Victor Payne - Cromwell (Basketball): Payne was named the Shoreline Conference (SLC) Player of the Year and saved his best performances for the conference tournament as the Panthers won a second straight SLC title with a victory over Portland on March 3. In a 68-43 semifinals win over Morgan to reach the conference title game, Payne scored 33 points including an alley-oop dunk off backboard in the first minute of the game to ignite the home crowd at CHS. The junior’s performance in the title win over Portland was even more impressive. After being held to two points in the first half, Payne exploded for 33 points over the final 16 minutes as the Panthers erased a halftime deficit and cruised to a 58-43 victory. Payne and the Panthers now turn their attention to the Division IV state tournament where the earned a No. 1 seed and a first round bye. They will host a second round game tonight (March 9) at CHS, tipping at 6:30 p.m. Cromwell is seeking their first state championship since 2018.
Evan Howard- Canton/Newington (Ice Hockey): Howard had a night to remember, scoring three goals as the Nor’easters co-op—featuring players for Newington, Cromwell, Berlin, Canton, and Manchester—won the CCC South Championship by defeating Conard 5-3 on March 4. It was the second time this season that Howard, a senior from Canton, netted a hat trick. Cole Brandon and Evan Oliver also scored in the title triumph. Cromwell’s Harrison Ranger was instrumental in setting up the goals, dishing out four assists. Heading into the state tournament, the Nor’easters have won 20 of 22 games this winter. Nevaeh Clark - Cromwell (Basketball): Clark scored a career-high 23 points and hauled down 13 rebounds as the Panthers eliminated New Fairfield in the second round of the Class M state tournament on March 3 at CHS. Clark, a senior, was aggressive from the opening tip, making 13 of 14 foul shots and shooting over 50% from the field. The Panthers were playing their second tournament game in three days after knocking off Griswold 75-32 in the opening round behind senior Adela Cecunjanin, who scored 22 points and grabbed a dozen rebounds in only 22 minutes. Matt Ruck - Wethersfield (Ice Hockey): Ruck, a junior goalie, posted his second shutout of the season in a 1-0 victory over Northwest Catholic in the CCC-North semifinals on March 1. Jack Millen scored the game’s only goal with an assist by his brother Sean Millen, advancing the Eagles to the conference championship. In the conference title game, Wethersfield battled Simsbury to three overtime periods before falling 4-3 in triple OT. Despite the loss, sophomore Owen Thulen was outstanding in net for the Eagles, making 47 saves. Jack Millen, Anthony Ruck, and Nick Fretz (first varsity goal) each scored for Wethersfield. Kendall Miller - Newington (Basketball): Miller did a little over everything for the Nor’easters in the team’s 61-20 second round Class LL tournament victory over Ridgefield on March 3. Miller, a sophomore, posted a six-point, nine-rebound, six-assist, six-steal, four-block night to help Newington advance to the quarterfinals. Senior Brianna Gadarowski led the scoring charge, knocking down five 3-pointers to score a game-high 21 points, and sophomore Bella Cucuta added 20 points. To nominate an athlete of the week or with sports-related questions, email joshhowardsports@gmail.com
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East Hampton sophomore Liana Salamone (#5 on the bottom right) celebrates with her teammates after the Bellringers won a fourth straight conference title. Salamone was named the Shoreline Conference Player of the Year prior to the Bellringers defeating Cromwell in the conference title game on Feb. 24.
