The ConVal-Conant girls’ ice hockey team finished the season at 2-13 with their shutout loss to Keene-Fall Mountain Saturday, but their time on and off the ice can’t be quantified by wins and losses.
“I played for this team for three years and every game, every practice has been the best experience of my life,” said senior Brenna Martens. “I suggest to anyone out there who is looking for a winter sport. It’s a lot of hard work but you’re never going to find a better group of girls than you will here. This is a family and you never want to leave it. I’m really sad that I have to take this jersey off today.”
Since an early-season loss to Keene, the Griffins had the season finale circled on their schedule as a possible win, but after a full two weeks between their previous game and Saturday’s, it was tough sledding for the home team.
“The rust was pretty thick for the first couple shifts,” said head coach Chris Spingola. “I thought we weathered the storm a little bit, and then I thought we played really well in the second period. We absolutely ran out of legs in the third.”
ConVal-Conant held the visitors to two goals through two and could have had one of their own, but senior Haylie Drew’s shot from the blue line hit the crossbar, spun, fell onto the goaltender’s pads and somehow went forward and out of harm’s way. In the third, the Griffins started to fatigue as the visitors pressed the attack and cycled the puck, and four more goals came in quick succession for a 6-0 final.
Abbi Friend stopped 68 shots in net for the Griffins.
“I think we played our best today and we came together as a team to do everything that we needed,” Martens said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better last game. The score doesn’t matter, it’s what you leave on the ice with your friends and family, and I think we left it on there.”
Spingola now says goodbye to his five seniors, Martens, Abby and Haylie Drew, Izzy Ketchersid and Kayla Gauthier, the first graduating class Spingola coached from start to finish.
“It’s going to be tough to replace those five for sure,” Spingola said, “but I think we have enough juniors that are going to step into that role with [Alessia] Coburn and Abbi [Friend].”
Spingola’s team has won seven games in his three years after only one victory in the program’s previous, short existence. Many of the Griffin players come into the season with little or no hockey – or even skating – experience.
“We can certainly turn young girls into hockey players,” Spingola said. We’ve won seven games at the varsity level with kids who can’t skate. For me and my coaching staff, that’s what we’re most proud of.”