Ed Allen Cup Goes to Gunn

Millbrook’s girls varsity hockey team hosted Frederick Gunn for the annual Ed Allen Cup game on Wednesday at Bontecou Rink. The Mustangs fought hard on their home ice, but Gunn pulled out a 4–1 victory to take home the cup.

Each year the two rivals face off in honor of Ed Allen, former Millbrook School athletic director and girls hockey coach whose life was tragically cut short in 2015. Allen’s oldest and youngest daughters dropped the puck to start the game.

The Mustangs started off strong, controlling the puck well and taking the lead on a Piper Smith '25 goal with 12:47 left in the first period. But after Smith nearly scored again on a slapshot later in the period, momentum began shifting Frederick Gunn’s way.

The visitors broke through on a power-play goal at 12:29 in the second period. They found the back of the net again at 8:09 in the second and added two more scores in the third period to seal their win over the Mustangs.

While they didn’t their desired result, Millbrook found inspiration in the special game that will serve them well going forward:

“In our pre-game talk, I put a big emphasis on Coach Ed Allen's ‘athletic nirvana,’ where everyone is working together toward a common goal,” Millbrook Girls Varsity Hockey Head Coach Erica (Shapey) Freymann said on Thursday. “The heart the girls showed yesterday was truly indicative of our team culture and what we are working toward together this season and beyond.”

After the game, Millbrook Head of School Jonathan Downs ’98 stepped onto the ice to address both teams, offering some background on Allen and the rivalry:

 “Ed Allen was an incredible athletic director at Millbrook School and the girls ice hockey coach,” he explained. “The rivalry began when we played you in the New England finals—I think it was 2012. We lost to you in the New England finals, and I’ll never forget the game. We hit three posts and the crossbar. It was just an awesome battle.”

As Downs handed over the Ed Allen Cup, a bronze trophy in the shape of Allen’s signature baseball cap, he congratulated both teams for their effort in the latest iteration of the rivalry. “As I think you know, competition breeds excellence,” he said. “… Great game today. Great battle by both teams.”

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