The WA Boys’ Ice Hockey team held an extremely physical first scrimmage of the season on Saturday, Dec. 7. Although losing 5-1 against Concord High School (NH), the team showed promise at times.
Both teams played tough and fast throughout the scrimmage. Since this was the first of the season, both teams made sure to substitute in some younger players throughout to obtain varsity exposure and hone their skills. Over the course of two 20 minute periods, the Ghosts’ defense was viciously attacked by Concord non-stop. WA struggled to get on offense for most of the scrimmage, having only a few bright moments. While they allowed a total of five goals, there were many more shots on goal, most saved by senior goalie Kiernan Humphreys or junior goalie Cam Hoagland.
Scrimmages like this before the season can help to simulate game situations and “shake the rust out,” according to head coach Chris Carpenter.
The scrimmage was extremely fast paced the instant the puck dropped at the opening face off. To start the first period, Concord played aggressive and dominated possession of the puck. They were doing a great job keeping WA on their heels and taking shots on goal.
After several defended shots on goal, senior Bryan Fitzgerald had an offensive opportunity on a breakaway, taking a well-aimed shot that the Concord goalie managed to save.
Senior goalie Humphreys saved several more shots on goal and made an excellent play, catching a puck out of the air. Eventually, with 11 minutes left in the first period, Concord scored a goal.
The Ghosts managed to get a few possessions towards the other end of the rink but struggled to shoot, with Concord getting several steals close to their goal.
Concord’s relentless offense scored again just two minutes after their first goal, with nine minutes remaining in the period.
When it was starting to look bleak with only six minutes left in the first, WA had an offensive push that allowed senior assistant captain Ryan Nelken to finally score, instilling hope in the team.
At the end of the first period, WA had life. The Ghosts improved offensively, created a handful of more scoring opportunities.
Very close to the end of the first, Concord had a breakaway opportunity that they turned into a goal. WA senior captain JJ Funaro, who swapped from defense to wing this season, responded with a shot on goal but it was saved.
“I think we had a lot of good plays overall,” Funaro said. “Even though we only scored one goal we had a ton of chances that we could have scored on which I think we would have capitalized on during the regular season.”
Westford was down 3-1 at the end of the first period. To start the second, both teams subbed out several players, in an effort to scout some of the younger athletes.
The Ghosts were much more aggressive in the beginning of the second period, not allowing Concord to get them on the ropes like they did in the first.
Three minutes into the second period, a lucky shot snuck through and furthered Concord’s lead. Fitzgerald had another great shot on goal but it was once again saved, preventing WA from closing the gap.
Ten minutes into the second period, the Ghosts had finally found a rhythm and had Concord on their heels but Concord’s defense still prevented them from scoring. Five minutes later Concord scored another goal to put a win mostly out of reach. WA had one final shot on goal from senior Ryan Mckean, unable to find a path to the net.
“Saturday was not our best effort, we had a lot of things to work out,” Carpenter said. “The opportunistic thing from this weekend was how our players answered Sunday. They improved on all of these things and the positive energy was palpable.”
On Sunday, Westford beat Framingham 5-0 in another scrimmage.
“I don’t think it was a bad thing to be humbled Saturday,” Carpenter said. “It showed us that we need to do the small things right, be gritty, and never take a shift off. My takeaway after Sunday was how good of a team we can be when we do those things right, it was really promising.”
