2001 CRH BOYS WATER POLO ROSTER
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Coaches:          Todd Currie
                           Mary LaFrance

Choate Rosemary Hall Boys Varsity Water Polo
2001 Season

Choate Rosemary Hall
Boys Junior Varsity Water Polo
2001 Season

2001 Season Game Summaries

9/12/01:  Scrimmage Suffield @ CRH– unoff. Score21-12 (V 18-1, JV 3-11)
                  The Wild Boars have a tradition of opening the season with a scrimmage against Suffield Academy.  Both squads are recovering from a heavy toll of graduation and were eager to get things going.  The scrimmage was organized with alternating running-time periods where Choate grouped players by experience.  Our experienced players gave a fine account of themselves in the opening foray.  They team played well and started to play together effectively.  Our less experienced players made an admirable showing after only days of practice.  All in all, it was a productive exercise for all.  No official score is kept.

Info for Press:  We opened the season with a challenging day.  We faced Williston Northampton and Exeter to open the season.  Exeter is the perennial and defending New England Champs and Williston finished third last season behind New England Runner-up Choate.  Williston sets the game schedule, so Choate faced Exeter and then turned around to play Williston in the game immediately following.  Choate was hit heavily by graduation, including the loss of three-year top scorer and All-American Greg Marvin-Smith,  the powerful Adam Rahal and three year starting goalkeeper Chris Beck.  All three were named to the All- New England Team first team last year.  With this said, Choate looks promising for this season as well.  A strong core of players has stepped up and the team is as fast as it has ever been.  Captains Owen Dailey ’02 and Brian Medlin ’02 led the team through a demanding and successful preseason.  Other starters in the rotation are Aaron Smith ’02, Jamie Lamere ’02, Brett Marinelli ’03, Tim Rausch ’04 and Perry Bullock ’04.  Captain Medlin is coming back off a season out with shoulder surgery and the inflammation that has resulted has kept him out of the water lately.  Goalkeeping with be covered by PG Eric Bostard ’02 and Carey Turnquest ’03.  Our strengths for this season are clearly our speed and the experience that these boys have developed playing together.  With continued effort and focus, I think that stand a pretty good chance of finding our way back to the Championship game this season.  I am optimistic but we are all well aware of the challenges ahead.  We have a very strong squad but a small group and would be happy to bring some more interested players into the program.  We next face out-of-league powerhouse Greenwich H.S. at the Larry Hart Pool on Wednesday at 4:30 and will host three teams for a tournament on Saturday.  Come on down!

9/15/01:   Exeter @ WNS  Exeter 13, Choate 3
                  Choate opened the season in a rematch of the New England Championship game from last fall.  The team traveled to Williston Northampton School to face defending champion Exeter.  Choate, though missing some key players, started the game with enthusiasm and energy.  As things got going, the teams moved up and down the pool feeling each other out and controlling the others offensive drives.  Exeter got on the board first and followed a minute later with another goal.  Captain Owen Dailey ’02 got Choate on the board a mere 10 seconds after Exeter’s second goal.  The teams worked back and forth for a couple of minutes before Exeter was able to capitalize on a man-up opportunity.  Choate responded seconds later with a goal by Tim Rausch ’04 to close the period down 2-3.  In the second period, things fell apart for Choate.  Exeter responded well to what they had seen in the first and all of the close calls went against Choate.  Choate let in 5 goals in the period and couldn’t get their offense working.  At the half a disappointed Choate squad saw itself down 2-8.  Choate hadn’t given up and came out strong in the third but Exeter was on its game.  The only highlights for Choate in the period were killing some man-down situations.  Exeter continued to play well and poured in 5 more goals from strong and experienced players.  As the period progressed, Choate started to look to their next game immediately following and rotated personnel to give the players a cchance to rest.  Exeter rotated players as well and the fourth period saw little action.  With three seconds left, Omar Itum ’02 scored one more for Choate the game wrapped up 3-13.  Carey Turnquest ’03 did a fine job in cage for the Boars though he faced a tough onslaught.

9/15/01:  WNS @ WNS  Choate 14, Williston 4
                  Choate, last year’s runner-up for the New England Championship, faced last year’s third place team less than 10 minutes after facing Exeter, last year’s champion.  The team, disappointed from the opening loss, was ready to play, though, and sought to defend their honor.  Both Choate and Williston were ready to give it their all.  Choate was in control from the start.  Aaron Smith ’02 started things off and got Choate on the board first.  Captain Owen Dailey ’02 followed up 14 seconds later and Jamie Lamere ’02 tallied again 15 seconds after that.  Choate drew an ejection on former Choate player Tucker Robinson and Dailey converted again.  Dailey followed that less than a minute later.  Williston did not get a shot off in the opening period.  Dailey had a hat trick and Choate had a 5-0 lead at the end of the first.  Williston’s Robinson got revenge to start the second as he tried to restart the home team offense.  He scored 25 seconds into the second.  Dailey responded 35 seconds later.  This was followed in the next 30 seconds by goals by Perry Bullock ’04 and Brett Marinelli ’03.  Marinelli spent most of the day working his way around the hole and setting up some fine driving goals.  Joshua Ho-Walker ’02 added another goal for Choate to move the Boars to a commanding 9-1 lead.  The teams traded ejecctions in the final 2 minutes but neither capitalized.   When the teams came out for the second half, Choate was still in control but had brought the intensity down a notch.  Dailey added another goal before LaPlante and Robinson tallied again for Williston.  Things continued to be a bit more quiet in the fourth.  Lamere and Marinelli each added another before Robinson added his third for the game for Williston.  Dailey added one more in the final minute and Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 got his first Varsity goal with no time left on the clock.  The game ended 14-4 in favor of the Boars.  Owen Dailey scored an impressive six goals on the day and there was scoring by seven of none field players.  Carey Turnquest ’03 had a very strong showing with 6 solid saves on only 10 shots in the game.

9/19/01:  Greenwich A at CRH  Choate 4, Greenwich 9
                  Choate welcomed perennial Eastern League powerhouse Greenwich High School to the Larry Hart Pool on Wednesday.  Despite being down a starter, the Boars were looking forward to a good showing against a challenging opponent.  In a game that saw a lot of major fouls called from early on, the stage was set for a battle.  Choate won three of four swim off’s, including the first.  The more experienced Greenwich squad got on the board first, though, taking advantage of some defensive mis-cues.  Choate played hard but couldn’t get things together of offense.  The defense held strong, though.  The team only gave up one more during the first when they were man down and the period ended with the home team trailing 0-2.  The defense stayed strong in the second period, killing an early man down situation.  Greenwich got on the board again to extend the lead to three.  The teams continued to work up and down the pool defensively.  Brett Marinelli ’03 finally got the Boars on the board as the half wound down with a beautiful blind shot from hole.  At the half, Choate was in a good position though they trailed 1-3.  When the squads started the second half, They both continued to battle defensively.  Marinelli scored again to narrow the margin to one.  Unfortunately, Brett committed his third major and so had to sit on the bench for the rest of the game.  Eric Bostard ’02, who had been strrong through the first half, really came alive in the second with some beautiful saves in the second, including six in the third period alone.  Choate didn’t give up, though, and other players worked to step and put some sots into the cage.  Captain Owen Dailey ’02 was the focus of an especially heavy press that didn’t let him get a shot off.  Despite, Bostard’s fine effort, Greenwich responded quickly to turn overs and put in three in the later part of the third to move to a strong 5-2 lead.  By early in the fourth, Choate had to use some caution as two more players were in foul trouble.  With Greenwich able to capitalize on some extra man opportunities and Choate cautious as a result of the foul trouble, Greenwich was able to extend the lead.  Goals in the 4th by Omar Itum ’02 and David Guernsey ’05 capped the Boars’ scoring effort.  The game ended with Choate down 4-9.  The score could easily have been closer had a couple of near misses by Choate, especially late in the game, found the canvas.  All in all, it was a satisfactory outing despite the loss and Choate has a good sense of where it needs to be for later in the season.

