Boys’ Hockey Defeats Andover in OT
After crushing Governor’s 7-1 last Wednesday, Exeter traveled to Massachusetts to face off against bitter rival Phillips Andover on Saturday. While Exeter has had a perfect record so far this season, Andover has struggled and entered the game with about a .500 record. However, statistics are all but useless when it comes to E/a games.
“Records don’t matter,” upper Devin Moore said. “Whoever comes to play on any given E/a game can win that game.”
Senior Stanley Brenner agreed, noting the power of a competitive rivalry. “We have to be ready to play because we know that there’s no school they hate more than us,” he said.
Andover scored early to take a 3-2 lead, forcing Exeter to battle back.
Senior Andy Espinoza said, “Our main theme was ‘get the next one.’” Exeter continued to fight for loose pucks and Espinoza netted a third goal to tie it up. “When we finally scored, we knew we were going to win the game,” Espinoza said.
"It was a great win for the guys, and hopefully we will take the momentum into Wednesday’s game against Tabor."
After 54 minutes of play, the two rivals remained tied at three goals apiece and headed to overtime.
Even though Andover managed to put a few on the board, Exeter dominated play. “In the last five minutes of the second period, I don’t think they touched the puck, and we must’ve had ten shots,” upper Ben Solin said. “Botch stood on his head and kept us in the game.”
During overtime, Exeter continued to pressure Andover and ultimately created a game-winning opportunity. Captain Ted Hart scored the overtime winner to secure Exeter’s 14th consecutive victory, keeping their unblemished record alive.
“Jordan Haney broke the puck out of our zone,” Hart said, “and I followed behind him. [After an off-the-boards pass,] I took the puck wide to their face off dot, and I waited until the goalie went down before I shot short-side over his shoulder.”
Espinoza described the goal as well-timed, saying, “Teddy Hart gave the goalie the old ‘my controller died during NHL15’ as he held the puck for a substantial amount of time.”
While Hart could have taken credit for the victory, he humbly praised the team instead. “It was a great win for the guys, and hopefully we will take the momentum into Wednesday’s game against Tabor.”
In beating Andover for their 14th victory, the team continues to take things one game at a time. “We aren’t focused on a perfect record,” Brenner said. “We go into each game knowing that the only thing that matters is the game that day.”
In terms of improvement, Espinoza said that the team can be a little bit more careful when it comes to penalties.
Looking ahead, Exeter has a big home game this Friday night against Dexter. Exeter beat Dexter in overtime last season, so it should be a well-matched game.