Boys’ Hockey Rebounds From Loss
After racking up 20 wins without dropping a single game, the boys’ hockey team fell to Proctor Academy last Wednesday. It was something many fans feared might happen. Despite entering the game with a losing record, the Hornets had lost several one-goal games to teams that Exeter narrowly defeated. It was a tough game, and Exeter did not play to their full potential, ultimately losing 6-4.
“We were mad at ourselves,” upper and defenseman Jacob Dupont said. “We knew we could have beaten that team if we had done all the little things that we didn’t.” While the team seemed a little deflated after the loss, they looked to bounce back.
“The team was definitely frustrated,” senior and captain Ted Hart said. “Three months of undefeated hockey was ended by a team we should have beaten.” Even though the team was dissatisfied with their performance, Hart noted that the loss was “a good reminder that a full team effort is needed to win games.”
“The loss was definitely a wake up call,” upper Peter Christie said. “We can’t just stride into games with the mentality that we’re going to win because we’re Exeter.” Although there was a strong sense of disillusion, the game did provide a few positives.
“It was good to see that when we faced adversity, we kept battling and we showed resilience,” lower Graham Rutledge said in reference to the team’s strong weekend performances.
There’s no arguing that when a team develops a long-standing undefeated record, a sort of pressure mounts. There is a little bit of discrepancy, however, about whether or not players on the team choose to acknowledge that underlying pressure.
“It was good to see that when we faced adversity, we kept battling and we showed resilience.”
“I don’t think that [the loss] released any pressure, because our goal is to win the title at the end [of the season],” Dupont said.
Agreeing with Dupont, Hart said, “The goal has always been to win the championship, so there was never too much pressure carrying an undefeated season.” Hart also noted that the loss provided a newfound motivation that the team will carry into the remainder of their season: a motivation that shined bright over the weekend.
Exeter came out flying against the Brunswick Bruins, netting three goals in the first period. With an all around great effort, they chalked up another tally in the “W” column.
After Friday night’s rout, focus shifted to the first of two games against NMH, which Exeter will face again for a rematch on Wednesday. After going up against one of the best prep school goalies last season, Exeter anticipated the challenges that accompany NMH. It was another outstanding performance, and Exeter put three in the jar while Bryan Botcher was a stonewall between the pipes.
After 25 games, Exeter’s record is a spectacular 22-1-2. With only a few games left on the schedule, Exeter looks to continue their dominant play. In terms of the highly anticipated rematch against Andover, Christie noted that Big Blue isn’t the team’s focus and said, “We know that when we show up to play, we’re the best around, and nothing’s going to ever keep us down.”