Boys' Hockey Heckles Smurfs in Pre-E/A
An Andover player slips through a hole in the tight-knit Exeter defense, approaching the goalie’s crease. He knocks a shot towards the frame. Lower Ryan Welch reacts swiftly, deflecting the shot and maintaining Exeter’s position in the tied zero-zero game. Passing through midfield and straight to upper Andrew Seaman’s stick, he doesn’t hesitate before juking his defender and scoring on his back, straight through the goalie’s legs. Sixty minutes later, it’s evident that Seamans first goal opened the gates for Exeter’s 6-1 win. This victory propelled the team’s season record to 14-1-1.
"Clearly, the team had great success against its opponent this past Saturday, a feat most players attribute to their team’s effort."
Clearly, the team had great success against its opponent this past Saturday, a feat most players attribute to their team’s effort. Once the train was rolling, as senior and co-captain Kyle Jadatz described, “The hard work and hustle of everyone on the team ultimately proved to be too much for Andover to handle.” On this united team, players work hard for each other, not just for the win. Their passion, aided by the infectious energy of the crowd, led to impeccable goaltending and some amazing plays.
Exeter students made sure to come out and support the home team in hopes of defeating the school’s biggest rival. The crowded stands replete with screaming fans hyping up the varsity team turned out to be a crucial asset for the team’s confidence. Senior and co-captain Sam Stone expressed his appreciation for the support. “The atmosphere of the game was electric as it always is when playing Andover,” he said. “The stands were packed and that’s always exciting for the boys to know the school is at the game to support us to beat our arch rival.” It was not only a killer game, but also an event many students and fans were able to enjoy.
After their difficult loss to Andover last season, players were psyched to score early on and continue to dominate throughout the game. Jadatz expressed a sense of relief and redemption for defeating Andover. “It’s always an exciting game between Exeter and Andover. Both schools have had their share of great seasons and hockey teams in the past,” he explained. “Last year, we split our two games against Andover, winning at Andover earlier in the season and losing at home during E/A. So, it definitely felt good to be able to get the win [on] Saturday night.”
In the midst of all of their hard work and success, a bout of jealousy from the opposing team interrupted the play. Upper Gray Betts witnessed three Andover players punching and cross-checking upper Mike Pitts in front of the net and said he wasn’t going to let that happen. Senior Bobby Murray described the quarrel between Betts and the two Andover players, saying, “I saw [Betts] fly in from the top of the circle and pretty much destroy one of them and then grab another one of them and throw him on the ground. Then, he got tangled up with another one of them and they started punching each other and his helmet came off, but he slammed him to the ground and kept punching him.” Thankfully, all four players left the rink unharmed and Exeter went on to triumph.
Big Red will be resuming its busy schedule this Saturday by travelling to face the Hotchkiss School. After handily defeating them 5-1 last season, the team is determined to secure another convincing win this year.