Sports Roundup: Boys Hockey Secures First Win Of The Season
David Creed •
This Whaler sports roundup includes an update on the boys hockey team following their first win of the season, the girls basketball team after a home victory, and the boys basketball team.
Boys Hockey Scores Five Unanswered Goals To Secure First Win
The boys hockey team traveled to the Cape to play the Bourne Canalmen Monday afternoon seeking revenge after Bourne beat Nantucket 4-0 on January 25th. The Whalers won 5-1 at the Gallo Arena on Monday and scored five unanswered goals after Bourne scored the game's first goal 6:41 into the game.
The performance made their head coach, Jack Moran, very proud and happy as he said his team has never stopped working hard despite losing their first 12 games. He said their junior goalie, Nick Yates, played his best game of the season and made several key saves – including a breakaway stop.
“Nick stood on his head," Moran said. "This kid was making some great stops. He stuffed them on a breakaway. He made saves on shots around screens. Positionally, he was fantastic. He knew where to be. He knew where the puck was, and he knew where it was going to come from, and he set himself up and he blocked a ton of shots. It was great to watch, and it got everybody fired up. It just fed through everybody there. If they continue with that emotion and that feeling honestly, I got to tell you, these next couple of games that we have are going to be good games.”
The Whalers scored four goals in the second period. Junior captain Jeremy Jenkinson made it 1-1 midway through the second, and then Nantucket exploded for their next three goals within a two minute and 13 second span. Sophomore Jasper Soares scored the team's second and third goals. Junior assistant captain Canton Jenkinson made it 4-1 with 1:32 to go in the second.
"Despite what the season has brought us, our group of older players, if you will, are core players that see a lot of ice time, they recognize the importance of it," Moran said. "They've stepped up. They really have been focused regardless of what the score is showing at the end of each game. They've never given up. They continue to march through it. They continue to fight as hard as they can. I mean, we are down 10-1 against Barnstable and Jeremy is still throwing his body around trying to block shots.”
The Whaler's final goal came off the stick of junior defenseman and assistant captain Soren Edwardes with 3:02 to go in the game.
Canton and Jeremy Jenkinson each finished with three points (one goal and two assists).
After that Barnstable game, which Nantucket ended up losing 11-1, Moran and the team had a meeting about trying to finish this season off on a high note. It led to Moran dressing just 14 of the 22 kids on his roster against Bourne, as Moran has been trying to rotate players in and out of games all season since the junior varsity program has been non-existent the past two years to try to help all of his players develop.
"I was in there talking with them and just kind of giving them the rundown," Moran said. "We as a coaching staff and even the captains, we got together after our Barnstable game where we had a sit down and we said, 'Look, we got five games left at the time. We need to put a plan together and try to maximize how we can make these next games very competitive and win some of them. We all came to the conclusion that, you know, unfortunately, we are a varsity program, but we are also carrying some kids that are JV players, and they recognize that as well. I just told them, 'Look, what we're doing has nothing to do with you personally. You didn't do anything wrong, but we need to put the best possible team on the ice, and we got to roll lines that know what they're doing, get out there, and get it done. And we did that the other day, and it worked.”
Observing Tuesday’s practice, it was a very upbeat and energetic Whaler team as Moran told them in order for the 14 players who dressed against Bourne to continue playing, they will need to earn their spot every day – meaning they could be replaced if they don’t maintain their level of play. It appears to have created a good, competitive environment where players who didn’t crack the gameday roster on Monday are motivated to earn one of those spots – which is what Moran said he was hoping for.
The Whalers will try to make it two wins in a row when they travel to Monomoy to play the Sharks on Wednesday, February 12th at 4 p.m.
Girls Hoops Beat Sturgis West
The girls basketball team beat the Sturgis West Navigators 59-13 Tuesday afternoon in what was a strong bounce back following a 54-40 loss to Cape Cod Academy on the road Monday afternoon.
Nantucket was led by senior captain Alana Ludvigson (17 points), junior Marin Mooney (13 points), and senior captain Maddie Lombardi (12 points).
"Our offense is back, so that was the biggest thing tonight," head coach Jillian Fraker said. "That's why we also kept the press on (into the fourth quarter). I just wanted to give the players like that recognition and for them to see how hard their defense and how that hard work pays off. It was really huge for us. Some pretty big scorers. We had Alana for 17 points and her composure when things started to get a little bit heated on the floor was the leadership that we need to see from her, and she brought that tonight. She should be really proud of herself. Marin, 13 points, just huge. Offensive rebounds, points, getting those layups. Everybody was in sync, and then Maddie also had 12. That's amazing."
Nantucket is now 8-6 this season and their next game is scheduled for Thursday, February 13th on the road against Rising Tide at 4:15 p.m.
Boys Hoops Lose To Falmouth
The boys basketball team lost to the Falmouth Clippers 67-50 Tuesday evening – dropping their record to 5-11 this season. The Whalers struggled early offensively, scoring just 11 points in the first quarter while Falmouth scored 22. Freshman Burke Lombardi drilled three three-pointers in the first.
The Whalers trailed 39-24 at halftime, and any chance of coming back ended following a third quarter in which they scored just six points and trailed 51-30 through three.
The Whalers will try to earn their sixth win and maintain their position in the MIAA Div. 4 state tournament when they host Monomoy on Thursday, February 13th at 5 p.m.
SCHEDULE AHEAD:
Wednesday, February 12th:
The boys hockey team will be on the road playing Monomoy at 4 p.m.
Thursday, February 13th:
The boys basketball team will be at home playing Monomoy at 5 p.m.
The boys hockey team will be at home playing Dennis-Yarmouth at 5:30 p.m.
The girls basketball team will be on the road playing Rising Tide at 4:15 p.m.
For more coverage of all the Nantucket High School winter sports teams, follow our sports Instagram page here.
For more photos taken by Chris Tran, follow his Instagram page here.
To view the MIAA Power Rankings, click here.