9/22/01:  Lawrenceville at CRH  Choate 8, Lawrenceville 0
                  In the first game of a full day of play, the Wild Boars hosted the Big Red of Lawrenceville.  Choate has only met this out of league opponent four times in the last ten years, but the game is always a good one.  Choate came out ready for a strong showing following the loss earlier in the week to another Easter League opponent, Greenwich.  Both teams came out focused on defense and neither team had much going of the offensive side of the ball.  Brett Marinelli ’03 got the Boars on the board early but little else happened.  The home team held Lawrenceville to only one shot in the period.  In the second, things got going a little more convincingly for Choate.  Tim Rausch ’04 started things off, followed quickly by another score by Marinelli.  Marinelli added his third goal while capitalizing on a man advantage situation and also got an assist as Perry Bullock ’04 tagged Choate last goal for the period.  Choate went into the half leading 5-0.  Things faltered offensively again for the home team in the third, though.  While the defense held, the offense could put nothing together and the third ended with Choate still holding a 5-0 lead.  Early in the fourth, Captain Owen Dailey ’02 extended Choate’s lead early and Marinelli added two more (his fourth and fifth of the game) while still effectively limiting Lawrenceville’s opportunities for a shot.  With a strong Defense, led by 11 saves on 11 shots and other great play by Eric Bostard ’02, Choate put together a decisive 8-0 lead.

9/22/01:  Hopkins at CRH  Choate 17, Hopkins 4
                  In the second game of the day for both teams, Choate faced Hopkins at the Larry Hart Pool.  Choate had to be heavily favored but Hopkins drew first blood early in the first.  The lead held only for a couple of minutes though as Brett Marinelli ’03, already having a great day, added one and Captain Owen Dailey ’02 scored twice in 30 seconds.  Choate took a 3-1 lead into the period break.  In the second, Choate continued to play well.  Marinelli and Dailey each added another tally in the first minute or so before Hopkins’ McManus scored his second.  Then Perry Bullock ’04 and Aaron Smith ’02 each added another goal when McManus tallied again for the visitors.  Marinelli capped the period with his third of the game to give Choate an 8-3 lead at the half.   The third saw the Boars further extend their lead with a sound offensive attack and strong defensive containment.  Dailey added two more before Tim Rausch ’04, Omar Itum ’02 and David Guernsey ’05 made their own contributions.  Itum scored again before Hopkins took advantage of a man up opportunity in the waning seconds to leave a 14-4 spread at the end of the third.  Through the first three periods, Eric Bostard ’02 played well in cage again with 8 saves.  The fourth saw a continued effort by Hopkins but Choate’s defense held.  Carey Turnquest ’03 made some wonderful saves in cage and stopped three, including a 4 penalty shot in the period.  Bullock added another score as did Aaron Smith ’02 and Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 as the game wound down.  At the end of the game, Choate held a 17-4 victory. 

9/22/01:   Suffield at CRH  Choate 10, Suffield 4
                  Immediately following the Hopkins game, Choate turned around to face Suffield.  The Boars got off to a slow start offensively but continued to hold up defensively.  Tim Rausch ’04 started things off for the home team, though Brett Marinelli ’03 followed shortly thereafter.  Suffield got off only one shot in the period.  The first ended with Choate holding a 2-0 lead.  Neither team could get working effectively in the second period.  Choate looked tired and never took advantage of Sufffield’s inexperience.  The half closed with Choate holding an unexpectedly narrow 2-0 lead.  In the third, Rausch added another before Suffield got on the board.  Rausch scored again, for a single period hat trick, and Marinelli added one with four second left to extend Choate’s lead to 5-1.  As the home team continued to rotate players, things started heat up.   Rausch added another goal before Suffield was able to capitalize on a man up and narrow the range to 6-2.  Captain Owen Dailey ’02 added one and Suffield responded again, on another man up, leaving a 7-3 margin.  Dailey responded back and Marinelli added two more (for 12 goals in three games on the day) for emphasis.  In the waning minutes, Suffield put one last one in to give a 10-4 final.  Eric Bostard ‘02 played a fine first half in cage, though he didn’t see many shots.  Things picked up as Carey Turnquest ‘03 came in for the second half but he continued to make a strong showing.  Carey had 5 impressive saves. 

9/29/01:  Canterbury V at CRH  Choate JV 15, Canterbury 6
                  Choate’s JV squad opened the season today with a strong showing in the home pool.  Given small numbers this season, the Boars don’t really have a full fledged JV team in the program.  For today’s game, the team used mostly freshmen and sophomore players, with one junior taking some time in cage.   Canterbury brought a big team, both in numbers and size, but the boars were ready.  With experienced leadership by Tim “Monk” Rausch ’04 and Perry Bullock ’04, the team played well from the start.  The teams went back and forth for much of the first period.  Rausch got the team on the board at 2:47 left and followed a minute later to extend the Boars’ lead to 2-0.  At the close of the first, Canterbury tallied one to leave a 2-1 margin in favor of the home team.  David Guernsey ’05 added a goal 40 seconds into the first which was the first on his way to being the day’s high scorer.  Rausch added another a minute later to move to a 4-1 lead before Canterbury answered back.  After Canterbury scored at 4:52 left, a quick series of goals by Guernsey, Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 and Perry Bullock ’04 moved Choate strongly ahead.  There was excellent play by Claude Giampietro ’04, Ean Saberski ’04, Kevin Hawkins ’05 helped to keep Choate’s position strong with good offense and dedicated defense.  Canterbury scored again, but trailed 3-8 at the half.  The third period was busy.  Wentworth-Ping and Rausch each added another goal before Guernsey added two more to extend the lead to 12-3 by half way through the period.  Canterbury scored and then Alan Valenti ’05 tallied his first water polo goal.  Canterbury took advantage of some speed match up to put in two more scores before the end of the period.  Choate led 13-6 at the end of the third.  With less experienced players seeing a lot of time in the second half, the young Choate squad was giving an excellent account of themselves.  Some fine play early in the final period allowed Wentworth-Ping  his third on the day off a beautiful assist from Guernesy.  Carey Turnquest ’03, who had spent the first three period in goal with an excellent showing and 12 saves, moved to field for the fourth.  A tenacious effort allowed Turnquest to score Choate’s final goal of the day.  With Turnquest in cage, Richard Navin ’04 saw his first stint in the cage.  He acquitted himself admirably with three strong saves and some impressive outlet passing.  It was a fine day for the young Choate squad.

