Last Saturday, December 11, Choate Boys’ Varsity Hockey beat Deerfield Academy in a nail-biting 2-1 win. Coming off a tough loss against Westminster, on December 8, the Boars were motivated for a decisive win over Deerfield.
The first half began with a fast face-off, sending the puck into Choate’s side of the rink with Deerfield maintaining relative control for the first 30 seconds. However, the momentum of the game quickly shifted as Choate gained the upper hand. Board checks came from both teams as players battled for control of the puck. A shot on Choate’s goal was deflected by Jack Badeer ’23 before it approached the crease. A minute later, an attempt on Deerfield’s goal was made by Will Henderson ’25. Unfortunately, the shot was blocked.
In a second attempt on the goal by Deerfield, Henderson slid on the ice toward the winger, deflecting a shot with the bottom of his skates. Pressure ramped up as Deerfield crammed into the crease, but Goalie Primo Baldassare ’23 rebuffed Deerfield’s shots and put Choate back on the offensive. An aggressive board check by Deerfield against Co-captain Tom Lynch ’22 earned the Boars their first penalty, slowing down Deerfield’s momentum towards the beginning of the game.
Although a second face-off near Choate’s goal seemed to give Deerfield hope for a goal, this aspiration was shattered by a block from Baldassare. He blocked another shot mere seconds later, ending the first half without a goal on either side.
The second half face-off went favorably for Deerfield; however, a minor violation was called, placing the puck back with the Boars on the offensive. Deerfield earned a second minor penalty shortly after, further adding to the Boars’ advantage.
Possession of the puck bounced between the teams for the next two minutes until Henderson, seeing an opportunity, passed to Henry Kops ’22, who shot the puck straight past the Deerfield goalie into the net.
“For the first goal the student section went crazy. For some hockey kids, that was the loudest they’ve ever heard,” Ethan Opdenaker ’24 said.
The face-off after Choate’s goal put Deerfield in control of the puck. However, just like in the first half, the game quickly shifted back in Choate’s favor. Unfortunately, Deerfield was able to bring its offense intact to the crease, scoring with nine minutes left in the half. The score was 1-1 going in the final stretch of the game.
The next face-off brought the puck to Choate, giving the advantage back to the Boars. A body check by Owen Tunney ’24 took him out of the game and gave Choate its first penalty. However, Choate speedily readjusted as George Pavlus ’22 swept the puck up the rink, scoring on the Deerfield goalie with just six minutes left in the game. A couple of attempts on Choate’s goal were easily stopped by Baldassare, ending the game 2-1 to Choate.
“Our team played really well,” Baldassre said. “We were all blocking shots, and it was a good win all around.”
A Boar Pen Instagram video featured fans shaking the sideboards at the end of the game as well as after each goal, vibrating the rink with their energy.
“It’s good to be back with the boys,” Baldassre said.
