Ben Wistar ’26, Student Writer/Photographer, Bearcat Sports Media

Boys Varsity Hockey came back from three goals down to win 4-3 with less than a minute left in overtime.

In a game that saw Hotchkiss go down 3-0 in the first period, they showed no signs of defeat and battled back over the rest of the game, ultimately slotting in the winner in overtime. Brennan Cail ’24 scored the first two goals, one in the first and one in the third. Michael Gallary ’23 scored the third goal with only 33 seconds left and with the goalie pulled. In overtime, captain Shayne Bjorn ’23 scored the winner with under a minute remaining.

In the first period, Avon took the momentum very early, scoring only 29 seconds into the game. Avon added to their momentum, upping their lead to two at 9:41. Hotchkiss conceded a penalty at 9:16, giving Avon another chance to attack. Hotchkiss defended well for much of the powerplay, but Avon would ultimately make the best of their advantage, scoring at 9:14 to make it 3-0 Avon. Hotchkiss attacked the rest of the period, and Brennan Cail scored to cut the lead to two with 4:21 left.

The second period would go back and forth, with momentum shifting from team to team, but neither team was able to score. Both teams conceded penalties, but the teams were successful in defending and no goals were scored on either side.

The third period was dominated offensively by Hotchkiss. Two goals down, Hotchkiss came out piling on the pressure offensively. They killed off a penalty conceded at 13:00 and then continued putting pressure on the Avon defense. It was not until 3:31 that Hotchkiss would finally score their second goal, with Brennan Cail’s shot ending up in the back of the net. With not much time remaining and another goal needed to tie the game, Hotchkiss pulled the goalie with 1:13 left in the period, and Michael Gallary converted the advantage with 33 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime.

In overtime, Hotchkiss committed a penalty early on, but they were disciplined and killed it off successfully. Avon then committed a penalty with 1:25 left. Coach Doyle called a timeout to scheme up a play in hopes of scoring the winner. The timeout proved successful, with Shayne Bjorn scoring at 0:55, sending the team and the crown into jubilation.

This win showed the grit and determination of the team, characteristics that will serve them well in the rest of their season. This win moves them to 4-4, which they will hope to improve in their next game away at Millbrook.