Last Friday evening was a banner night for East Hampton girls basketball and star sophomore Liana Salamone. Prior to the Bellringers Shoreline Conference (SLC) title bout with Cromwell, Salamone was presented as the SLC Player of the Year. Salamone said she had no idea that she would be selected as the conference’s best player, calling the honor a “surprise.” “It means a lot, I am really grateful. I didn’t expect it,” recalled Salamone, who thought the award might go to Valley Regional senior Abby Bradbury, who Salamone called “a really good, experienced player.” Once the conference championship tipped, Salamone was all business as the Bellringers defeated the Panthers of Cromwell 35-24 to capture a fourth consecutive conference crown. East Hampton used a methodical offense and a smothering defense to limit Cromwell to a season-low in points. Trailing 18-16 at the half, the Bellringers kicked the defensive intensity into an extra gear in the second half, holding Cromwell to a mere six points over the final two quarters. Salamone said the team focused on stopping all-conference players Neveah Clark and Adela Cecunjanin from getting easy looks. East Hampton’s strategy worked as Cromwell’s all-conference duo, which entered the game averaging nearly 25 points per game, combined to score only 12 points. “We all played together and played help defense,” stated Salamone. Salamone outscored the Panthers by herself in the second half, finishing with a game-high 16 points to lead the Bellringers on the offensive end. The win marked the second time in two weeks that East Hampton had dealt Cromwell a loss, also winning 44-37 on Feb. 10. Cromwell had handed East Hampton their only loss of the season on Jan. 3. Since that defeat, the Bellringers haven’t lost a game and now enter the Class M state tournament riding a 17-game winning streak. Salamone said the wins over Cromwell always mean a little more, adding this one was extra special because it was for all the conference marbles. It also allowed the Bellringers to retain conference bragging rights for another season. East Hampton’s four straight conference championships matches Cromwell’s four straight SLC titles they won from 2016-2019. So what makes the girls’ program at East Hampton so special? “We are all so close to each other and it’s to the point where we aren’t doing it for ourselves, we are doing it for everyone on the team,” answered Salamone, who said the team wanted to keep the conference streak going for the team’s two seniors Jordan Murphy and Mikeala Rich. “We wanted to win this for them, we didn’t want them to go out on a loss and we wanted to get them another championship.” Entering this season, Salamone was coming off a first-team All-SLC selection and Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) All-State selection as a freshman. She has taken her game to another level this year after spending the offseason traveling the country with her Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) ‘WeR1’ team, which is a highly competitive club team sponsored by Under Armour. “It has helped a lot. I’m playing against some of the best players that I’ve ever seen, so I think overcoming those challenges with the team from my AAU program has helped me in high school,” said Salamone. “It has helped me communicate and stay composed out there.” Along with scoring over 20 points per game for the Bellringers, she has assumed a larger bulk of the leadership responsibilities too. “I think I have the trust of the girls now more than ever and I feel more confident in my role on the team,” stated Salamone. Salamone was joined on the SLC first–team by junior Jackie Russell. Sophomore Olivia DeMaritno earned honorable mention status. But the team is just getting started. The next goal is a state title, which would be the program’s first since 1980. After earning the top-seed in Class M (and a first round bye), Salamone and the Bellringers start the quest for a state title today (Friday, March 3) when they host a second round game at East Hampton High School, tipping at 6:30. “We are very confident in each other and know what we are all capable of doing,” stated Salamone. Salamone is also close to achieving another milestone. Despite being at the school less than two years, she is only 18 points away from reaching the 1000-point scoring mark. When David Bradbury took over the boys basketball program at Portland High School, the Highlanders were coming off a 5-15 season and hadn’t qualified for the state tournament in three years.
Three years later, Bradbury’s Highlanders recently wrapped up a 15-5 regular season and are one of the top teams in both their conference and division. Bradbury credits the turnaround to a culture shift within the program. “This is the type of success that I envision and I am very proud of the fact that this program has been able to get here,” said Bradbury. “Give all the credit to boys; they are doing all the hard work. When I first got here I had ideas and a vision of the culture I wanted, which is rooted in competitiveness and toughness.” In his first season at the helm, the Highlanders won nine of 14 games during the COVID-19 condensed season in 2020-2021. Last season, the team won a state tournament at home for the first time in program history before upsetting the tourney’s top-seed Terryville in the second round. The 2022 tourney run came to an end when they lost to the eventual state champions of Windham by only two points in the quarterfinals of the Division V state tournament. Following the historic season, Bradbury welcomed back an experienced roster featuring six seniors, five of which start. Captains Ben Fecteau and Harrison Collins, along with Joe Rusczyk, Ryan Kerr, Austin Vess, and William Favale are the senior voices that have helped Bradbury implement his brand of basketball over the last three seasons. Fecteau said that Bradbury told the seniors immediately