Boys Varsity Hockey found its first win in nine games against Kimball Union Academy (KUA) on Wednesday but lost to both Belmont Hill and Dexter Southfield to go 1-2-0 on the week.
Andover showed a strong performance against KUA, winning 3-2 at home on Wednesday. Forwards Collin Nugent ’16 and Jack Cusack ’18 and defenseman Payton Jancsy ’16 each scored once to put the team ahead 3-0.
Andover almost gave up the lead in the final minutes of play, but the team survived the last-ditch effort and earned a much-needed victory.
Assistant Captain Kyle Moss ’15 scored Andover’s only goal in a 3-1 loss against Belmont Hill. It marked his fourth goal in three games. Nugent and Jancsy recorded assists for Moss’s goal.
While Belmont Hill had a strong presence in the offensive zone, Andover struggled to match its opponent’s intensity in front of the net. The team finished with 17 shots on goal while Belmont Hill tallied 39 shots.
Boys Varsity Hockey was shut out 3-0 in its next game away at Dexter Southfield. Once again, Andover lacked offensive firepower and only managed 15 shots on goal, while Dexter finished with 39 shots on goal.
“We need to focus on a good start to the game, and we need to finish the last 10 minutes with intensity,” said Nugent after the game. “We need to produce.”
Andover struggled to stay out of the penalty box and to capitalize on power play opportunities. Against Belmont Hill and Dexter, the team had seven power plays and eight penalties called.
Defenseman Tora Liu ’16 said, “We need to set up on our power play opportunities and capitalize on those.”
Recent injuries have hurt Andover’s chances for a successful season. Forward Kenny Griffin ’17 and defenseman Drew DiGeronimo ’15 were unavailable for Andover’s games this week, while starting defenseman Rob Bakerian ’15 picked up an injury against Dexter. Griffin will look to rejoin the team in a couple of weeks. Bakerian and DiGeronimo, however, are likely to be out for the rest of the season.
To make up for the losses, forward Joseph Simourian ’18 was called up from the Junior Varsity team and played in Andover’s games against Belmont Hill and Dexter.
The team maintains high expectations for the rest of the season. After winning against KUA, which boasted a 20-4-1 record before the game, to bring their record to 6-11-3, Andover has high hopes for the remaining games.
“We need to focus on the positive things in the game, believe in each other, and each player on the ice needs to make plays,” added Liu. “Even during frustrated times, we need to keep believing and push through.”
With this mentality, the team hopes to come out with a win against Governor’s on Friday.