10/3/01:  Deerfield at DA  Choate 18, Deerfield 6
                  Choate traveled to Deerfield, MA to be the first team of the year to face the traditional rival.  The results did not disappoint.  This was a good one for the boars to come off of a 1 1/2 week break.  Deerfield was looking to take a win against the favored visiting team to get their season back on track.  Deerfield always makes a fine effort to defend their honor against the Boars.  This was no exception.  Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 got things started for Choate with two goals in the first but the home team answered each and the score was knotted at 2-2.  The Choate squad was lethargic in the beginning but they got going as the game progressed.  In the second Choate was clearly in control but Deerfield kept at it.  Perry Bullock ’04 scored for Choate followed shortly by Brett Marinelli ’03.  Deerfield added one but then Marinelli drew the kick out and converted the opportunity for his second goal in less than a minute.  Deerfield converted their own man up chance before Marinelli tallied his third following yet another kick out, his third in the period.  Dailey added another and Tim “Monk” Rausch ’04 got on the board for the Boars as well.  The teams traded man up goals in the final minute, Choate’s score by Jamie Lamere ’02, to leave the score 9-6 at the half.  In the second half, Choate would respond better to the officiating while Deerfield continued to struggle somewhat.  Lamere and Marinelli each added two more goals and Dailey, who was on the bench for most of the period, scored again in the third period.  Deerfield managed only 5 shots in the seven minutes and Eric Bostard ‘02 was there to take them all.  Choate slowed things down but continued to control the game in the final period.  The defense was clicking and Deerfield only managed three shots.  Monk added another to the total and Dailey tallied three more times to finish things off.  Choate won by a score of 18-6.  Brett Marinelli had an excellent day with 5 goals and Co-Captain Owen Dailey’s 7 goals earn him a spot on the all-time list. 

10/4/00:  Deerfield JV at CRH JV  Choate JV 17, Deerfield JV 2
                  A small and young group prepared for the second game of the day, against the Deerfield JV.  Choate’s small numbers dictated that some players who saw time in the varsity game would also get wet for the JV game, but in the spirit of play, Choate made the trip and played freshmen and sophomores with only one junior as one of the goal keepers.  Deerfield (with a substantial number of juniors and even a senior on the squad, came out to a quick start, scoring twice in the first two and a half minutes.  David Guernsey ’05 answered back for Choate and got the Boars on the board.  Deerfield added two more before Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 capitalized on the extra man opportunity.  Deerfield added another before Wentworth-Ping and Guernsey each added a goal in the final 45 seconds to narrow the deficit to 4-5 at the end of the first.  Deerfield kept up the attack but the Choate defense started to figure things out and adapted to the chilly water.  The young boars allowed only five shots and one goal in the second.  During this time, Wentworth-Ping was on fire, adding three to Choate’s tally.  Richard Navin ’04, in only his second game and subbing into field from his usual position as one of the goal keepers, took a well passed ball and converted for a score.  Choate led 8-6 at the half.  The third saw both sides stay energetic but get a bit sloppier in execution.  Wentworth-Ping scored Choate’s only goal in the period while the home team added three.  The score was knotted 9-9 going into the final period.  Navin moved back into cage and Carey Turnquest ’03, with 9 saves in the first three periods, switch to play some field.  Though he is unaccustomed to the field, Turnquest was happy to help give the boys a break.  Deerfield moved ahead but Choate answered on a goal by Perry Bullock ’04.  Again Deerfield took the lead, but this time it was Turnquest’s chance and a long, arcing shot to the back corner tied the game again, this time at 11-11.  Guernsey struck again for Choate to give the Boars back the lead.  Deerfield took a time out to try to put something together, but Choate got the ball back and Wentworth-Ping fired in a beauty to give the visitors a two-goal lead with less than 50 seconds left.  With 16seconds on the clock, Alex was kicked out and Deerfield, not yet defeated, converted with 10 seconds left.  David Guernsey was in the right place at the right time to flip a hail Mary shot falling short into the back of the cage with 1 second left.  Choate came away from the thrilling game with a 14-12 advantage.  Navin had four saves in the final period for a strong showing.  Alex Wentworth-Ping’s 7-goal game was truly impressive.

10/6/01  Andover at PAA Choate16, Andover 4
                  Although Choate had a strong season last year and won both games with Andover, neither win came easily.  With that in mind, the Boars were wary as they traveled to Andover today.  In addition, the home team has a new coach, which always makes things unusual.  The long bus ride was also a concern for the visitors, but they got there in plenty of time to watch the end of a girl’s game and get in a good warm up.  Then, they went to work.  In one of the best games the team has played in recent memory, they were really clicking together.  It was truly a team effort from the start.  Co-captain Owen Dailey ’02 got things going for the Boars early in the first.  The teams worked back and forth for the next couple of minutes before Andover tied the score.  Brett Marinelli ’03 answered back with two and the Boars never looked back to give the visitors a 3-1 lead at the end of the first.  Andover scored two to tie things up by a couple of minutes into the second but Choate never felt that they had lost control.   Co-Captain Brian Medlin ‘02, in his first game back since his sophomore year, scored 11 seconds after Andover tied it up and the Boars never looked back.  Perry Bullock ‘04 added another 19 seconds later.  David Guernsey ’05 capitalized on an ejection seconds later.  Marinelli scored again after that.  In a minute and 30 seconds, Choate had extended to a 4-goal lead.  In the final minute or so, Monk Rausch ’04 got on the board and Marinelli added another to end the first half with a 9-3 lead.   At 18 seconds into the third, Andover scored what would turn out to be their final goal of the game.  They would take only seven shots in the second half as Choate’s defense clamped down.  Choate moved to a more controlled offense in the second half where Bullock and Dailey would each add two more, Marinelli tallied his fifth of the game, Monk scored again and Jamie Lamere ’02 would “vipe” one as well. Eric Bostard played well in cage with 6 saves.  The final score favored the Boars 16-4.  The highlight of the game was the return of Brian Medlin to the line up!

10/06/01  Andover JV at PAA  Choate JV 10, Andover JV 12
                  Neither Choate nor Andover is fielding a full JV squad this year, so this game was more of a battle of the less experienced varsity players with some novice players, all gaining experience.  Choate’s young group (only third and fourth formers with the exception of the keeper) faced an older group from Andover.  Andover used superior speed early to take a commanding lead.  After falling behind 0-4, Claude Giampietro ’04 and Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 each added a goal to keep things respectable.  Again in the second period, Andover scored four unanswered goals before Monk Rausch ’04 added two in the final minute and Choate trailed 4-8 at the half.  In the second half, the young Boars were starting to play together better.  David Guernsey ’05 scored and Wentworth-Ping added two more to bring the Boars back into the game.  Andover responded with two of their own, though, and held a 10-7 lead at the end of the third.  After another Andover score in the fourth, Guernsey netted again for Choate.  Andover added one more with three minutes remaining.  Perry Bullock ’04 added two in the final 30 seconds to wrap things up.  The Boars were outplayed, though, and dropped the game in a 10-12 final.  Carey Turnquest had some fine saves in cages though, with 7 on the day.  The first loss for the younger Boars was a learning experience and should help them better perform for the games to come.  A good effort was made by all, and that’s what counts.

