Sasha Tertyshny ’18 winds up for a shot.
Boys’ Varsity Hockey lost a heartbreaker 3-4 to Northfield Mount Hermon this past Sunday. It was Senior Day for the Boars, and the team went down by a mere goal, 3-4. Choate has had a disappointing season so far this year, but it has been turning it around as of late, winning three out of its last five. There are nine seniors on this year’s team and they have all played important roles this season.
Jackson Elkins ’18 got the start in goal for the Boars. NMH took control early and put one in the net in the first two minutes of the game. When asked about the disappointing start to the game forward Patrick Mullowney ’18 said, “I thought we came out a little soft, but as the game went on we carried the play on both ends of the ice.” However, Choate quickly bounced back with a goal from Jack Hoey ’18, to tie the score at one. After the early goal Elkins would remain strong in net until Cal Stewart ’18 was substituted in for him halfway through the second period. The game looked fairly even as the two teams traded chances through the end of the first.
A different Choate team came out for the second period. The Boars notched another goal on the scoreboard as Hoey once again put the puck past the goaltender. Choate took control of the game and dominating. Later in the second John Russo ’20 snuck one past the goaltender to give Choate a commanding 3-1 lead. Of the boys’ dominance after the intermission defenseman Sasha Tertyshny ’18 said, “We played really well in the second period. We set the tempo of the game and really worked them down low.” The boys continued to be dominant through the end of the second period.
Again it appeared as if a different team emerged from the locker room after the intermission as NMH seemed to have found some renewed life. The Hoggers notched a goal earily in the third to cut the Choate lead to one. The Choate boys were still playing hard, but NMH was able to generate chances. Tertyshny said, “In the third it seemed like we got a bit too complacent. We let them claw themselves back into the game and that just shouldn’t happen. We just needed to play a full 54 minutes, which we failed to do.”
NMH scored another goal just a few minutes later on a power play, tying the game at three. Choate got chances thanks to excellent play from Cooper Swift ’19, Kyle Sanborn ’19, and Sean Dennehy ’19. On the defensive end, Choate was able to shut NMH down for a short period of time, thanks to some excellent defense and shot-blocking by Chris Guyette ’19. However, the Hoggers found the back of the Choate net one more time with about seven minutes remaining in the game. It proved too much for the Boars to overcome, despite some last second chances by Chance Gorman ’18.
It has been a difficult year for the team as they haven’t done as well as they would have liked. The adversity this team has faced has only made it really close. For the seniors their time at Choate is coming to end, and the players are not particularly excited to be leaving their teammates behind.
Of his time in the Choate rink coming to an end, Mullowney said, “It’s really sad and surreal for me. Some of the guys who I go out on the ice with are my best friends. As a hockey player, I haven’t really thought much about my high-school hockey career coming to an end, so I’m going to make sure I give my best effort in this last week that I have with the team.”
Tertyshny shared similar sentiments. “I’m going to miss it a ton,” he said. “It hasn’t really hit me yet that it’s coming to an end. I’m leaving here knowing I’ve grown, and I’m taking memories with me that’ll last a lifetime. I can’t thank the coaches and boys enough for everything.”
