The new year definitely began on a high note for the girls varsity basketball and boys varsity hockey teams, both of whom took home trophies during Winter Recess. 

Girls basketball, which is led by head coach Billy O’Dwyer ’02, won the Pingree School Holiday Tournament while boys hockey, which is led by head coach David Hymovitz ’92, won the Edward G. Watkins Invitational Tournament at Cushing Academy. 

The girls hoops team began their holiday tournament with a 70-29 victory over Hopkins School. They then defeated Winsor School by a score of 57-36 before taking on host Pingree in the championship game. There the Tigers earned a 47-37 victory. 

“I thought the girls rose to the occasion, especially during our last game against Pingree,” said O’Dwyer, who noted that the team had only seven healthy players for that contest and was playing its second game of the day. 

The Tigers were down in the third quarter, O'Dwyer said, but hit some timely jump shots to take the lead and then made some clutch free throws to keep it. Cassidy Mullin ’26 was named tournament MVP, and Abigail Burrell ’27 was selected to the all-tournament team. 

“The girls should be very proud of what they accomplished during that tournament,” O’Dwyer said. 

Roughly 75 miles to the west, boys hockey was also taking care of business. Thayer started tournament play by skating to a 3-3 tie with Dexter Southfield, a top-ranked team per the New England Hockey Journal, and then winning in a shootout. The Tigers next defeated Governor’s Academy by a score of 2-1 before earning a 3-0 victory over Lawrence Academy in the championship game. In addition to his shutout performance in the final, goalie Tyler Moschella ’26 compiled 51 saves in the game against Dexter Southfield. The senior’s performance between the pipes earned him tournament MVP honors while teammates Ty Hymovitz ’27, Brian McFadden ’27, and Cooper Shea ’26 made the all-tournament team. 

“I’m very proud of our team for winning this year’s E.G. Watkins Tournament, one of the premier prep school holiday tournaments,” said Hymovitz. “I enjoyed watching our guys come together as a group, compete hard, and step up to get the job done. It’s fun to see them rewarded for all the hard work they’ve put in.” 

Hymovitz added that the team will look to use the tournament championship as a springboard for continued success throughout the rest of the season.

Thayer Academy is a proud member of the Independent School League (ISL). See all upcoming games, matches, and meets for Thayer teams in the Athletics section of its website.