Girls’ Hockey Starts Strong, Wins 5-2

The Big Red girls’ varsity hockey team dominated a lackluster Brewster Academy squad this past Saturday. After a 5-2 victory, the girls reconfirmed their position as one of the league’s best teams. The team celebrated this victory, but are also focused on preparing for the next game.The game started off with a bang, both teams eager to bring home a win. Exeter established an early lead after a first shift goal and never looked back, scoring four more goals to finish the game, the most they have scored in a regular season game this year. With their outburst of scoring, all the work on the offensive end has paid off.Not only was this an exceptional win for the team, but it was also a victory on the road, giving the team confidence for future away matches. Upper Kirsten Nergaard said that although the team had a good start to the season,  “We were a little flat for a couple of games, so this was a nice win to get back on track.”Nergaard explained that to improve their chemistry, they met as a team and discussed how to work together more effectively in the future. “We realized the forwards and the defense weren’t communicating as well as we should on break-outs, so we’ve been working on that as well as making better passes. I thought that we were much more efficient moving the puck out of our own zone, and communication was much better with the forwards giving the D some better options on the break-out, so hopefully we can continue that.”According to senior captain Marley Jenkins, Exeter took control of the game early, scoring four times in the first period. “We scored on the first shift of the game, so we had the momentum early. Our team was passing very well and working together, which created a lot of opportunities for us that we capitalized on.”While the offense came out strong, defense, especially the goalie, upper Allegra Grant, played a critical role in the team’s victory. “Obviously, it’s nice to get some goals, but the defense’s tenacity and an immense game by Allegra were really the keys to victory” Nergaard said. Jenkins agreed, commending Grant’s performance even under pressure. “Our goalie, Allegra, played very well. The refs were calling a lot of penalties so we were on the power play and penalty kill often.”Lower Bonnie Labonte was also impressed with the team’s goals. “Dez had 4 points; it makes a big difference when we had offensive puck movement. Lower Kat Dumoulin had a great goal; it was textbook. Lines flower well.”Looking ahead, the girls will face some tough competitors, specifically Deerfield Academy, a longtime rival. The girls will have to work stay focused and work extra hard in practice this week to continue their hot streak.