The West Haven Mite A hockey team took the road, traveling to South Kent and Ridgefield.
The Blue Devils faced off against the Northwestern CT Icehawks in South Kent. The Westies had their best passing performance of the season thus far and were led offensively by centermen Henry Seslar and Brody Miller, along with wingers Emmett Hemming and Caden Minio, who each found the back of the net multiple times.
Defensively it was near impossible to get the puck past Cooper Owens. When the Icehawks got a shot on net, they were met by a brick wall in goalie Landon Silverman.
The Mite A team faced the Ridgefield Lions. The back-and-forth competitive game included some spectacular goals from Brayden Jacob and Santino Martin. Keegan Jackson had a solid performance on defense, clearing the puck from the zone during some key pushes by the Lions.
Alexa Jacob volunteered to be the netminder in place for the injured Silverman. Jacob was able to hold off a pesky Lions attack.
The West Haven Mite B team welcomed the Wonderland Wizards and played well. Austin Picard and Jack Weiss started first the period off strong with a goal each, and Sadie Moll and JP Beebe each got a goal to close out the first period. In the second period, goalie Moriah Frost saved many shots. A goal by Landon Alling was scored as well as Beebe scoring multiple goals to close out the game.
While the competition was tough, the Blue Devils managed to get a few good goals from Beebe, Austin Picard and Alling.
They traveled to the Northford Ice Pavillion on Sunday to play Greater New Haven. Jack Weiss, Picard and Beebe were scorers for the day with great hockey play by Gabby Jenei, Kiera Harrison and Alling. Finn Mclaughlin played a solid game in goal.
The West Haven Mite C hockey team played against East Haven Mite B at the Bennett Rink. Jackson Ford played goalie for the Blue Devils, making many great saves. Multiple goals and assists were made by Maddy Bruder, Wesley Marazzini, Brayden Gagliardi, Ava Healy, Quinn Uscilla, Ryan Shannon and Caleb Ford.
West Haven had an away game against Darien Mite B Gray. Shannon played goalie for the Blue Devils, making many excellent saves.
Multiple goals were scored by Gagliardi with Marazzini also scoring a goal for the Blue Devils. Shots on goal were made by Uscilla, Healy and Bruder.
In a matchup of the two top-ranked teams in the state rankings, the West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA hockey team traveled to New Canaan AA and left with a 4-3 win to strengthen its hold on the top spot.
The Westies fell behind 3-0 early in the game, but tied the contest in the third period and Jeremiah McGrath buried a rebound on a power play with under two minutes remaining to clinch the win. Nick Ciccosanti went end to end to tie the game at three.
Charlie Gunning and Peyton Berlepsch also scored for the Westies, Assists came from Cody Young, Henry Strada, Ciccosanti and Gunning. Michael Paone and Gabe Calabese combined for the win with 16 saves on the day.
Alex Jenei started the offense with an early goal to power the Westies to an 8-0 win over Elite Hockey AA. McGrath netted two goals and Danny Moll, Colby Cushing, Dylan Spreyer, Gunning and Berlepsch also scored in the win.
The Westies got assists from Dane Walsh, Young, Gunning and Strada. Paone and Calabese combined for the shutout win.
AJ Farrell had a goal and two assists to lead the Westies to an 8-3 win over the Connecticut Junior Rangers AAA. Gunning had three goals and Strada, Spreyer, Berlepsch and Cushing all found the back of net. Cushing and Gunning each had two assists and Moll and Young each added one.
The Westies travelled to New York but dropped a 2-1 contest to the Westchester Express AA. Spreyer provided the offense with an end-to-end rush for a goal.
The Westies got solid scoring chances from Ciccosanti, Walsh and Young. Paone and Calabese combined for 12 saves.
The West Haven Blue Devils Squirt A travel hockey team visited Newington Arena to play the Central Capitals and skated to a 7-1 win.
West Haven started the scoring just 17 seconds into the first period with a goal from Logan Minio. Minio scored his second goal of the game off an assist from Brady Salkins late in the period.
In the second period, the Devils’ offense kept their foot on the gas with Logan Stackpole scoring six minutes into the period, and five minutes later Conner Owens scored off an assist by Stackpole. The Devils would enter the third period with a commanding 4-0 lead thanks to the strong defensive effort by Joey Mondo and Ryan Schempp.
Minio secured his hat trick with two more goals in the third period off assists from Colin Whelan and Kyle Johnson. Shortly after the Capitals scored their lone goal of the game, Egg Parise took a laser wrist shot that found the back of the net to finish things off.
Jax Guarino, JJ Charbonneau, Colton Bruneau, and Kyle D’Agostino moved the puck well throughout the game to support the offense. Goaltender Alex Cicarella had an outstanding performance between the pipes in the win.
The Blue Devils hosted the Wonderland Wizards and came out with a decisive 6-2 win.
Owens started things off by firing a rocket from the blue line off an assist from Johnson. Shortly after, the Wizards scored to tie things up at the end of the first period.
The Wizards scored two minutes into the second period, but their lead would not last for very long as the Westie offense stepped things up.
