On the final day of the season, in their final game against a tough opponent, the boys JV hockey team performed at their best making this their best overall “team first” game of the season. The combined effort of all members of the team resulted in a 4-2 win over the visiting Westminster school team. Before the game even started we knew our opponents would be one of the best teams we faced all year and it would take a great effort to come away with a win. Today, so many members had their best game and in the end we closed the door on a remarkable 14-3-1 season for the JV boys hockey team.
Our seniors led the way today just as they had done throughout the winter. Goalie Colin Olson was outstanding especially early on. The Westminster offense was fast and skilled and Colin, along with our defensive group, really stepped up and had a fabulous afternoon. Seniors Will Dale, Garrett Moe, Gabe Moos, Andy Han, Alex Weinman, Steven Li, Matt Shea, and Austin Philie all played huge roles in today’s solid win for the BIG GREEN.
When the physical play of Westminster got beyond the rules our senior leadership kept their cool, made winning the game the priority, and led by example with their disciplined style of play today. Both coaches want to thank this special group for their leadership today and throughout this enjoyable winter season.
The first period was a fast-paced game with both teams creating good scoring opportunities throughout. Westminster would score first off a turnover in our defensive end and a quick shot that made it past our goalie. Late in the period Deerfield would tie the game at one when defenseman Matt Gardner would take a pass from Aidan Philie and rifle a shot past the Westminster goalie. The end of the first period ended with a 1-1 score.
The second period had more penalties with Westminster taking the lead in that category. The Deerfield power play sputtered a bit to get going and in spite of a man advantage for much of the start of the second period, by mid-way through Westminster grabbed the lead again to go up 2-1. With more penalties to come for the visitors our power play units began to warm up. Matt Shea would score two power play goals in the last six minutes of the second period to grab a 3-2 lead and never look back. Mike Scharfenberger deserves much credit for the go ahead goal. While working hard on the forecheck and tracking down a loose puck deep in the Westminster zone he was triple-teamed by our opponent receiving several infractions during the play. Mike stayed at it and didn’t let the physical contact deter him from putting team first. In the end, the play produced a 5-on-3 advantage for his team and we would score the eventual game winner a minute later. This type of unselfish play defined the win for Deerfield on Saturday.
The third period was all Deerfield. Garrett Moe would score the goal to seal the win. He scooped up a loose puck down low off a shot by fellow linemate Will Dale, and Garrett slammed to puck into the back of the net.
Final score was Deerfield 4 – Westminster 2. This was a great way to finish our season. Well done team!