following the conclusion of last season that their “time was now.” For the better part of a decade, the seniors have been on the court together, playing through the youth ranks together dating back to the third grade. “It’s about playing a one unit,” added Fecteau. “Bradbury has got all the right game plans and it’s just about executing and giving effort day in and day out.” Collins was an honorable mention all-conference player as a junior and is again the team’s floor general this winter, averaging over 20 points and dishing out nearly four assists a game. “He’s been tremendous; I can’t say enough about him,” Bradbury said of Collins. “He’s been a leader offensively and the energy defensively, and something that he does extremely well is he’s become the best teammate possible.” Collins style of play is also ideal for Bradbury’s up-tempo approach. “Bradbury gives us all the freedom on offense,” stated Collins. “I love playing fast basketball and that is what we do.” Helping Collins with the scoring load has been Rusczyk, who is averaging 15 points per game. Both scoring leaders were instrumental in the state tourney run a year ago, each posting double figures in points as juniors, and Collins said that playing in big games a season ago has paid big dividends this winter. On Jan. 10, the Highlanders knocked off the defending Shoreline Conference (SLC) champions from Cromwell (52-48) at Portland High School. It turned out to be only one of two losses the Panthers of Cromwell suffered in the regular season. It was also the Highlander’s second victory over the Panthers in the last three meetings after Cromwell had won the previous 22 meetings prior to Bradbury’s arrival. Following the victory over Cromwell, Portland lost to Morgan––another conference powerhouse––before winning nine of their final ten games of the regular season, Bradbury called the January victory over Cromwell a “huge confidence booster” for the team. Collins added, “After the Cromwell game we were at an all-time high and after that Morgan game we were at our very low. That stretch in the season was the most important for us. It told us that we can beat anyone, but on any given night we could lose.” The Highlanders lost only one game to a Shoreline Conference (SLC) opponent the entire regular season. The team’s four other losses came against bigger out-of-conference schools. Bradbury said he purposely schedules tough out-of-conference games to challenge and prepare his team for postseason play. On Feb. 16, the Highlanders went toe-to-toe with Ellington, a top-ranked team in Division IV, before losing in overtime. “I think playing very good teams that are bigger schools late in the season prepares you for these big games,” stated Bradbury. “To have a loss at the end of the season is not the worst thing in the world. You get that sense of urgency knowing that we could lose and we have to come ready to play.” The team has also not shied away from the goals they set out to make waves in the postseason. Fecteau said the team talks about those goals on nearly a daily basis, adding, “[Bradbury] wants us to experience those championships and that’s what we are here to do.” Collins added the key to reaching those goals is staying focused in games, adding “Anything can happen in a game. It’s about never getting too high or not getting too low, and always staying together.” With the state tournament starting next week, Bradbury said that regardless of the outcome, this senior class has help lay the foundation for the future of the program. “This is a mature group that has bought in and changed the culture with me,” stated Bradbury. The Newington High School Athletic Department announced they are hiring John Acquavita as the next head football coach. Acquavita replaces Jason Pace, who coached the program the previous six seasons.
Acquavita comes to Newington with a wealth of experience, coaching for more than a quarter-century and spending the last 15 years at Wilbur Cross High School where he was named the Connecticut High School Associations Coach of the Year in 2014 and was a finalist for the National High School Associations Head Coach of the Year in 2018. Prior to Wilbur Cross, Acquavita was at Hyde High School where he won three state championships (2000, 2004, and 2005). NHS’s Director of Athletics Chris Meyers said in a statement, “Through the interview process, Coach Acquavita communicated a high level of football knowledge, but most importantly a passion for leading high school student athletes. He has coached many high level players, but emphasized the important role football can play in the lives of any skill level player. His knowledge, high energy, and enthusiasm to motivate student athletes separated him as the best candidate for the position and we are excited for him to lead Newington football.” Cromwell cheer won a second straight conference title, winning the Shoreline Conference championships on Feb. 11 in Westbrook.
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it produces some fantastic results in the early winter sports tournaments. Here are some of the highlights that you may have missed. Girls Indoor Track Newington junior Katie Bohlke broke the Class L record in the 3200 meters, running a 10:50.06 to shatter the previous mark (10:58.29) set by Kaleigh Roberts of Mercy in 2014. Bohlke was facing a stiff field at this year’s class meet as Hannah Andrejczyk of Shelton finished as the runner-up, also besting the previous mark by running 10:54.89. Bohlke, junior, took home two state championships at the class meet, also winning the 1600 meters and would duplicate that feat at the State Open the following weekend by running a personal-best 4:57.10 to edge a field full of the best runners in the state. Also in Class L, Wethersfield’s Delaney Speed placed fifth in the long jump. In Class M, Mercy has a pair of third-place finishers in Sarah Roberts (1000 meters) and