Girls' Hockey Falls Behind BB&N
Advancing towards the goal, senior Robin Potter starts to accelerate as the Buckingham Brown & Nichols School’s (BB&N) defense approaches with 30 seconds left in the last period. Keeping her eyes on the goal ahead, Potter, with the help of prep Eden Welch and other teammates, breaches the opposing team’s defensive barrier. With a quick swipe of her stick, Potter shoots the puck towards the net with flawless precision. The puck streaks past the BB&N goalie, hitting the back of the net and scoring the team’s second goal of the game with only eleven seconds left.
This Saturday, Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey faced tough competition against Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. Despite a hard fight to the end, Exeter pulled away with a defeat, losing 5-2.
Though the scoreboard may not have reflected their efforts, Big Red went in with a goal of giving BB&N a tough fight. “Going into the game we knew that we would be playing a fast, coordinated, and efficient team, but I think we had good confidence in ourselves and our collective abilities,” lower Taylor Nelson said.
During their practice last Friday, the team prepared extensively to face BB&N. “We looked over a list of tendencies Coach Komerek found in the way BB&N plays the game and we also discussed how we should attempt to combat a hard forecheck focused on pressuring our defensemen,” Nelson added.
In addition, the BB&N game marked the return of defensive player Seo Kwak. “[She] was in her first game back from her concussion and was a key player in the defensive zone.” senior Audrey Choi said. “We are looking forward to Rachel Shu returning as a defender, who also has a concussion.” Though several players have faced injuries, the team has tried to bounce back efficiently.
When BB&N players were removed due to penalties, Big Red used numbers to their advantage. Throughout the game, the girls made use of these power plays to combat an aggressive opponent. “Welch and Potter have great chemistry and make solid plays on our power play,” Choi said. “Hopefully, we can translate these chances in upcoming games.”
Nelson praised the two scorers of the game, seniors Robin Potter and Allison Lennie. “Both goals were the result of really good teamwork and heads up type play,” she said. “Audrey Choi had another amazing game. She consistently has her head up and is looking for her teammates.”
Senior and co-captain Abby Smith shouted out her fellow co-captain Keaghan Tierney, “[Tierney] played very well, and her passing in the defensive zone allowed us to break it out easily and led to offensive chances.”
This loss will spur efforts to improve, and Big Red is already thinking of strategies. “I think we learned during this game that we have the ability to play with these types of teams,” prep Sami Smith said. “We need to be able to put all of the aspects of our game into play, which is what we are planning to do for the upcoming game.”
On the ice, Nelson looks to future games with the team’s specific goals in mind. “Looking forward, I think that we want to be quicker with our decisions in our defensive zone and with that be more effective with our execution in the offensive zone,” she said.
“We want to play with a greater sense of urgency, encouraging us to score more often,” A Smith added.
With only six regular season games left to show what they’ve got, Girls’ Ice Hockey is looking to end the season strong. No matter the score, Big Red is ready to dive head first into the rest of the season, with an emphasis on strong team chemistry on and off the ice.