Girls’ Hockey Hosts Tournament
This Friday and Saturday, Big Red Girls’ Varsity Hockey hosted their annual tournament at the George H. Love gymnasium. The team’s three competitors were Brooks, Brewster and the Hill School. Fresh off a blowout win against Milton, the team took to the ice with vigor, determined to finish the weekend on a high note.
The first game against The Hill School did not initially go as planned. Despite the Rams commanding 4-1 lead when the buzzer sounded, lower Kathryn Welch praised her teammates for their work in the third period. “We went down 4-0 after the second period,” Welch said. “After a motivational speech in the locker room, we fought to win the third period, outscoring them 1-0. Although we lost the game, the team connected passes and forged some scoring opportunities against a tough defense.”
Senior and co-captain Abby Smith spoke highly of upper Alyssa Xu’s performance. “Every game, she is an offensive threat because she has unbelievable stick skills and has a shot that can score on any goalie,” Smith said.
Exeter battled back to a 6-0 win over Brewster on Saturday morning. “The highlight of my weekend was coming back from being down,” senior Emma Upton said. “We found our grit and character as a team and held each other and ourselves accountable.”
Senior and co-captain Keaghan Tierney had more praise for the other memebers of the team, highlighting the work ethic of Smith. “I think my favorite play from the whole weekend was one that showed pure determination for the puck from Abby Smith,” Tierney said. “When her teammates really needed a line change, she hustled after a loose puck to avoid an icing call so we could get fresh legs on the ice.”
In the final game of the weekend, Exeter lost a heartbreaker to Brooks. The final score was 3-4. Although the team finished the tournament with a record of 1-2, many players credited individual performances that will aid them for the rest of the season.
Tierney congratulated fellow senior and co-captain Robin Potter for her ethic over the course of the weekend. “I think Robin Potter had a really good weekend. She put up points when we needed them most and remained her composure during times when the rest of the team was flustered,” she said.
Still, Smith noted there is still room for improvement. “We kept passing it around in the offensive zone or doing too many moves in front of the goal,” she said. “We need to work shooting.”
Big Red is looking to implement these skills at home this Friday against Stanstead Academy, another formidable opponent.