Portledge in the Now.

Boys Hockey delivers first win of promising season

Jonah Hirschwerk '20 & Athletic Department
It was the first game of many this season for the Portledge Varsity Boys Hockey team. In a season which many say could be “the year,” the boys took care of business on Monday evening handling Gloucester Catholic a 4-2 defeat.
It was the first game of many this season for the Portledge Varsity Boys Hockey team. In a season which many say could be “the year,” the boys took care of business on Monday evening handling Gloucester Catholic a 4-2 defeat. When asked if he (Coach Skarica) saw what everyone was talking about he responded, “ Yeah, we definitely have the potential. We just need to continue to work hard and grow, but we have a great group of guys.” It took no time for the Panthers to get on the board, with Gavin McDonald ‘21 sniping one past the Gloucester goalie. McDonald ‘21 was a defensive force and a fantastic shot blocker last year and shows no signs of changing his game. When asked about the goal McDonald said, “It was definitely a boost of confidence, but whatever I can do for the team I’ll do. But it was good to get that first goal out of the way.” The Panthers were not done yet. Just 5 minutes later Hunter Rossi ‘20 did what he does best, as he dazzled the many fans in attendance with an outstanding shorthanded goal on a breakaway. However, Gloucester would not back down as they scored just one minute later.

With the first period in the books, the second frame was very sloppy. Almost the entirety of the second period was played with a man in the penalty box for either Portledge or Gloucester. When asked about the heavy pressure put on the special team units tonight, Coach Skarcia noted, “Any time there are a string of penalties like that it’s difficult, so it’s important to stay disciplined, kill these penalties off, and get back to 5-on-5 hockey, which is when we are most effective.” Portledge went on to add to their lead as Jeremy Wilmer ‘21, the Boston University commit, continued to be THE GUY scoring his first of likely many goals this year.

In the third, Gloucester would notch the first tally of the period, shortening the Portledge lead to just one goal. Luckily, 6 minutes later, a new face for the Portledge Panthers would seal the deal and score his first goal as a Panther. Brandon Avezov ‘20 battled hard and put his first goal in as a Panther. When asked about what he brings to the squad Brandon said, “I think I’m a huge locker room guy, I love to get the boys going.” He definitely has an energy source, delivering big hits throughout the game. When asked about what the goal meant for him he responded, “Oh, it means a ton. Huge confidence booster.”

Those 4 four goals were all Portledge needed thanks to solid goaltending by senior net-minder Vincent Salgado. When asked if he was satisfied with his play in between the pipes, Salgado reacted, “I haven’t played in a while with these guys, so coming into this one I was a bit more nervous than I usually am, but then something clicked, and I relaxed, and just did my thing.”  Salgado would end the game with 13 saves on 15 shots. When asked if Coach Skarica was satisfied with the team as a whole, he responded with, “Yeah, first win of the season, it’s always good to get that out of the way, always satisfying to get the win but, there are definitely some places that we could improve.” The boys head to Delbarton tomorrow, as they will face off against one of the top teams in the Northeast. Once again, the final from Beaver Dam, Portledge 4 and Gloucester Catholic 2.  
 
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