Boys’ Hockey Tumbles Tilton School on Saturday: Big Red Silences Tilton Crowd in Stunning Victory, Marking 19th Season Win

Last Saturday, Exeter boys’ varsity hockey took a short trip up to Tilton School and returned with a 5-2 win. This was the second time this season that Big Red beat the Rams after they won their December game 9-2. Saturday’s game marked up Big Red’s record of 19 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie. Although this game was Tilton’s homecoming, the large opposing crowd did not faze the boys. According to postgraduate Joe Lazzaro, before stepping out onto the ice, the team was pumped up by “words of wisdom” from captain and senior Trevor Cosgrove, and after warm-ups, the team rounds up next to the net to listen to captain and senior Peter Christie.

“I think we do a good job of being mentally prepared for every game, regardless of whether we have a crowd or not,” Cosgrove said. “The crowd is obviously very fun to play in front of, but at the end of the day everyone on the team is playing for each other.”

The boys stepped onto the ice rowdy and ready to win. In the first period, upper Matthew McShea sent a shot off the pad which assisted postgraduate Matthew Brooks, who flicked the puck into the back of the net. The goal set the pace for the rest of the game. A few minutes later the Rams received a penalty. During this power play, upper Bradley Ingersoll tapped in the second goal for Exeter. “Even though we were on the road, we have to make our own energy,” upper Greg Shapiro said. “And we did that by coming out in the first period and scoring a couple goals.”

“I’ve never been on a team that’s so close with each other so it’s something special. Everybody wants to compete but also make life-long relationships.”

Upper Noah Maercklein stood out this game, sending an assist to McShea for the third goal of the game. “Noah Maercklein is a silent leader who tends to be a role player, and do what he is asked when we need him to do it,” postgraduate Matthew Brooks said. The boys were up 3-0 going into the third period. Within seconds, Big Red was given a five-minute major penalty, and the Rams scored their first goal. However, their momentum was quickly shut down by an insurance goal from Maercklein.

Unfortunately, Big Red received a few more penalties shortly thereafter. With four minutes remaining, Tilton scored their second goal. This was a rare slip up by Big Red’s goalie, Lazzaro, who had stopped several difficult shots in the third period. With only seconds left, Cosgrove sailed in Exeter’s fifth and final goal with an open netter from the defensive end. Even before this impressive final goal, the opposing team knew they were defeated. “Silencing an away crowd is like having your own loud one back home,” Maercklein said.

Off the ice, the infamously close-knit team can be found cuddling in the Cosgrove home, riding scooters on the path or getting matching haircuts at the barber shop. All the boys agree that the bond they share off the ice has helped create a chemistry that leads to victory in the rink.

Upper Ryan Moore attributes the bond to the high standard of respect they hold for each other. “I’ve never been on a team that’s so close with each other so it’s something special,” Moore said. “Everybody wants to compete but also make life-long relationships.”

Upper Graham Rutledge agreed that the team fosters a loving environment for playing a game they all share a passion for. “Knowing that you’re not only fighting for yourself, but for every single other player on the team makes a big difference,” Rutledge said. “If we battle for each other, like we have, we will be tough to beat.”

As the season winds down, the team will have to win the majority of their final games to maintain a high seeding in the top 8 teams. Hopefully, this will set them up to host the majority of the playoff games. Their next regular season home game will be against Hebron Academy on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. “For the rest of the year we’re looking to put ourselves in the best position in playoffs,” prep Hunter McCoy said. “I’ve never been on a team with as much chemistry. We’re like a family; everyone would do anything for the guy next to him and when you play like that, it’s tough for other teams to compete with.”