From December 19-21, Boys Varsity Hockey competed in the Flood-Marr Tournament, ultimately defeating Deerfield Academy 4-1 in the championship game on Sunday, December 21. The victory marked the school’s first Flood-Marr title since 2007.
The team had an on-and-off start of the season, due to breaks and exams. The team entered the tournament with a focus on preparation and execution. Head Coach Mike Doyle said, “We tried not to focus on outcomes. We really focused on the process, paying attention to details, and accomplishing our goals within each game.”
Last year, the school went winless at Flood-Marr. Evan Williams ’27 said, “Based on the talent we have this year, we expected to have some wins.”
The tournament included eight teams competing in two divisions. Hotchkiss competed in a division with Milton, Kimball Union, and Westminster. The other division included Salisbury, Andover Academy, Noble and Greenough, and Deerfield.
The Bearcats opened the tournament Friday morning with a 3-2 loss to Milton. Despite strong play throughout the game, Milton scored a goal with two minutes remaining in the game. Doyle said, “While the result was disappointing, the team’s performance was encouraging. I still felt confident in the group. We were playing good hockey and creating opportunities.”
Later that evening, Hotchkiss faced Kimball Union, which entered the matchup undefeated and ranked first among New England boarding schools. Hotchkiss took a 1-0 lead and held it late into the third period before Kimball Union pulled its goalie and tied the game with 30 seconds remaining. The game went into overtime, when Ryan Murray ’27 scored a goal to give Hotchkiss the win. Williams said, “The victory was an important turning point; that was when we realized we could really do this.”
On Saturday, the Bearcats played Westminster in a final round-robin game. The team delivered its strongest performance of the tournament, earning a 4-0 shutout. Doyle said, “This was one of the team’s best games of the season.” With two wins in the round robin, Hotchkiss advanced to the championship game.
In the final on Sunday, the team faced Deerfield, the winner of the other division. Hotchkiss scored two goals early in the game. Matthew Wallace ’26 opened the scoring on a breakaway, and Williams followed with a goal off a rebound to make it 2-0. Later in the first period, Deerfield scored, to lead the game 2-1. The score remained unchanged until the third period, when Murray scored, giving Hotchkiss a 3-1 lead.
Midway through the third period, Hotchkiss had a five-minute major penalty, forcing the team to spend time defending its lead. With several minutes remaining, Deerfield pulled its goalie, and Williams scored into the empty net to seal the 4-1 victory.
Williams said, “Going from 0-4 last year to winning the tournament this year was huge for us. It gave us confidence going into the rest of the season.” Coach Doyle said, “The win showed that we can compete with anybody in New England.”
The team’s focus now shifts to sustaining that level of play. Doyle said, “Winning the tournament is about having three good days; now we need to be good for eight weeks.”
Following the Flood-Marr Tournament, Hotchkiss won games against Millbrook and St. Paul’s. The team will face Exeter at Eaglebrook on January 24.
