound, and a backhanded shot slipped through Mikesell to put us down by one. Loomis would score two more in quick succession (one on the power play), but the Big Green regrouped after a timeout and found our legs again. The score remained the same through the end of the second period, with several narrow misses on our part. We entered the third period with confidence, but a fourth Loomis goal, off of a bad angled shot, took the wind out of our sails. We gave up two more goals, one off of a fortuitous bounce and the other through a screen, and the game ended 6-0. There were several bright spots, however, and the postgame conversation in the locker room revealed a team committed to fixing our mistakes and working hard to improve. We will get a chance to demonstrate our resilience with another tough test on Friday night at Nobles. Many thanks to the Fujiyoshis and Hills for the fruit, drinks, brownies and cookies after the game.