Girls' Swimming Falls Short to Brunswick

The girls' hockey team returned from winter break in a dazzling fashion with a triumph over Brewster Academy. Big Red played Brewster on Saturday and scored six goals to their opponent’s zero. The win helped the team to surpass its formerly tied record to hold a new season record of 5-4-1.

"Despite the team’s strong lead, the players are perfectionists and noted flaws to improve upon in the coming weeks."

Every team member played at some point during the game due to the multi-goal lead. Prep Alyssa Xu, lowers Abby Smith, Jenna Brooks and Jill Cloonan, and uppers Kathryn Kester and Chiara Christie scored the team’s goals.

Although there were many outstanding players, lower Robin Potter specifically praised Brooks as a standout player throughout the game. Potter said, “She played with intensity from the start and she was playing with energy that the whole team needed.” The team mirrored Brooks’ spirit during the second period and the pickup in energy led Big Red to victory.

Despite the team’s strong lead, the players are perfectionists and noted flaws to improve upon in the coming weeks. Though the girls let no pucks in the net, Brooks humbled their win by commenting on the team’s somewhat rusty performance at the beginning of the game. “The game started out slowly because of the break we had,” she said. 

However, after the first intermission, the girls knew it was crunch time. The players connected more of their passes during the second period, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Lower Keaghan Tierney commented on the momentum the girls gained. “We capitalized on power plays and had strong penalty kills,” she said.

Prep Alyssa Xu also had a notable performance in the Saturday game. With one goal against Brewster and still a whole season left to improve, the forward is likely to be a four-year weapon for Big Red’s lineup. Senior and co-captain Kaleigh Conte praised Xu’s contribution to the team chemistry. “Her best quality as a teammate is selflessness. She knows her role on the team, and puts everyone first,” she said. Conte also commended Xu’s work ethic and improvement over the first month of the season, saying, “Alyssa is a very talented player and she is extremely level-headed, hardworking and humble. She was a quiet kid at first but she has come out of her shell a lot. Exeter is lucky to have a player like her.”

The team has played well throughout its season, coming together game after game to triumph over its opponents. At the beginning of the season in December, Big Red had strong wins against Berwick, Pomfret, King’s Edge Hill and the Hill School. However, the team will be working hard for the next eight weeks to have even more success in the remaining games of this season. Every player came back from break refreshed and ready to toe-drag along the icy stretch to a successful year.

Deerfield comes to town this Saturday with a strong team that has gotten the best of Exeter for the past two years in a row. As the team prepares for the upcoming week of matchups, including Deerfield on Saturday, there is no shortage of competitive fire in any of the players. Brooks expressed the team’s determination for this weekend’s game, saying, “We [as a team] are only just getting started.”