In the winter weekend opener, the boys and girls varsity hockey teams went undefeated on the road. The boys varsity hockey team defeated Groton School by a score of 5-1 with 5 different players netting goals for the Big Green. The girls battled to a 1-1 tie at St. Mark’s with captain, Meghan Halloran ‘17, netting her first goal of the season and the team’s lone goal of the game.
Boys Varsity at Groton School – Game Recap:
The Boys Varsity hockey team opened the season on Saturday night with a convincing 5-1 victory on the road against a talented Groton squad. The boys came out flying, but were quickly derailed by penalties that gave the home team the momentum for much of the opening ten minutes. Groton got on the scoreboard first, tallying a nifty powerplay goal that beat Deerfield goalie Thomas Gale ’19 midway through the opening stanza. Deerfield responded quickly when senior forward Seth Reinhard ’17 picked off an errant pass and left no doubt as he buried the puck in the back of the net. From that point on, it was all Deerfield, as the visitors tallied four unanswered goals and dominated much of the play during the final two periods. Michael Holland ’19, Harry Gahagan ’17, Sean McAvoy ’19, and Thomas Dale ’17 all lit the lamp for the Big Green while steady defensive play led by Bret Pastor ’18 kept the Zebras off the board for the final forty-five minutes. Gale ’18 finished with 20 saves in the victory. The boys kick off their final season in The Barn on Wednesday when they host Northfield-Mount Hermon at 5pm.
Girls Varsity at St. Mark’s – Game Recap:
Deerfield Girls Varsity Hockey hit the road on Saturday afternoon to open their season against a talented St. Mark’s squad. Neither team was able to break through in the opening frame, but the Big Green earned the better chances with a strong forecheck and good puck movement down low. Our six defensemen did a great job of shutting down rushes in the neutral zone, and of moving the puck quickly on the breakout. Penalty killers Meghan Halloran ’17, Mary Edmonds ’19, Margaret Williams ’19 and Christina Halloran ’20 did a nice job of preventing the home team from setting up, and goalie Liv Mikesell ’20 covered any puck that came her way. Deerfield took the lead in the second period, as a great step up by Meaghan O’Brien ’18 and backcheck by Edmonds allowed the elder Halloran to break in alone, and she made no mistake in slipping the puck past the St. Mark’s goalie. To the home team’s credit, they kept us on our heels for much of the third period, and were able to snipe a shot past Mikesell after a turnover on our power play. Demonstrating some impressive character, grit, and resilience, Deerfield dominated play in overtime, with Halloran, Edmonds and Mae Emerson ’19 buzzing all over the offensive zone. Unfortunately, we could not quite find the winner, and had to settle for a 1-1 tie. Still, it was a nice effort to start the season, and certainly revealed the potential of this young squad. Mikesell was solid in goal in her Deerfield debut with 16 saves, while the Big Green put 22 pucks on the St. Marks net. Many thanks to the Fujiyoshis and Hallorans for the spread of pizza, drinks, fruit and delicious treats after the game. Next up is a tough test against Loomis on Wednesday.