10/10/01:  NMH at CRH  Choate 21, NMH 6
                  Northfield Mount Hermon is having one of its better seasons in recent memory and the Boars were geared up for whatever they might bring on Wednesday.  Unfortunately for NMH that was a lot to bring.  Choate went out to take control from the start and took the lead 11 seconds into the game on a score by Brett Marinelli ’03.  Monk Rausch ’04 followed by capitalizing on a man up and Marinelli scored again.  NMH took a timeout to regroup but to no avail.  Marinelli would score two more times and Rausch added another to give the Boars a 6-0 lead at the end of the first.  Marinelli kept going in the second, waiting only 15 seconds to mark again.  Jamie Lamere ’02 followed to extend the lead to 8-0.  NMH finally got on the board at 4:43 in the second, but Choate continued to dominate.  Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 scored three times in the next three minutes and Marinelli added his 5th of the game to establish a 12-1 at the half.  Choate continued to rotate players in the third and continued to control the game.  Co-Captain Brian Medlin ‘02 started the scoring in the third before NMH was finally able to take advantage of some mismatches with less experienced players and put in two.  Medlin scored again and Rausch added another to extend the lead to 15-3.  NMH did finish up the scoring for the third though with two more goals.  The third ended with the score 15-5.  Continuing to work and looking for mismatches against Choate’s younger players, NMH added another early in the fourth, but that would be it for them.  Dailey added two more, one with a fine assist from Kevin “Hawk” Hawkins ’05.  With many of the more senior players out, Choate’s efforts fell to younger players.  David Guernsey ’05 played beautifully and dropped in three and Alex “Ping” Wentworth-Ping ’04 added another to wrap things up for the game.  It was a strong team effort for the Boars.  Eric Bostard ’05 played well in both cage (for 2 periods) and field, though he saw only 7 shots in the first half.  Carey Turnquest ’03 stepped in and played well in the second half.  It was a good day for the Boars who are looking forward to the Wilton Tourney this weekend.  Next week will be a big week with games against Loomis (Tuesday) and Hotchkiss (Parents’ Weekend on Saturday).

10/13/01:  CRH v. Lawrenceville at Wilton Y Tournament  Choate 8, Lawrenceville  5
                  Choate was a disappointing #4 seed in this year’s Wilton Tourney but they came ready to play.  In the first round they faced Lawrenceville, the #5 seed, a team eager to give a good account of themselves after being shut out by the Boars earlier in the season in Wallingford.  The all-deep tank and the Eastern officials offered some additional challenges for Choate to adapt to.  Lawrenceville got on the board early in the game to take the 1-0 lead.  Choate battled back but struggled in shooting and was unable to convert.  The teams traded efforts but to no avail.  Then came the first of many Choate kick outs.  The Team defended themselves successfully, though, and the period ended 1-0 in favor of the Big Red.  The teams worked back and forth in the second and Aaron Smith ’02 was awarded his third ejection.  The loss was big for the Boars, but they had to fight on.  Brett Marinelli ’03 finally got the Boars on the board with 3:36 left.  Lawrenceville responded seconds later, capitalizing on Smith’s third ejection.  Marinelli was ejected with 30 seconds left and Lawrenceville again capitalized.  The half closed with Choate still trailing 1-3.  The third was all up and down the pool with little effect for the first part of the period.  Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 was ejected but the team defended successfully.  Things could have looked bleak when Lawrenceville tallied again with 2:35 left to go ahead 4-1.  The Boars are a tough team, though, and weren’t out of it.  Co-Captain Brian Medlin ’02 responded in 11 seconds and again a minute later.  Perry Bullock ’04 added another and Choate had tied the score in less than two minutes.  The tired teams were locked at a 4-4 tie going into the final period.  Lawrenceville capitalized on an opportunity and regained the lead.  Choate never flinched though.  Omar Itum ’02 tied less than a minute later.  After that, Dailey added one to put the Boars back into the driver’s seat.  Monk Rausch ’04 added two beautiful shots in the final 50 seconds to move Choate decisively ahead 8-5.  The good showing moved the Boars into the semi-finals against #1 seeded Greenwich HS early Sunday morning.  The team has built confidence and if they can figure out what the officials are looking for, they should be well suited for the later tourney rounds.

10/14/01:  CRH v. Greenwich HS at Wilton Y Tournament  Greenwich 15, Choate 5
                  Choate’s first round defeat of #5 seed Lawrenceville moved the Boars along the tough road to the Championship as they faced the #1 seed Greenwich HS.   Greenwich brought a strong team with a clear plan to win this tournament.  Choate was focused on adapting to the officials calls and had worked on ways to better respond to the way these games were being called.  Unfortunately for the Boars, things would get worse before they would get better.  Even before the game, one of the two officials signaled to members of the team that he was ready to call a lot of kick outs.  The game started off well.  At just over a minute into the first, Co-captain Owen Dailey ’02 got Choate on the board first and the Boars held a 1-0 lead.  That held up for less than a minute though before Greenwich drew a foul on Dailey and converted the man up opportunity.  The game remained knotted with good play at both ends by both teams for about the next 3 1/2 minutes.  With 39 seconds remaining, Greenwich scored again, to take the lead.  Still intent on winning, Monk Rausch ’04 answered back with a beautiful shot a mere 14 seconds later.  Choate went into defense, but slipped.  Greenwich regained a one-goal lead with 7 seconds left and closed the period ahead 3-2.  Greenwich scored early in the second to extend the lead but Rausch answered back to keep the Boars within one.  Then it all went south.  Monk Rausch, while apparently properly defending a shooter from behind was called for a major and a 4-m was awarded.  A minute later, Rausch was caught behind a fast driving player and did foul him, which resulted in another 4 meter.  Greenwich earned a natural goal to end the half with a sudden 7-3 lead.  Choate was not discouraged and came out to play but the officials saw them as doing everything wrong.  Dailey was ejected and Greenwich converted.  Omar Itum ’02, apparently playing the ball clean from behind when the shooter picked it up, was called for the major and the 4m was awarded.  Perry Bullock was ejected twice and Greenwich converted one of the opportunities.  In the mix Greenwich had scored only their second natural goal in two periods but they were now leading 11-3.  In the fourth, the Boars were playing for honor.  The officiating that they were seeing was unusual and they continued to try to respond.  They played even with Greenwich for the first half of the period, even defending yet another ejection.  With 2:40 left, Aaron Smith ’02 was ejected and Greenwich converted.  Choate took a time out.  Almost as a statement of defiance, Brett Marinelli ’03 netted one for the Boars from the offensive set.  Greenwich answered but Choate didn’t give up.  Co-Captain Brian Medlin ’02 scored again for Choate before Greenwich finished things off.  It was certainly a frustrating game but the team played hard and well.  Eric Bostard ‘02 had a sound game in cage for three periods and Carey Turnquest ’03 filled in admirably late in the game.  It is notable that they had adjusted from the game the night before.  The kick outs called during this game were of a different form from the ones called the night before.  Nevertheless defending 14 major fouls to the opponents 1 in two games was a challenge that would fluster any team.  Still, the team is a good one and dedicated and went into the final game of the tourney with high expectations.

