The Poly vs. Fieldston hockey game has been a long standing Poly tradition. After the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the game has been reinstated.

“The team and I tried very hard to push to have this historic game back on the schedule not only for us but for the Blue Devils waiting in the stands to see our team take over the rink,” Varsity Hockey Captain Ezra Zizmor said.

Many Poly students, a couple of Fieldston students, and faculty from both sides attended the matchup on February 2 2023 to watch Poly defeat Fieldston in a crushing 13-9 win. Logging goals in this matchup was Sebastian Vitali ‘24, Zizmor ‘23, Beckett Zrihen ‘26, and Wyatt Jung ‘24.    

“This win was huge for us as we saw how far we have come as a team this season and we were pushed into a playoff spot making this win all the more valuable,” said Zizmor. 

Leading into this historic matchup, the team made sure to prepare thoroughly as they searched for revenge after their tough loss to Fieldston earlier in the season. Although Poly has squared up with Fieldston multiple times in the past the reason this particular game was so anticipated in contrast to rest is because this was the first time since 2020 that the game was played at Chelsea Piers with Poly fans in attendance.

“We attempted to approach this game differently by furnishing our skills and making sure to give fieldston the loss they deserved after cheaply beating us earlier in the season. We made sure to be unforgiving and only focus on the main goal of winning,” said Vitali.

The team carried out their usual prep for this game, but the energy surrounding this game was anything but usual. “The energy playing Fieldston always increases the intensity. As we want to push on the Poly spirit and make our school proud in the process,” said Zizmor.

As the team attempted to build from this win and use the momentum to drive the rest of the season, they now had their sights set on winning the NYSAIS championship.

“Although this historic win meant a lot for our team, we need to make sure to stay focused as we set our sights on the playoffs and the tough teams we will have to conquer in order to meet our goal of bringing home the championship,” said Zizmor.

Poly Hockey is beginning to set their sights on what the following season has to offer as they are looking forward to what the incoming talent has to offer and the further development of their young players that will soon become the center pieces of the famed program. 

As Poly Hockey entered the semifinals on February 28 against Xavier, they didn’t come out on top and had an “unfortunate end to the season” as stated on the team’s Instagram page. But, matches like these are what continue to push them forward and help them achieve greatness on the rink as they look forward to next season.