Girls' Hockey Topples Brewster
In their highest-scoring game of the season, Exeter girls’ hockey defeated Brewster Academy 4-1 last Saturday. This game raises the team’s regular season record to 5-4.
Despite the decisive win, the game started off rocky for Big Red. Senior and co-captain Brittani Chapman marveled at Brewster’s remarkable resilience despite its small team. “They couldn’t be underestimated. They were quick and had a lot of heart,” she said. Lower Kathryn Kester noted that it took Exeter “a little bit to get their legs moving.” Brewster took advantage of Exeter’s slow start, scoring early in the first period. However, with a few minutes left in the period, prep Ally DeCoste, assisted by senior captain Sydnée Goyer, tipped in a shot from senior and co-captain Bonnie LaBonté’s power play to score her first Exeter goal. She tied the score 1-1. Goyer cited power plays as one of the team’s strengths, and was thankful that the team had worked on them only days before. “Exeter did a great job controlling the puck and getting opportunities like Ally’s,” she said.
Exeter started the second period off strong. According to LaBonté, they shocked Brewster with their speed and “great puck movement across the ice.” Kester agreed, stating that the team “quickly picked up its game.” Chapman cited the team’s “high morale” as an advantage for Exeter. Lower Lydia Anderson capitalized on that advantage; she scored early in the second period, bumping the score up 2-1. Still, Exeter struggled against a strong Brewster defense. O’Brien stated that “we had a lot of great chances, but their goalie was making a lot of great saves.”
“They couldn’t be underestimated. They were quick and had a lot of heart.”
It was in the third period that Exeter finally found its groove. Captains LaBonté and Goyer both cited standout performances from the new line of Anderson, DeCoste and prep Jill Cloonan. Chapman described the line as coming out of the gate “fast and hungry for a win,” wearing down the Brewster goalie. Anderson and Cloonan both scored in the third period. Exeter kept the puck largely out of their zone, but Kester credited goalie Michaela O’Brien with a “strong performance in net.” O’Brien noted that “the defensemen unit as a whole played very well.”
After what Goyer called “a few tough ties and a difficult loss earlier in the week,” this win was especially exciting for Exeter girls’ hockey. With a game at home against Worcester Academy this Wednesday, LaBonté hopes that the team maintains the “speed and willingness to pass and possess the puck” they found so successful against Brewster. “In addition, they will work on a stronger start to their game, meeting the ice with intensity from the first face-off,” Kester said.
Following its game aganst Worcester the team will take on Deerfield Academy. Last year, Exeter suffered a 2-3 loss and hopes to win this time around.