10/14/01:  CRH v. Wilton A at Wilton Y Tournament  Wilton A 9, Choate 7
                  In a rematch of last year’s Wilton Shootout final, Choate faced the Wilton A squad this time in a battle for third place.  Wilton entered the tournament seeded #2 but lost to the Hill School in the semifinals.  Choate entered seeded fourth.  The teams were well matched and spent much of the game working evenly against each other.  Wilton scored first.  Choate drew only it’s second ejection in three games and converted to tie the score on a goal by Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02.  Dailey added another 30 seconds later to move Choate ahead.  All seemed stable until the final 30 seconds of the period.  Wilton scored to tie the score at 2.  Dailey answered with 15 seconds remaining to regain the lead.  Wilton responded and netted again with only 5 seconds left.  Dailey, on an absolute tear, put in his fourth of the period with 1-second left to give Choate the lead at the end of the first 4-3.  Wilton capitalized on a Choate ejection early in the second and scored again seconds later to take their first lead of the game.  Choate drew an ejection and Dailey evened the score, having accounted for all of Choate’s five goals.  Another Choate ejection allowed Wilton yet another opportunity, which they took. Wilton had things going now and the ease of playing at home started to show, as a tired Choate squad had to really push through.  Monk Rausch ’04 got the Boars back on the board as the second wound down, but Choate trailed 6-8. In the third neither team was able to generate much offense.  In the fourth both teams continued to work against each other effectively.  Wilton added one more before Omar Itum ’02 finished the weekend’s scoring.  Eric Bostard ’02 had a fine outing with 14 saves.  Choate came up on the losing end 7-9 and finished the tournament holding seed at 4th. 

10/16/01:  Loomis Chaffee at LC  Loomis 7, Choate 6
                  Choate didn’t show up to Loomis on Tuesday with their full game.  There are many reasons why the team might not have been “on” for the game, but Loomis sure was.  The Pelicans were fired up and, with aggressive fan support, eager to go.  It showed in their play.  The teams got the sense of each other early.  Choate successfully defended and early kick out but Loomis came back.  The Pelicans scored three goals in three minutes (one on a man-up) and another 1:30 later to move to a commanding 4-0 lead.  Choate would come back but never fully recover in this game from those early lapses.  Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 did respond seconds after Loomis’ 4th goal to get the Boars on the board, but Choate trailed 1-4 at the end of the first.  In the second, things settled down.  Choate regained control of the pool with goals by Jamie Lamere ’02 and Monk Rausch ’04 and drawing two ejections.  Despite being in control, they were unable to generate an offense; often blowing the pass and letting the Pelicans bring it back down pool.  The half closed with Choate trailing 3-4.  The third saw little offense.  Loomis was unable to capitalize on two Choate ejections and the Boars let many opportunities slip away.  In retrospect, this is where the game was really lost.  Still down 3-4 in the fourth, Choate successfully killed two more man up opportunities by the Pelicans before Loomis managed to put in two quick goals and extend their lead to 6-3.  Choate was not giving up, though.  Dailey came back and scored for Choate.  Loomis responded, though, to put the Boars back down by three.  With a minute left, an ejected Loomis player stayed in to defend and drew the 4-m for the Boars.  Dailey converted that to close the gap to two.  Choate held Loomis at the other end and Rausch converted to bring the Boars within one.  Choate got the ball back on a stalling call but miscued on the pass and the Pelicans held on to win.  Choate is eagerly awaiting the rematch on Halloween at the Larry Hart Pool.

10/20/01: Hotchkiss at CRH    Choate 10, Hotchkiss 6
                  Hotchkiss has been a strong team all season and scores have shown similar games against mutual opponents so Choate was ready for a battle at the Hart Pool on Parents’ Weekend.  The early game showed that both teams had a lot of energy and were pushing to the cage.  Defense ruled the early game, though.  Choate killed Co-Captain Owen Dailey’s ‘02 ejection early but didn’t muster much offense.  With less than two minutes remaining, Perry Bullock ’04 put Choate on the board with a beautiful outside shot.  Choate defended another ejection with a minute and a half left before getting things going again.  Jamie Lamere ’02 tallied another for the Boars to take a 2-0 lead into the end of the first.  The second period showed a bit more energy and success.  Brett Marinelli ’03 got things going early and Bullock followed close on his heels with his second.  Dailey added one of his own to give Choate a commanding 5-0 lead in the hotly contested game.  Hotchkiss tallied one of their own as the half wound down but Choate still held a 5-1 lead.  Hotchkiss found some new energy and scored early in the third to narrow the gap to 5-2.  Both teams went flat after that, though, and neither was able to get anything consistent going.  Dailey tallied again in the final seconds to extend the lead to 6-2 at the end of the third.  Hotchkiss was able to capitalize on another of Choate’s many ejections early in the 4th to move back within three, but that was the closest they would get.  Lamere and Dailey each added another with 20 seconds to move to an 8-3 lead.  Hotchkiss responded but Monk Rausch ’04 got it right back with a beautiful shot.  Hotchkiss scored again with 1:22 remaining but things weren’t done.  Lamere capped an excellent outing with his third of the day to extend the Boar lead to 10-5.  Hotchkiss put in the final goal, though, and lost by only 4, 6-10.  Eric Bostard played well with 9 saves.

10/20/01: Hotchkiss JV at CRH  Choate J.V. 4, Hotchkiss J.V. 3
                  Choate has always managed a sound JV squad and the games with Hotchkiss’ perennially strong group have always been battles.  This year was no different.  Choate’s squad is small in number but big in heart.  A couple of the third and fourth formers who see varsity game time come down to help rest their less experienced teammates and Hotchkiss did likewise today.  The two squads faced off with dedication and drive and the game was one for all to be proud of.  Hotchkiss scored first midway through the opening period while Choate was still getting its act together.  The young Boars responded quickly, though and tied the game at 1 on a goal by Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04.  Claude Giampietro ’04 followed a minute later and gave Choate the lead going into the period break.  Hotchkiss tied it up early in the second but little offense developed out of the hard efforts up and down the pool through the rest of the half.  At halftime the teams were knotted at 2-2.  A goal by third former David Guernsey ’05 broke the ice in a third that was all Boars and Wentworth-Ping scored again in the final seconds to give Choate a 4-2 lead going into the final period.  The teams fought hard throughout and Hotchkiss made some late runs but only managed one more goal, in the final minute, and Choate walked away a 4-3 victor.  Carey Turnquest ’03 and Richard Navin ’04 split time in cage and made a strong showing with 7 saves between them.

