The JV Rockets secured another trophy for Richard Montgomery this year when they beat the Blair Blazers 7-1 on Feb. 9 in the JV championship hockey game.
The RM hockey program came onto the ice looking to avenge their varsity loss to Sherwood, and the JV squad relentlessly punished the Blazers. The performance left no one questioning who the best JV hockey team was after the game.
Senior captain Jaxson Hartle opened the scoring early for the Rockets giving the team an early boost. In an attempt to tie the game, the Blazers released two quick shots on RM goaltender Gregory Saffell, but he made a nice double save. This sequence of plays gave the Rockets momentum, and it would put them in the driver’s seat for the rest of the game.
“I think in every game scoring first is important, but in the playoffs it is also important,” Coach Hinsvark said. “It sets the tempo of the game.”
The Rockets successfully put pressure in front of the Blazers net, forcing hard saves from the goaltender. However, the Blazers caved and Rocket sophomore Connor Rosier scored a wrist shot with 3:26 left in the first period. Only two minutes later, Rocket senior John Yang stole the puck and gave a quality pass to Hartle, who converted a one-on-one opportunity to make the game 3-0.
A common dispute in hockey is whether a 2-0 or a 3-0 lead is the worst lead to have because some teams can be lulled into thinking they have won the game and can take their foot off the gas. However, the Rockets did not fall into this trap and quickly returned to their dismantling of Blair. Freshman Brody Evans spun around two defenders in the corner and fed the puck to sophomore Connor Meyers in front of the net to make it 4-0.
Blair’s fighting spirit was not fully squelched, and they forced a couple saves out of Saffell, who seemed very comfortable in the moment. Similarly to the varsity playoff game, the JV Rockets fell into penalty trouble. Sophomore Ryan Jones was called for tripping with 4:52 left in the second, and another penalty was called on Evans to give the Blazers a 5v3 advantage on the ice. The Rockets held firm and killed the penalty. Fresh out of the sin bin, Jones got the puck on his stick on the bottom of the left circle, and ripped it past Blair’s goaltender to make it 5-0 to end the second period.
The third period was essentially garbage time, and Blair’s spirits were dimmed. They were able to get a consolation goal with 8:29 left in the game, but RM retained a four goal lead. But the Rockets quickly extended their lead again when senior alternate-captain Jack Evans netted a power play goal in the final JV game of his career.
“It felt great to end the season on the highest note possible,” Evans said. “There’s no other group of guys I would want to do it with than my team.”
The JV championship was a deserving reward for what was a dominant season for the Rockets. This accomplishment cements the Rockets as a top hockey development program and there will likely be successful years to come at both the JV and Varsity levels.
“It shows we have a talented and deep program because our JV team is so good. It bodes well that we have strong underclassmen,” Coach Hinsvark said.
If you would like to voice your opinion on an issue you feel is relevant to our community, please do so here. Anyone is able and welcome to submit a Letter to the Editor, regardless of journalistic experience or writing skills. Submissions may be published either online or in a print issue.
