Girls’ Hockey Snags Huge Win
The girls’ hockey team took on Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) this past Saturday and triumphed, winning (5-3). Since NMH has proven to be one of Big Red hockey’s more challenging opponents this season, Satruday’s win was invigorating and satisfying for the girls.
The victory came with many postives. Captain and senior Clara Gilbert described the intense play and great teamwork. “It was one of the best games we’ve played all season. We were talking, making tape to tape passes and back checking.”
“Dez made us proud representing Quebec in the Canada Games and not having her here made all of us really step our games up. Now that she’s back, with a gold medal I may add, we are all enthused to see her back on the ice. Although, she might be a little slower carrying that medal around her neck!”
As a whole, the girls’ team played exceptionally well. Their goals were neat, their passing was crisp and their play was aggressive. Both teams came out firing, trying to improve their records and stay in the playoff picture, and Exeter dealt well with NMH’s high energy.
Because of this intense hunger on both sides for the win, the players got aggressive. Lower Katherine Dumoulin said, “The game was a bit rough due to all of the penalties we took in the second period, but luckily we killed them all without letting up a goal.”
Still, many of the girls played great games. “[Upper] Lexi Butler had one of the best games I've seen her play, and [lower] Bonnie [LaBonte] had a great game winning almost all of the face-offs she took,” Dumoulin said.
Upper Kirsten Nergaard had two awesome goals, lower Caroline Colbert scored her first goal of the season and “Allegra played outstanding like always,” Gilbert said.
Labonte remarked on the team’s reconnection with one of their top players in upper Deziray DeSousa, “Dez made us proud representing Quebec in the Canada Games and not having her here made all of us really step our games up. Now that she’s back, with a gold medal I may add, we are all enthused to see her back on the ice. Although, she might be a little slower carrying that medal around her neck!”
Looking a few days into the future of Exeter girls’ hockey, there is a scorcher. The Big Red will take on longtime rival Andover this Saturday. The battle of blue and red continues its legacy this Saturday at the warm and welcoming rinks of Phillips Exeter Academy. The girls have been working extra hard in order to stay focused and prepared for the upcoming battle. E/a will be a good indication of where both teams are in their team chemistry as well as their stamina and will power. Coming off three consecutive victories, the team has built a head of steam to unleash on Andover. However, Andover has a far superior record and is quite capable of beating Exeter. After tying at home the last time these two teams met, the Big Blue will be coming up to Exeter with a vengeance.