10/24/01: Williston at CRH  Choate 10, Williston 4
                  Choate had faced Williston in Easthampton early in the season and had played strong against last year’s third place finisher at the NE championships.  While Choate was clearly in control from start to finish, the home team was flat today and struggled to execute on offense.  The defense held well, frustrating Williston’s eager shooters.  Choate started off OK, missing some good opportunities but controlling the pool enough to move to a 3-0 lead in less than3 minutes on goals by Jamie Lamere ’02, Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 and Brett Marinelli ’03.  Williston did capitalize on an ejection on Aaron Smith ’02 to get on the board, but that ended the scoring for the period and Choate took a 3-1 lead into the break.  Most of the second period was flat for Choate.  While they felt that they were in control of the game, they struggled for the clean shot.  With a minute remaining in the half, Marinelli drew a Williston kick out and converted the opportunity.  28 seconds later he was back down and added another to move Choate to a 5-1 lead at the half.  Williston scored early in the third but Omar Itum answered back, playing doggedly on the Williston keeper to earn the goal.  Dailey added another before Williston got on the board again.  Josh Ho-Walker ’02 added a beautiful outside shot to end the scoring for the period and give Choate the 8-3 lead.  Daily scored early in the fourth and little happened for most of the period following.  Aaron Smith ’02 got Choate’s final goal of the game with 1:40 remaining before Choate gave up one last goal on a penalty shot.  The game ended 10-4.  Despite the solid win, the Boars are looking to get their game spiced up again before Saturday’s match up with NMH and the vital game next Wednesday against Loomis Chaffee.  The highlight of the day was certainly the impressive All-Time list showing by Choate’s keeper Eric Bostard ‘02 with 18 saves.  Play was not over though.
                  Given the small size of the JV squad’s on both teams, Williston had requested to play one additional quarter to get some time for the less experienced players on both teams.  Choate defended the deep end, which gave them the challenging job of shooting shallow on Williston’s varsity keeper for most of the period.  In spite of this, they made an excellent showing.  Two goals by Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 early gave the Boars a 2-0 lead.  Williston responded though and took advantage of superior speed and the chance to shoot deep to answer back with two of their own.  As the game wound down, Williston managed a nice break and went ahead for the first time with 15 seconds remaining and held on to win the period 3-2.  The Choate younger players made an excellent showing and should be proud of the fine effort that they made.

10/27/01: Northfield Mount Hermon at NMH  Choate 20, NMH 10
                  It was a strange trip for the Boars up into northern Mass. this year.  At the last minute a couple of players recognized the conflict of the early game with the ACT’s and didn’t make the trip.  The school bus that some late travel changes necessitated arrived at the last minute and then missed the exit by a state.  When the Boars finally arrived, minutes before game time, NMH graciously agreed to give them some time to warm up.  Even with that, things were rushed.  Northfield, currently having one of its stronger seasons in years, was all fired up.  They took it to the heavily favored Boars from the start.  Early on, Choate was trying to understand the play as it was being called by the novice referee and, frankly, was failing.  NMH scored first which riled up the partisan crowd.  Unfortunately, a group of NMH students parked themselves behind the Choate bench and only discredited their fine institution with ad hominem attacks directed at coaches and players.  It was a shameful display.  In the water, the teams worked hard at both ends and the official hesitated to exert much needed control.  Brett Marinelli ’03 responded shortly after the Hoggers’ opening tally to get Choate on the board.  The teams continued to trade goals.  Monk Rausch ’04 added one and Marinelli followed to give Choate a brief 3-2 lead.  NMH tied and Marinelli, having a great quarter, put the boars back ahead.  The period closed with 2 more NMH goals in the final minute and the Boars trailed at the break 4-5.  NMH took the energy through the break and came out emotionally to add two more in the first minute of the second to extend the lead to three.  The Boars just kept playing the consistent and skilled game they know.  Marinelli added his fourth goal and Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 slung in a beauty to bring things back close.  The period ended with the Boars down 6-7.  At the break, Choate’s Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 had a conversation with the official to clarify what calls we might expect to get.  The third started with Good energy for Choate.  Wentworth-Ping marked again for Choate to tie the game before NMH responded.  Finally the official started to recognize some of the misplays by the home team and the host coach had the offensive fans removed and things started to look a little more as expected.  Choate converted a man up following a long overdue NMH kick-out fine a fine goal by Omar Itum ’02.  Dailey capitalized on another ejection just a minute later to give Choate back the lead, 9-8.  They would never look back.  Marinelli added another.  NMH tallied once more early in the third before Choate took off.  Itum found the canvas again.  Shortly after that things hit a low point as an NMH player really lost his cool and began punching Itum.  He was ejected for the remainder of the game on a brutality call.  Choate led 11-9 at the end of the third.  NMH made one last gasp early in the fourth, scoring off the swim off to bring them back within one, 10-11.  Choate, with better strength and skills, got fed up and put the thing away without resorting to the sort of physically and psychologically aggressive play that the host team seemed to favor.  Goals in quick succession by Rausch, Joshua Ho-Walker ’02 and Marinelli reasserted dominance.  A stunned NMH squad took a timeout to regain balance but couldn’t.   Dailey, Perry Bulllock ’04, Ho-Walker and Bullock again responded for he visitors.  Choate was playing for control but Dailey drew and converted a 4m in the final minute.  Choate put one more in on a tip in by Marinelli off a perfect set pass by Dailey.  After taking advantage of some interesting house rules in the first half, NMH only managed 4 shots in the third and 2 in the final period. Marinelli's 7 goals on the day earns him a spot on the All-Time list for single game scoring. Nice Job, Brett!  Eric Bostard ’02 played well in cage for the Boars with 9 saves in the first half and 11 for the game.  It was a weird day. Oh, and a message to obnoxious fans: Don’t mess with the Hawk! 
Choate hosts Loomis on Wednesday and looks to avenge a one-goal loss a couple of weeks ago.  More fans would be a great help.  The JV will face Canterbury as well.  Then we will close the regular season hosting Deerfield and Andover on Saturday.  Come on down to the Larry Hart Pool!

