Boys' Hockey Defeats Andover
This week, Exeter’s varsity boys’ hockey faced and triumphed over its biggest rival, Phillips Academy Andover. The game was nerve-wracking, with a final score of 4-3. Lower Garrett Foster, upper Bobby Murray, senior Matthew McShea and co-captain and senior Graham Rutledge scored the four goals.
The beginning of the game was challenging for Big Red, with Andover up 1-0 in the first period of the game. “Andover had a lot of fans cheering for them and there were only a few people there for us,” lower Michael Pitts commented.
Senior and co-captain Collin Shapiro said, “The game obviously meant a lot because it was an Exeter/Andover game, and emotions always run high. I think that got the better of us for the most part of the game.” Shapiro added that a big play in that game came in the first shift of the third period when Exeter was up 2-1. “The line out there went and scored on that shift with great play in front of the net from [upper] Kyle Jadatz and Foster.”
Foster described the game against Andover as “very fast and physical.” He speculated that the tension between the rival teams amplified the intensity of the game. “They had some big hitters on their team but we were able to counter that with smart and fast play.”
Playing against the team’s rival changed the attitude and spirit of the players, Pitts explained. “Everyone was fired up for the game, because it was our rival, Andover.” He added, “those are the games we live for, so it felt even better when we took the W.”
“The game obviously meant a lot because it was an Exeter/Andover game, and emotions always run high. I think that got the better of us for the most part of the game.”
The players on the team felt similarly to Pitts’ pride in the win. Senior Nick Moore added, “It’s always fun going down to Andover but it’s even better when you win.” Foster agreed with Moore, saying, “It was many of our guys’ first Andover game, so there were a lot of nerves. It wasn’t easy, but, at the end of the day, we were able to come home with a win.”
On Monday, the team played against St. Sebastian’s Country Day School. They won with a score of 4-1. The goals were scored by Murray, co-captain and senior Bradley Ingersoll, senior Ryan Moore and Foster. “The St. Seb’s game was a hard one and was closer than the score makes it out to be. It was hard having a game on a Monday, after a long day of classes,” Foster said. Nick Moore said that one of the highlights from Monday’s game was senior Noah Maercklein’s shot block in the third period.
Shapiro explained that although the team struggled early in the game, they recovered by the second period. He said that the team “played, I think, our worst period of hockey in the first.” However, he added, “at the end of the second period Brad scored on a really nice move and I think that gave us a boost going into the third period and gave us the confidence that we were lacking to win the game.”
It’s clear that the team’s season continues to be exciting, with two wins this week. Big Red hockey will play games against Tabor Academy and Hotchkiss in the coming week.