Rui Han ’25 maneuvers the puck down the ice.
Andover 4 – 5 St. Georges
Down 4-0 in the third period, Boys Hockey seemed defeated. Yet, the recent Flood Marr champions rallied to tie the game late, showcasing true resilience. Despite their efforts, a controversial goal with nine seconds left led to a heartbreaking 4-5 loss. The spirited comeback highlighted the team’s determination and standout individual performances.
Kieran McIntosh ’27 illustrated the factors that contributed to the team’s initial 4-0 deficit: a five-minute penalty resulted in two goals. However, Andover was able to recover and tie the game before unfortunately allowing a goal at the end of the game.
“We started with a five-minute penalty, and they scored two goals during that time. Then they scored two more, so it was 4-0 to start. But we made a comeback and tied it up at 4-4. Unfortunately, they scored with a little time left, so it ended in a loss. Really, in the first half of the game, they had control, but in the second half, we dominated. It’s just unfortunate that they got that lucky goal at the end,” said McIntosh.
McIntosh attributed the team’s slow start to a lack of focus, noting that early penalties leading to extended power-play opportunities for the opposing team played a significant role in Andover’s loss. He emphasized that these early mistakes set the tone for the game, making it difficult for the team to recover despite their strong performance later in the third period.
“It came down to discipline. We took a lot of penalties at the start. You can’t give a team eight minutes of power play time right at the beginning of the game,” said McIntosh.
Alexander Small ’26 remarked on St. George’s aggressive playstyle, which was evident throughout the game. However, he emphasized that the outcome was largely shaped by Andover’s own mistakes, acknowledging that the team had the potential to perform much better.
“They played hard, they put the puck in deep, and they forechecked well. But, we did have some mistakes on our end. In the end, it was pretty even, and we could’ve done better executing,” said Small.
Tyler Miocevich ’26 added to Small’s point by noting how the team’s overconfidence going into the game caused it to linger from the game plan, allowing St. George to exploit Andover’s mistakes.
Miocevich said “We took them too lightly at the beginning. We weren’t focused on our game plan and didn’t stick to it. Right from the start, we were giving them chances, and they capitalized on our mistakes. We weren’t clearing the net properly, and we weren’t working hard enough or overpowering them physically. We definitely weren’t on our game in the first part.”
Miocevich highlighted specific challenges the team faced during the first half of the game. While they had prepared for St. George’s speed, Andover’s underestimation of their opponent contributed to their early struggles.
“Their speed was one thing. We knew they were going to be a physical team and we were prepared for that, but what surprised us was their tenacity in the offensive zone. Their first few goals were shots from the point, followed by rebounds we couldn’t clear. They were all over the puck, and we weren’t getting to it, so that definitely caught us by surprise.
Despite this defeat, Miocevich was proud of his team’s resilience, highlighting its ability to overcome such a challenging setback. Going into the third period, the team humbled themselves and maintained unwavering focus.
“I’m definitely proud of how we bounced back and showed resilience. It’s never easy to come back from being down, especially in hockey when it’s 4-0. But the team came together, put our heads down, and showed incredible work ethic. It paid off as we scored those four goals, so that was definitely exciting,” said Miocevich.
McIntosh commended both Alexandre Theodore ’27 and Peyton Militello’s ’25 efforts, highlighting Theodore’s strong offensive contribution in his first game back from injury as well as Militello’s goal and his relentless effort throughout the game.
“Alex Theodore had a great bounce-back game. It was his first game back from injury, and he got a goal and two assists. He showed a lot of character. Peyton Militello also had a great game, scoring a goal and working really hard,” said McIntosh.
Boys Hockey looks to bounce back and regain its momentum in the upcoming game against Choate this Saturday.