10/31/01: Loomis Chaffee at CRH  Choate 7, Loomis 2
                  Just over two weeks ago the Boars traveled to Loomis and were unable to come back after a slow start to the always-challenging Loomis squad.  This was Choate’s chance to avenge that loss, one of only two so far this season in league.  The Boars were ready to go.  Brett Marinelli ’03 got things going for Choate when he scored at just 23 seconds into the game.  A powerful defensive effort helped the Boars control the pool but little offense was generated by either squad.  With 2:26 left, Loomis left Jamie Lamere’02 with a nice opportunity and he converted to give the home team a 2-0 lead.  That is the way the first period would close.  Choate kept coming at them in the second.   Perry Bullock ’04 got on the board early in the second.  Monk Rausch ’04 added another and Co-Captain Owen Dailey capped the scoring for the half by converting the man-up opportunity.  The half closed with Choate ahead 5-0.  The third period saw little progress by either squad, a pattern eerily similar to the game weeks before.  In the fourth, as Choate became a bit more comfortable and rotated some personnel, Loomis was finally able to squeak one in but the play remained subdued until late in the period.  Dailey added another for Choate to extend the lead to 6-1.   In the final minute, Loomis tipped one in before Marinelli responded just seconds later.  The game closed with Choate ahead 7-2 in a convincing win over the highly ranked squad from Windsor.  Eric Bostard ‘02 had another outstanding game and All Time List performance with 18 saves in this big contest.  Also impressive was Choate’s ability to successfully defend all 8 man down opportunities that they faced.  It was a strong showing by the home team as they wind up the season.  The Boars will host Andover and Deerfield on Saturday to close out the regular season.

10/31/01:  Canterbury V at CRH JV  Canterbury 9, Choate JV 8
                  Choate’s JV squad had faced Canterbury early on this season and prevailed convincingly.  For this game, the home team would again look to work on a fired up varsity squad from Canterbury.  Though each player on Choate’s squad spotted his opponent something in the range of 20 to 60 pounds, the younger Boars were not intimidated.  Canterbury scored first early in the game but Choate’s Ean Saberski ’04 answered right back by capitalizing on a man up opportunity.  Canterbury rallied again but Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 responded to another man up to tie the score at 2 as the first came to a close.  David Guernsey ’05 gave Choate its first lead 2 minutes into the second period.  This was quickly followed by three goals by Wentworth-Ping to move the Boars ahead 6-2.  Canterbury responded with two quick goals as Choate became a bit complacent and the half closed with Choate in the lead 6-4.  Wentworth-Ping added another  late in the third and Canterbury answered.  The period was slow at both ends but the Boars still held a 7-5 lead.  Liam Ohlmann ’05 tallied early in the fourth for Choate to extend the lead to 8-5.  From then on, though, Choate would be plagued by a series of offensive miscues and defensive lapses in coverage.  Canterbury put in 4 unanswered fast break goals including one at the buzzer to take a dramatic win from the home JV squad.  Choate played well and together though and should be proud of a fine effort.  Carey Turnquest ’03 had 8 saves in the first half and Richard Navin ‘04 had 9 in the second half for a fine goal keeping showing.  It was a fine finish to a great season for the younger squad.

11/3/01: Andover at CRH  Choate 6, Andover 3
                  Choate began the last day of their regular season at home against Andover.  Andover has played near the middle of the league this year but Choate was well in control when the two teams squared off earlier this year in Massachusetts.  They were in control again today as well.  Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 got Choate on the board in the first possession with a beautiful outside shot.  Andover was looking for an upset to boost their standings heading into the New England Championships next week and answered back quickly to tie the score.  Dailey hit the canvas with another beauty only 15 seconds later to put the home team in the lead for good.  Perry Bullock ’04 put one in for Choate and Monk Rausch ’04 made the most of the first ejection of the game to give Choate the 4-1 lead at the end of the first.  The second saw a heavy defensive effort at both ends of the pool.  Choate’s defense was dominant, stealing the ball and constantly turning it back.  They were unable to accomplish much for it, though, as the offense let some fine opportunities slip away.  Choate killed two man down situations and drew an ejection on Andover in the final seconds of the half.  After missing a good opportunity, Brett Marinelli ’03 got one for Choate to move the Boars to a 5-1 lead at the half.  The second half was all defense.  Andover did score on a man-up opportunity and Choate failed to capitalize on a couple of opportunities.  The home team continued to lead 5-2 at the end of the third.  In the final period, Dailey capitalized on another ejection and scored Choate’s 6th and his third.  Late in the period Andover was able to score their only natural goal of the game to wind things up with Choate on top by a score of 6-3.  Defense was the story as Choate allowed Andover only 9 shots in the game and only 2 in the second half.   That kept Keeper Eric Bostard’s ‘02 save total down to 5.  It was a good team effort by the Boars who prepared for their final game of the season an hour later against traditional rival Deerfield.

11/3/01: Deerfield at CRH Choate 10, Deerfield 4
                  Deerfield has had a frustrating season this year and came into the final weekend of the regular season looking for some momentum heading into the New England Championships next Saturday.  Unfortunately it was not to materialize.  This game, much as the earlier one against Andover, was all about defense.  Deerfield got only one shot off in the first period.  Choate only got off three as they struggled to transition from defense to offense.  Brett Marinelli ’03 converted one of them to give Choate a slim 1-0 lead at the end of the first.  Choate was looking for more though as they started the second.  Choate killed an early ejection and then got the offense rolling.  Omar Itum ’02 got things going.  Josh Ho-Walker ’02 followed with another.  Itum’s dogged pursuit of the keeper got him another.  Alex Wentworth-Ping ’04 added one more to extend Choate’s lead to 6-0 at the half.  In the third Marinelli scored two more before Deerfield was able to convert a man-up opportunity and get on the board in the final seconds of the third.  Choate led 8-1 at the end of the third.  In the fourth, Itum continue to harass keepers and added another for the Boars.  Deerfield was able to convert another man-up and then scored two more to close to 9-4.  Jamie Lamere ’02 closed out the regular season scoring for the Boars with a powerful goal in the final seconds to wind things up 10-4.  Eric Bostard ‘02 had 5 saves in three periods in part because Deerfield only managed 9 shots.  Carey Turnquest ’03 had two saves and played a fine period in the fourth.  Choate wrapped up the regular season with a 12-2 season record (25-3 over the last two years).  The team will spend this week getting prepared for the New England Championship Final 8 Tournament next week at Exeter.

11/10/01:  Williston at Final 8’s  Choate 15, Williston 6
                  For the second straight year Choate entered the tournament as a solid #2 seed.   The draw this year pitted them against a feisty team from the Williston Northampton School that Choate had defeated twice in the regular season.  The tournament is different, however, and Williston was conceding nothing.  Choate got on the board early with a nice outside shot by Monk Rausch ‘04.  Williston answered back and the game held in a 1-1 tie through much of the period.  Choate was in control but struggled to get everything going and missed some solid opportunities.  Late in the period Jamie Lamere ’02 added another for the Boars.  When Aaron Smith ’02 was kicked on his second ejection of the game seconds later, Williston took advantage and converted to knot the score at 2-2 at the end of the first.  Choate continued to struggle to get things together efficiently in the first half of the second and Williston took the lead for the first time at 1:48 into the period.  Choate is not a team to panic, but they did respond.  Williston’s lead held for just under 50 seconds before things went south for the boys from Easthampton.  Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 tied the game back up.  Choate took the ball from Williston on the next possession and drew an ejection on former Choate player and Williston standout Tucker Robinson.  Choate converted the opportunity with a nice goal by Perry Bullock ’04 to regain the lead.  Choate stole the ball on the next possession and Brett Marinelli ’03 put it in the net 21 seconds after the last goal.  Choate took the ball back and drew a penalty foul 17 seconds later.  Marinelli converted the opportunity.  Choate took the ball again, drew another kick and this time Dailey converted.  Choate had scored 5 goals in 1:19 and broken the spirit and confidence of the Williston squad.  Choate drew one more ejection in the period and Omar Itum ’02 added one more for the Boars to give them an 8-3 lead at the half.  Williston continued to play hard, though.  They scored at the top of the third before Choate would draw a penalty foul and an ejection and Dailey converted both.  Itum added another for Choate and Williston responded before Dailey scored his third of the period to give Choate a 12-5 lead through the third.  Choate continued to play good team ball through the final period.  Choate drew two more ejections and Lamere and Itum each converted.  Williston put one more in at just under 2 minutes into the period.  Marinelli put in the final goal of the game with 1:23 left and Choate walked away with a strong 15-6 win.  Eric Bostard ’02 played well in goal for the Boars with 11 saves.  Williston’s shot total was down as a result of a strong defensive effort by Choate.

