The Black and White

by Sophie Henner

As they approached the end of their season, the Pilgrim Boys Hockey Team held their annual Senior Night on Saturday, February 7th at Thayer Arena. They faced the rival team of North Haven, Connecticut. Before the game began, the team hosted their Senior Night ceremony, where friends and family were invited to watch the procession. Each senior on the team was called out individually, followed by their plans for the future, and their favorite memory among years of hockey. The players were then escorted across the ice by members of their family, and loved ones they invited to join them.

After the ceremony was complete, the competition kicked off. At first, the game started out pretty slow, the first two periods being uneventful for the Pilgrim Patriots. North Haven landed a goal in the middle of the first period, making the score 0-1, then again at the end of the second period, leading the game into 0-2 at half time. However, after half time, Pilgrim was able to bounce back into the game. Chase DeGregorio and Declan Bragg scored two goals before the end of the last period, tying the score at 2-2 and sending the game into overtime. Five minutes was then placed on the clock, allowing whichever team that secured a goal first to win the entire match. However, the competition was extremely high between these two teams and neither one was able to score before the end of the five minutes. This caused the game to become a shootout in order to determine the winner. One player from each team was selected at a time to take on the opposing goalie individually, each trying to score a point for their team. These four chosen Pilgrim players participating included senior captains Jackson Bromage and Jackson Monte, as well as Chase DeGregorio and Declan Bragg. In the end, the amount of points earned by each team during this shootout were equal, ending the game with a tied score of 2-2. 

Later in the season, the Pilgrim boy’s hockey team made their way into the playoffs where they competed three times against Prout, making up until the semifinals against Hendricken where their season unfortunately ended. 2026 was an incredible year for Pilgrim hockey, especially for the seniors–leaving them with a tough goodbye, but in vast hopes for seasons to come.