Clara Romero (3200 meters). Roberts also teamed with Ella Barone, Julia Salley, and Julia Lelko for a fourth place finish in the 1600 Sprint Medley. Beatrice Perrault also placed fourth in the 1600 meters. Marie Kane placed fifth in both the 55 meters and 300 meters. Boys Indoor Track and Field Xavier High School won a state title, holding off runner-up Windsor (74-68) and a strong Class L field. Nick Cassarino (600 meters), Owen Martin (1600 meters), and Hunter Feitel (pole vault) took home individual state titles for the Falcons. Also in Class L, Wethersfield’s Jayson Burchell (long jump) placed third in the long jump, Ryan Gagne placed fifth in the 1600 meters, and Alejandro Rodriguez placed sixth in the pole vault. Cromwell’s 4x200 relay team of Paul Wimbish-Sperrazzo, Jared Semper, Daevyon Lovelace, and Jaden Wynn won the Class S championship. The Panthers 1600 Sprint Medley of Paul Wimbish-Sperrazzo, Kai McLarney, Lucas Witkowski, and Dylan Bathrick finished as the runner-up in the class finals. Wynn (300 meters) and Bathrick (1000 meters) also had fourth place showings, while Michael Anderson placed fifth in the 55 meter hurdles. The Panthers placed 4th overall as a team. Also in Class S, Rocky Hill’s Daniel DiTunno placed fifth in 3200 meters. Wrestling Xavier High School won the Class LL title for the third time in a row, capturing the program’s fifth class championship overall. Raekwon Shabazz (106 lbs.), Braylon Gonzalez (113 lbs.), Kevin Kasperowski (120 lbs.) Kyle Levesque (132 lbs.), Anthony Basile (138 lbs.) and Charles Weidman (182 lbs.) won the six individual state titles for the Falcons. In Class L, Newington’s Zachary White (160 lbs.) and Middletown’s Jesse Baldwin (182 lbs.) each finished second in their respective brackets. Middletown’s Derek McMahon (138 lbs.) finished fourth. In Class S, Cromwell’s Matt Gish (152 lbs.) finished as the runner-up, while Rocky Hill’s Chris Adamczyk (220 lbs.) also placed second and Alex Muniz (170 lbs.) placed fifth. Cheerleading Cromwell High School won a second straight Shoreline Conference (SLC) championship. Senior Emily Sousa was named the Player of the Year and joined senior Bridget Russ and sophomore Maya Tomczyk on the SLC First-Team. Panthers head coach Sierra Vasquez was also named the SLC Coach of the Year. Wethersfield celebrated Senior Night by defeating Newington 95-88 on Feb. 21 at WHS.
WHS sophomore Joseph Andino won a pair of individual events (50 freestyle and 100 butterfly). He also joined forces with a pair of relay teams that finished first, teaming with Kevin Peling, Jack Simmons, and Paolo Pirrotta for a victory in the 200 medley relay and Simmons, Pirrotta, and Alexander Ahrens for a victory in the 200 freestyle relay. Pirrotta won the 100 freestyle and junior diver Chase Dumais scored a meet-best 215.10.. NHS junior Filip Nadratowski won the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke. Will Lubas won the 200 freestyle, Kuba Latawiec took first place the 500 freestyle, and Jake D’Amato won the 100 breaststroke. Nadratowski, Lubas, Latawiec, and Samuel de Malas Pedre combined to cap the event with a win in the freestyle relay. Both teams are now preparing for the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) North Swimming Championship, which will take place at Newington High School on Friday, March 3. The conference finals will start at 4:30 p.m. Wethersfield’s Emily Schneider was named the CCC’s Most Outstanding Player as the local girls ice hockey co-op won a second consecutive conference crown.
Emily Schneider - Wethersfield (Ice Hockey): Schneider was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Central Connecticut Conference tournament after the Nighthawks—a co-op team featuring players from Wethersfield, Avon, Southington, Newington, RHAM, Lewis Mills, and Coventry—won their second straight conference championship. Schneider, a sophomore at WHS, helped the Nighthawks defeat Northwest Catholic/Mercy (4-1) in the semifinals and Simsbury (4-0) in the conference finals. Harrison Ranger - Cromwell/Newington (Ice Hockey): Ranger, a senior from CHS, scored two goals and dished out a pair of assists as the Newington/Cromwell co-op scored twice in the final minutes to deal Glastonbury a 5-4 loss on Feb. 22. After Evan Oliver scored with 1:09 left in regulation to tie the game at 4-4, Ranger found Josh Grimm for the game-winning goal as time expired in regulation. The dramatic win was the seventh straight for the Nor’easters, who extended the streak to eight games with a 5-1 win over Northeastern last Saturday. Jessica Huang - Rocky Hill (Wrestling): Huang became the first female wrestler at Rocky Hill High School to place at the State Invitational. Huang, a sophomore, won her final match, defeating Adalynn Southworth of Conard (2-1) to secure 5th place at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Feb. 25. Duke Nower - Wethersfield (Ice Hockey): Nower, a senior, scored three goals as the Eagles defeated Lyman Hall 7-3 on Feb. 22. Nower’s hat trick powered a Wethersfield team that earned a third straight win. Jack Millen, Sean Millen, Jake Kulvinskas, and Justin Bofiglio (first varsity goal) also scored in the win over Lyman Hall, marking the team’s 14th victory in the last 16 games. Lebron Beckford and Gavin Gray - Newington (Basketball): Beckford and Gray came up big when it counted the most, delivering on both ends of the court in the Nor’easters 66-55 win over Middletown in the opening round of the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) tournament. Beckford, a junior, scored 19 points and shined defensively, holding Middletown’s best offensive player to a season-low seven points. Gray, a senior, was the engineer of a potent offense and posted a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Glastonbury boys basketball didn’t close out the regular season like they wanted, losing to 55-41 to Simsbury on Feb. 21 at GHS.