11/10/01:  Loomis Chaffee at Final 8’s  Choate 13, Loomis 12
                  This was a game with history and drama, one of the best games that many have ever seen.  Choate faced an energized, sixth-seeded Loomis squad in the semi-finals at the New Englands in 2000 and came out on fire.  Choate had scored 4 goals in the first 1:12 of that game and sealed the Pelicans fate.  Choate won that 11-4.  Choate paid a heavy graduation toll though and Loomis has played well all year, entering this tournament as a #3 seed.  Choate had gone down four goals in the first regular season contest between the two rivals and fell just short despite trailing by three goals in the final minute.  In the second regular season meeting, it was Choate in the driver’s seat from start to finish, winning 7-2.  The stage was set for a battle.
                  Loomis was strong at the opening and Choate was playing well but misfiring too often.  The team from Wallingford missed passes and shots that should have been routine and didn’t see opportunities that came up in time to capitalize.  The teams played back and forth and Choate killed its first man-down successfully.  Then they slipped.  Loomis scored three goals in less than a minute to take a decisive lead.  Aaron Smith ’02 converted a man up late in the period but Choate trailed 1-3 at the end of the first.  Loomis drew an ejection on Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 early in the second and converted.  They added another goal just 30 seconds later.  A minute and a half later they drew another ejection and, again, converted.  They now led 6-1 with less than two minutes remaining and Choate was in foul trouble.  A large and energized group of Loomis fans and the Deerfield squad, at this point eliminated from tournament play, joined together for a rousing cheering section that focused more on beating Choate than supporting Loomis.  It was “BEAT CHOATE!” that rang though the Exeter Pool.  Dailey responded 11 seconds later an, in the final seconds, Choate drew an ejection and Perry Bullock ’04 converted.  The Boars still trailed 3-6 at the half.  Loomis extended the lead early in the third to 7-3.  Choate was able to draw an ejection at a minute into the period and got riled up.  Brett Marinelli ’03 converted the ejection.  Choate took the ball back on the next possession and Dailey scored.  Choate got the ball back again and Jamie Lamere ’02 added one.  Choate had closed the gap to 1 goal in 43 seconds.  The Loomis crowd quieted a bit and the Choate fans chimed in for the Boars.  In the remaining two minutes Loomis added two goals and Choate responded to each with Lamere and Monk Rausch ’04 each putting the ball in.  Choate now trailed by one heading into the final period.  Again, Loomis scored first.  A third ejection on Aaron Smith put him on the bench for the rest of the game and Loomis converted.  Marinelli converted Choate’s own drawn ejection.  Dailey was called for his third and was lost for the game with one minute left and Choate down by 2.  Loomis converted the man up to take a three-goal lead and began preparing for the finals.  Not just yet, though. 
With 52 seconds left and down by 3 goals Choate was not giving up.  Choate took the ball and Marinelli scored three seconds later.  Choate stole the ball on Loomis’ possession following the goal and Itum scored.  Choate was now down by only one but Loomis had the ball and just 35 seconds, one shot clock, to kill.  Choate stole the ball.  Loomis fouled.  The Choate squad found Marinelli center cage and Choate tied the game. Regulation closed with a 12-12 tie in an amazingly dramatic comeback.  This led to two 2-minute overtime periods to be followed by sudden death periods if needed.  Choate was down two starters but had the momentum.  In the first overtime period, both teams made an effort but to little avail.  In the second, they continued to play hard.  About half way through the period, Choate drew an ejection and a controlled and patient Choate squad found the shot.  Monk Rausch ’04 placed the ball beautifully to give Choate its first lead of the game.  Loomis got the ball back and drew an ejection of its own.  Their man-up fizzled, though and Choate got the ball back.  Choate moved to advance the ball but was cautious, a bit too cautious.  A pass back across mid-pool to a player hanging back gave Loomis one more chance on the stalling call.  Loomis had 14 seconds but the Choate Defense rose to the occasion.  Choate won 13-12 in an astonishing game.  Eric Bostard ’02 was a hero in the game with remarkably cool play and 15 saves against a strong Loomis squad.  Loomis went on to defeat Hotchkiss and take third place in the tournament.
Many neutral fans, coaches and parents recalled this as the best comeback they had ever seen.  Truly, Choate had been counted out on at least four occasions.  This was a game that was all about heart and Choate’s dedication and effort reflect well on the strong team.  Go Choate!

11/10/01:  Exeter at Final 8’s  Exeter 16, Choate 1
                  As in last season, Choate had fought its way through for the right to meet Exeter in the finals.  Exeter, unbeaten in league play in at least the last five years, was a powerful opponent with longer rest and the home pool advantage coming into the game.  Choate doesn’t quit, though, and doesn’t back down from a challenge.  The Boars came out to play.  They held the powerful Exeter squad well through the first period.  Choate gave up a penalty shot at 3:30 into the third period and one more game in the first.  It is notable that Choate was able to kill two man-up opportunities for Exeter in the first and Eric Bostard ’02 was playing beautifully.  Choate trailed 2-0 at the end of the first.  That was when Exeter’s size and experience came into play.  They stole the ball and scored twice in the first minute.  Choate was able to kill a couple of more ejections but playing man down to Exeter is no way to win.  Exeter continued o be able to steal the ball and convert and led 8-0 at the half.  Choate needed to get back on offense but still try to defend the Exeter captains who both played the whole game and combined for 13 of Exeter’s 16 total goals.  Choate couldn’t.   Co-Captain Owen Dailey ’02 was called for his third major foul early in the third and was lost for the rest of the game.  Experienced defender Aaron Smith ’02 was called for two in the third and, likewise, was out.  Exeter’s experience, led by their strong captains Grady Snyder and Mike McLean pounded Bostard on breakaway shooting.  Choate trailed 12-0 at the end of the third.  Omar Itum ‘02 got Choate’s only offensive highlight of the day41 seconds into the fourth with a nice goal to get Choate on the board.   Snyder and McLean each added two more, though, and Exeter won 16-1.  Choate played well to be there and, while it stings to lose in the finals like that, showed character in playing well through the game.  They had a great season and made a fine showing throughout the tournament.