While many were having Valentine’s Day dinners with their loved ones, others like Dartmouth High School’s hockey players were spending the Feb. 14 holiday at the ice rink competing against Plymouth North High School.
In a close game that brought the match into overtime, Dartmouth ultimately beat Plymouth North in a score of 3-2.
“We just kept battling,” Head Coach Mark Rossi said of the game. “That’s kind of what we’ve been doing all season.”
This included keeping Plymouth North’s score low, keeping the game tight and trying to manufacture goals.
“Tonight was great,” said senior Drew Spirlet. “We wanted to win our last game at home, and we did.”
Rossi estimated that this season the team is ranked around 20th in the division, with seven wins under their belts.
“Going into every game being the underdog, it kind of motivates us to really try harder,” said senior Brady Beauparland.
For Rossi, one of the reasons why the team’s been able to stay competitive this season is because of their seniors.
“The team has good leadership in the senior group,” he said. “They deserve a lot of credit.”
The Saturday game was not only the last home game before playoffs but also senior night for the team’s most seasoned players.
Spirlet said that the fact that season is winding down “kind of just sucks” because it means an end to the seniors’ high school hockey careers, though teammate Zach Donatio noted that they’ll get to spend it with “all our best friends.”
The team will play against Somerset Berkley Regional High School and Concord-Carlisle High School before the playoffs begin.
Beauparland said that over the past three years the team hasn’t made it past the first round of playoff games.
“To at least make it past the first round, I think that’d be big,” Spirlet said. “We want to get a win.”
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