First up was Stackpole who scored an unassisted goal with five minutes left in the period to tie the game. Three minutes later, Minio found Whelan in front of the net as he buried a quick one-timer to give the Westies a 3-2 lead going into the third period.
Bruneau scored three minutes into the third period off an assist from Charbonneau. Four minutes later Salkins found the back of the net off an assist from Minio.
West Haven sealed the win with five minutes left in the game as Salkins knocked the puck loose along the boards and Whelan skated it into the slot, going top shelf and securing the Westies win.
Goaltender Evan Harrison once again had a razor-sharp performance in net, stopping some very well-placed shots by the Wizard squad
The West Haven Squirt A1 hockey team kept its undefeated streak alive by topping the Stamford Sharks and the Western Junior Colonials.
The Devils started Saturday’s contest with an unassisted goal scored by Julius Stokes at 3:13 in the first. Stokes went on to assist Trevor Gyllensten’s goal at 5:06, and Jameson Schempp was next on the board off an assist from Olivia Persico at 9:40. Schempp capped off the first period scoring on a beautiful goal to the top shelf.
Schempp scored the first goal of the second off an assist from Stokes at 3:20 to get his first hat trick of the season. Stokes scored two more unassisted goals at 4:01 and 5:07. Mason MacDonald scored his second goal of the season off an assist from Persico at 6:10.
Just 22 seconds later, Sarah Mastroni was able to send one to the back of the net for her first goal of the season. Trevor Gyllensten obtained his second goal of the game off an assist from Alex Jones, and Noah Silverman ended the second period scoring off an assist from Stokes and Mastroni at 11:43.
Schempp scored the first goal of the third period off an assist from MacDonald, before Jones scored with 26 seconds on the clock off another assist from MacDonald.
Ethan McGrath and Matteo Kenworthy played well in goal, obtaining another shutout.
The Westies closed the weekend with a 12-4 win over the Western Junior Colonials. McGrath and Kenworthy were able to account for 18 of 21 shots.
Silverman was first on the board with an unassisted goal at 1:15 in the first, Schempp was the next to rack up a goal for the Devils at 8:40 off an assist from Stokes, before Stokes got his own unassisted goal at 11:50 and assisted a goal by Jones at 11:31.
Persico started off the second period scoring with an unassisted goal at 1:17. This was followed by two more unassisted goals by Stokes. Silverman was able to get his second of the day off an assist from Aran Dahya with six seconds left on the clock in the second.
Jones started the third period with a goal at 1:31 off an assist from Dahya. Schempp scored his second of the day at 4:40 off an assist from Persico. Stokes capped the weekend with two more unassisted goals for a seven-point game.
The West Haven Bantam AA Major hockey team split a pair of road games over the weekend. The Westies dropped Wonderland AA, 3-1, at the Wonderland of Ice, before losing 5-1 to Mid-Hudson Polar Bears on Sunday afternoon in Newburgh, NY. The Blue Devils are now 4-2-1 on the season.
Down 1-0 with just 15 seconds left in the second period against Wonderland, the Westies tied the game with a power play goal. Ian Brezak fed Joel Goldman for a shot and Brett Kayser swept in the rebound.
The Westies took over in the third period. Goldman kept the puck in the zone and found Charlie Clark in front of the net where he roofed it. Jack MacNiven then won the puck against the boards and flipped it across ice for Sam Malangone’s one-timer in the slot. Bryce Upson was solid throughout the game in goal for the Westies.
The lone goal in the loss to the Polar Bears came when Clark hit Alex Zhukovsky over the red line. Zhukovsky slid the puck to Sean Studley who backhanded it off the back of the goalie.
Upson posted a whopping 53 saves in goal for the Westies.
West Haven won its only game of this weekend in convincing fashion with an 8-2 defeat of Jr. Bulldogs 2008 AA at Edward L. Bennett Rink. Seven different players scored goals for the Blue Devils in the balanced effort.
The win avenges the team’s only loss in the league as the Westies improved to 5-2-1 overall and 4-1-1 in CHC league play.
West Haven scored the only goal of the opening period when Mike Madonick passed from behind the net to Matt Kelly, who buried his wrister. Ethan Kelly opened the second period by weaving his way to the net and flipping in a backhand shot for a 2-0 lead, before the Bulldogs responded by tying the game with a pair of goals only 1:35 apart.
The Westies snatched the momentum back just 36 seconds later. Matt Kelly’s shot was deflected in by Aaron Campbell for a 3-2 lead. Madonick then flipped a shot that rebounded to the stick of Nick Shefter who snapped it home.
Brezak then got the breakout started ahead to Shefter who found Madonick in stride for a 5-2 lead after two periods.
The Blue Devils dominated the third period. Brezak went coast-to-coast for an impressive short-handed goal, Charlie Strada redirected Matt Kelly’s point shot to the top shelf, and Shefter closed the scoring when he stole the puck and zipped it into the top corner.
Leo Mazuroski returned from injury and was strong on defense, along with MacNiven. Upson was solid between the pipes.
For all your West Haven sporting news throughout the year, including game articles by Mike Madera, highlights, photos and more, visit www.westieblue.com.