Exeter boys hockey opened the new year with a hard-earned 2–1 victory over Groton School on home ice Wednesday afternoon. Lucas Mesika was the backbone of a strong defensive performance, standing tall in net with 33 saves.

After a scoreless opening period, Exeter broke through early in the second. Off a quick transition, Big Red moved the puck crisply through the neutral zone, and a smooth tic-tac-toe sequence from Cam Fiasconaro to Noah Poinsett-Yoshida found Aidan Craft in stride. Craft finished the play cleanly to give Exeter a 1–0 lead.

Just five minutes later, Exeter doubled its advantage. Poinsett-Yoshida gained possession and worked the puck to Fiasconaro along the boards, who then spotted a streaking Joe Sasso cutting to the net. Sasso lifted a backhand over the Groton goaltender's glove to make it 2–0. Groton managed to pull one back with a goal in the final second of regulation, but Exeter's strong defensive effort sealed the 2–1 win.

Big Red returns to action on Friday, traveling to St. Paul's School for a 6:30 p.m. puck drop.