NASHUA – Pembroke Academy hockey coach Marc Noel likens the process of resurrecting a program to building blocks, establishing the first piece before you can stack the next. Earning the right to play Souhegan of Amherst in a Division III quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 3, was Pembroke’s first piece. The next block will have to wait.

In a season that exceeded their senior captain’s own expectations, the sixth-seeded Spartans did what most of the league expected them to, dropping a 6-3 decision to Souhegan on Saturday, March 3, at Conway Arena.

Pembroke scored early – it took a 1-0 lead – and late – it cut a 5-1 deficit to 5-3 with 11:15 to play in the third period – but it was not enough to upset No. 3 Souhegan, which, behind a combined seven points from Mike and Paul Caso, muscled its way into a semifinal date with No. 2 Kennett on Wednesday, March 7.

The Spartans walked away knowing they did many things well in their first playoff appearance, specifically outshooting the Sabers, 28-26, and playing with a physical flair that at times put the game in their control. They also know there are some things they could have avoided, particularly five penalties and the resulting two power play scores. But in reshaping a young team into a contender, it’s the journey, not the destination, that often plays the most impor tant role, and, with a program-best 9-8-1 record during the regular season, the Spartans certainly enjoyed the ride this year.

“Last year, when Coach Noel took over, he told us it would take three years to make it to the finals and step one was this year,” said senior captain Tyler Rumfelt, who added Pembroke achieved as much as he hoped for and more than he anticipated. “Coming off a rebuilding year and (making) it this far for the first time ever for Pembroke hockey, it’s huge. It’s a huge step.”

Rumfelt, the team’s leading scorer with 38 points, added one final goal to his career totals, an unassisted score late in the third period on Saturday, but any momentum that tally created shifted right back to the Souhegan bench 22 seconds later when Souhegan scored.

Junior Jordan MacRae and sophomore J.R. Jarnigan both potted goals as well, with Jarnigan’s being the first-period score that gave Pembroke its short-lived lead.

Those two scorers, along with forwards V.J. Ranfos, a freshman, and Jen Poulin, a sophomore; defensemen Jamison Syphers, a freshman, and Doug Turnbull, a sophomore; and sophomore goalie Zachary Gagnon become the core leading the program in the seasons to come.

The Spartans will certainly miss seniors Rumfelt, Alex Ari, Evan McGarry, Ryan D’Entrement, Steven Putnam and goalie Torin Barker, who made 20 saves on Saturday. Yet, it is seasons like these that prove a program can not only survive the graduation of a particular class, but thrive long after its commencement.

“The goal for this season was to make the playoffs, and we achieved that goal,” Noel said. “Next year, the goal might be a little bit higher.”