On Saturday, Boys Hockey (10-8) defeated Noble Greenough 6-2. Then, on Wednesday, it played Winchendon, falling short 4-1. Beyond strong performances from David O’Neill ’26, Alex Smalls ’26, and Liam TenHarmsel ’26, Boys Hockey showed flashes of excellence amid inconsistencies as the team looked to rally ahead of playoffs and an intensifying schedule.
Following a three-game losing streak, it entered the week with the goal of regaining momentum. Nolan Roberts ’28 commented on the importance of these two games towards the team’s effort to rebound while heading into an away stretch.
“Coming into this week, we need to get our momentum back. Especially looking ahead at this tough stretch of games coming up, which are majority away games, winning these games where we’re home and where we have the advantage is going to be crucial. We need to use these home games, with our home fans and home ice, to give us a boost of confidence and momentum coming in this weekend and the next couple of weeks,” said Nolan.
Against Noble and Greenough, Boys Hockey had a commanding 6-2 win as the team moved the puck well and worked together cohesively. Senji Kimura ’29 praised TenHarmsel for his all-around performance, especially on the defensive end.
“Liam TenHarmsel weighed the body a couple of times. One big play was in the third period, he made a huge hit and it got everyone on the bench hyped up. He played his gaps really well. He didn’t give them too much space, and I don’t think he got beaten at all. He had a really good game on the defensive end. He made a couple of big plays on the breakout, too, just getting pucks out of the zone,” said Kimura.
One of the six goals on the night came from Co-Captain O’Neill. The goal demonstrated team brilliance, with the puck moving smoothly from person-to-person and ultimately ending up in the net. Roberts described the great passing that led to the opening.
“David O’Neill’s goal was a good effort from the entire line, with the puck touching Alex Theodore [’27] and Alex Small [’26], and then scored by David O’Neill. It was a rush into their zone and it was a good tic-tac-toe passing play that led to a great opportunity at the front of the net, which was put away. Alex Theodore passed it really quickly to Alex Smalls, and Alex Small slid it to David. It’s just bang bang bang,” said Roberts.
Versus Winchendon on Wednesday, Boys Hockey fell short 4-2 in a tight match that got out of hand towards the end. O’Neill described the events of the game and commented on the team’s play.
“We played pretty close for the first two periods, really up until the last ten minutes of the game. Penalties ended up hurting us in the end. They scored two power play goals, and the other two goals were empty netters. We scored one even strength, but that wasn’t enough to come out on top. It was just an undisciplined game for us. We didn’t have a lot of offense going in the first couple of periods, and it finished with a disappointing result,” said O’Neill.
Looking to build back momentum, Boys Hockey will play at Loomis Chaffee on Saturday.