Three nights later, the Guardians (14-6) rebounded with a Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) win over Lewis Mills (45-37) before losing in the second round to Platt the following night. They now turn their attention to the Division II state tournament, which starts next week. In the regular season finale loss to the Trojans of Simsbury, the Guardians had trouble putting the ball in the bucket from the onset, making only two of 10 shots in the first quarter and struggling from the foul line for a second straight game. Head coach Jim Vaughan said he was “disappointed” in the team’s effort, adding “we just weren’t ready to play.” Sophomore David Smith canned a three-pointer, providing the Guardians an early 3-0 lead, but Simsbury responded with a 13-2 run to take a lead they would not relinquish. Smith scored a game-high 19 points, with ten coming in the fourth quarter, but the Trojans' well-balanced attack was too much for the Guardians to overcome. Nine Simsbury players scored in the win, with senior Chris Kokines leading the way with 15 points. The visiting Trojans ballooned the lead to as many as 23 points in the second half as Vaughan tried everything he could to provide a spark, including replacing his entire starting five for a brief period in the third quarter. The Guardians whittled the deficit down to a dozen, but the struggles from the foul line were too much to overcome. “Give [Simsbury] credit, but I felt like we were all on different pages tonight and I don’t know why,” added Vaughan. Following a six-game winning streak, Glastonbury dropped their final two regular season games, losing to Norwich Free Academy on the road two nights before the loss to Simsbury. Foul shooting was the team’s Achilles’s heal in the losses, combining to shoot 11 of 33 (33%) from the charity stripe. The team has also had to overcome the loss of senior point guard Adam Molusis, who will miss the rest of the season. In the CCC tournament win over Lewis Mills, junior Andrew Burns led the way with 15 points, 11 coming in the second half as the Guardians outscored the visiting Spartans 28-19 over the final 16 minutes. The state tournament starts on Monday, March 6 and the Guardians are slated to host a first round game. Vaughan said the team will need to have more “positive energy” and play with “max effort” in order to make waves in the tournament. Visit ciacsports.com for a complete list of state tournament schedules and results. ***Vaughan Reflects on 300 Wins*** On Feb. 14, Vaughan picked up his 300th career win in a 55-42 victory over E.O. Smith in Storrs. When Vaughan walked into the locker room after the victory, the team mobbed the longtime coach as a huge roar and dance erupted. Vaughan danced with his team for a few seconds before acknowledging and thanking the team, but went right back to business. “I don’t want to make this about me,” said Vaughan, who immediately started planning for the final few games of the regular season. Vaughan’s journey to 300 wins started in Middletown where he played high school basketball before graduating in 1989. He continued his basketball journey at Albright College in Pennsylvania where he planned to pursue a career in corporate America following his graduation. “I wanted to chase the money for a while and go into business and finance,” stated Vaughan. “But shortly before graduating college I knew that wasn't for me and this was the path [teaching and coaching] I wanted to take.” Shortly after college graduation, Vaughan made his way to GHS where he became a history and social studies teacher, along with coaching the junior varsity basketball team. In his first year coaching at GHS in 1995, he filled in for varsity head coach Ed Quick for a game and picked up his varsity win. Quick resigned at the beginning of the 2000 season and Vaughan was named interim coach before being named the official head coach. 23 years later, he’s amassed 300 wins on the local courts. During his tenure he has had only four losing seasons and has never had back-to-back losing seasons. In 2008, he earned his 100th victory with a 48-43 win at Bloomfield and his 200th win came in 2015 with a convincing (81- 55) victory over Manchester. He has made the state tournament 19 times and has led his teams to three Final Fours, with two of the team’s three semifinal losses coming to teams that would go on to win a state championship. Over 20 of his players have gone on to play in college. Vaughan said that he had a lot of great players and some great teams, but all players and teams mean the same to him. He added that several of his former players have reached since he won his 300th victory. “Hearing from a lot of them over the past week has been really special.” stated Vaughan. “I'm also proud of the fact that many of our programs’ players have gone