The Flood Marr Tournament was a huge victory and a fresh swing of momentum for Boys Hockey.
Tied 4-4 in the final period, with only two minutes remaining, David O’Neill ’26 raced down the right wing with the puck. He approached a two-on-one and his first shot was unsuccessful; still determined, O’Neill grabbed the rebound in front of the opposing crease, knocking in the second shot and granting Andover its first Flood-Marr Championship.
In the 59th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament, O’Neill upset a competitive Nobles and Greenough (Nobles) team. Andover celebrated its momentous moment, so much so that Head Coach Paul Tortorella ’80 fell over on the bench. Tyler Miocevich ’26 noted Andover’s goal before going into the tournament.
“We knew that this was a mountain we needed to overcome, everything the coach kept telling us that. This is what we were leading up to for at least this first half of the season. And then that was just the task that we knew once the weekend came. We knew that that’s what we had to do, and we were all ready to do it,” said Miocevich.
Danny Collins ’25 added to Miocevich’s point by describing how the team focused on each game at-hand, helping keep Andover composed and focused.
“We didn’t really look at the tournament as a battle to make the championship. We were looking at every game one at a time, which relieved some pressure off us. We wanted to beat Deerfield, and we went out there and did it. We weren’t thinking, ‘If we beat Deerfield, we’ll make the championship.’ We were just like, ‘Alright, here’s our next opponent and let’s go out there and win it.’ And that’s how we ended up finishing it out with the W,” said Collins.
Miocevich shared a similar sentiment, noting that Andover’s positive and determined attitude never wavered throughout. The team was able to carry the momentum after each win by celebrating it, but also staying focused on the upcoming game.\
“Even taking it from both perspectives. So from the positive side of not letting the win get too much to us, like enjoying it, but at the same time, understanding that we were on a mission. That mission was to win on Sunday. On the flip side, when we face adversity, like in that Salisbury game, to not let it get too much to us and to bounce back, which we did against Deerfield,” said Miocevich.
Despite having won the whole tournament, Andover still faced some adversity at certain times. In its first game, Andover was losing 1-0 to Milton until the third period where the team dominated to win 3-1.
“We played Milton the first game of the tournament, and our first two periods, we had an extremely tough time. We were down 1-0. But everyone rallied in that third period, something clicked, and we came out like a different team and were able to take the win in the end. So, it was definitely one of the games where we let everything get to our heads and got too big for our shoes. And we were able to just glide down, be humble, and get the job done,” said Miocevich.
Collins also noted another challenge the team faced even prior to the game. Alex Theodore ’27, a left-wing player on the first line, was injured before the game. Although many players were wary about what his injury would mean for the team’s success, the team kept composure throughout the tournament as Theodore cheered passionately from the bench.
“But everybody who stepped up into their new role, they did a great job, and they did what they had to do to get us the wins, and that really was the most important factor. It sucks because I really wish [Alex] could have been there, but he was there and cheering us on, which is a really good teammate for sure,” said Collins.
Eduoard Lord ’26 talked about how the team rallied together throughout each game. The Coaches and Captains unified the team to stay focused on winning and prioritize the team’s interests rather than any individual success.
“One thing I remember was like in between the second and third period of the final game, it was tied and I think [Coach Paul] Tortorella just came in and said, ‘You win the period, you win the game.’ Even though it seems simple, it made us realize that we were a period away from making history and winning the first Flood-Marr in Andover’s history,” continued Lord.
Finally, Miocevich commended Chase Anderson ’25, MVP of the Flood-Marr tournament, for being the foundation of the team’s success. Having made crucial saves throughout the tournament, Anderson cemented the team’s Flood-Marr win into history.
This Flood-Marr championship victory is dedicated to Michael Kuta who is ending his 40-year tenure as Andover’s athletic trainer.