into coaching. Justin Morris is a head high school girls coach in Maryland. John Pinone Jr. was head boys coach at RHAM. Chris Canino and Ryan Cook we're on his staff. John Karas was an assistant college coach for a while. And of course, Charles (Sims) and Bill (Eller).” Steve Netcoh also got the coaching bug while under Coach Vaughan. During his illustrious career at GHS, Vaughan has also met the love of his life. This July he will celebrate 20 years with his wife, Carey, an English teacher. They have three children; son Jay and daughters Kaylee and Julia. Special thanks to Rick Carnelli for contributing the details of Vaughan’s journey to 300 wins. Jim Vaughan, the longtime boys basketball coach at GHS, won his 300th career game on Feb. 14. Vaughan is pictured at the recognition ceremony held at Glastonbury High School on Feb. 17. Photo: Glastonbury Sports Photography. GHS sophomore Patrick Sullivan has been the Guardians starting ice hockey goalie the past two seasons.
Not even a broken thumb could stop Patrick Sullivan from doing his job of protecting the net. Sullivan, a sophomore goalie for the Glastonbury High School ice hockey team, broke his right thumb less than 48 hours before the Guardians were set to face Simsbury and he still played, saving 36 shots as the Guardians tied the high-powered Trojans on Jan. 14. He broke the thumb when the digit was struck by a puck during a warm-up drill in practice on the Thursday before the Simsbury battle and thought he’d have to miss the game. But at the last minute he was fit with a special cast and was cleared right before face-off, allowing him to have his Willis Reed-moment at the Koeppel Community Sports Center at Trinity College in Hartford. “I hate missing practices and I haven't missed a game yet, so I was glad that I was able to play,” recalled Sullivan. “It was really bruised and I had to use four fingers instead of all five to grip the stick, but over time I got used to it.” Sullivan is no stranger to playing through difficult situations. He was thrown into the fire a year ago, serving as the team’s starting goalie as a freshman. Over his first two high school seasons, Sullivan has been reliable in more ways than one, only missing one practice and often being a stonewall in between the pipes. GHS head coach Ken Barse called Sullivan the “backbone” on the team. “He is our foundation. He sets the tone and his work ethic is incredible,” added Barse. “The guys know they can count on him. He’s the first guy out on the ice and he loves it, and that can be contagious.” Sullivan said starting as a freshman increased his confidence, both physically and mentally. “Last year I kind of just dove in,” recalled Sullivan. “It was a big challenge, but it really prepared me for this year.” Playing goalie is nothing new to Sullivan, who first started playing hockey around the age of five and has always been the last line of defense. “My dad was a goalie and I told him that I wanted to be a goalie,” added Sullivan. “[The position] is so different. There is only one goalie and there is a thrill with making a good save and knowing you are the barrier between them scoring and not scoring.” After losing a strong senior class a year ago and with only three seniors on the ice this season, the Guardians have been in a bit of a rebuild. But the tie with Simsbury, a Division I program that finished the regular season with a record of 15-2-2, showed the potential of the team. The Guardians also twice defeated East Catholic and had solid victories over Branford, Amity, Lyman Hall, and West Haven. They closed the regular season by blanking South Windsor 2-0 on Feb. 25, cementing a spot in the Division II state tournament. Sullivan rejected 22 shots in the win over the Bobcats, picking up his second shutout of the season. Barse said Sullivan “took over the minute the puck dropped” against South Windsor. “All you can hope for as coach is having a hot goalie going into the playoffs and last night he was on fire,” added Barse. “He was focused and he played confident, he controlled his rebounds well, and was aggressive.” Helping Sullivan protect the backend is a strong defensive line, led by senior Andrew Hazard and junior Sean Huempfner. Sullivan credited the defenders in front of him for their efforts this season, saying they have made his job a lot easier. “We are a pretty young team and it took a little while to get fully comfortable with each other, but I think now we are pretty a close group of guys,” added Sullivan. The Guardians––the No. 15 seed–– will play on the road in the state tournament, with the first round scheduled for Monday, March 6. Visit ciacsports.com for a complete list of state tournament schedules and results. |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
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