The West Haven Squirt A hockey team split a pair of games this weekend. The Westies lost a close game, 3-2, to Yale 2008 AA on Saturday, before rebounding to defeat the Springfield (MA) Junior Thunderbirds, 8-4, on Sunday. West Haven is now 28-11-3 on the season.
On Saturday morning at the Edward L Bennett Rink, Yale converted a breakaway with 47 seconds left in the game for a comeback, 3-2 win over the Blue Devils.
Brady Price gave the Westies a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the first period as Zach Goetze passed back to defenseman Dylan Bosworth and Price neatly redirected Bosworth’s point shot. In the second period, Goetze passed ahead to Thomas Porto who faked a centering pass and fired a wrist shot past the goalie for a 2-0 West Haven advantage.
Yale scored one in the second and two more in the third to earn the win. The Blue Devils did not go quietly as West Haven had two shots ring off the post and Price was robbed by a stick save off a rebound shot. Goaltender Jacob Silva made 18 saves in the game including nine in the third period.
On Sunday in Enfield against the Thunderbirds, Porto led the way with four goals and Dylan Link added three assists in West Haven’s 8-4 win.
Porto scored twice in the opening period and Goetze tallied in the second as West Haven opened a 3-2 lead entering the third period. The Westies then exploded for five goals in the final 12 minutes to pull away for the victory.
Porto scored twice more, Goetze added another, Ethan Kelly scored an unassisted goal, and Price added one to finish the scoring. Ryan Pniewski, Price and Goetze recorded assists while Link led the way with three helpers. Silva had 15 saves in net for the Westies.
West Haven will compete at the 2018 Ocean State Classic this coming weekend in Rhode Island.
The West Haven Peewee A travel hockey team moved to 26-14-5 with a split of two games this weekend. The Westies opened with a victory at Avon Old Farms on Saturday, before falling at home against New Canaan on Sunday.
West Haven opened the week with a 2-1 victory over Avon. Bruno Martone led the Westies with a goal and an assist in the win.
After a scoreless first period, the Westies got on the board first when Mickey Dowd was sent on a breakaway by Colin Deane and scored with 9:30 left in the second. Martone also assisted on the tally.
The Westies increased the margin to a pair of goals with 6:39 left in the second on the power play. Michael Madera sent a pass to the point to Dave Brown who found an open Martone at the right point. Martone fired through traffic in front for the two-goal lead.
Avon cut the deficit in half less than a minute later, but stellar goaltending from Brendan Smith and a penalty kill with West Haven two men down propelled West Haven to the win.
The Westies then returned home to play New Canaan Sunday morning and fell in a tight contest, 6-5, at the Edward L. Bennett Rink. Deane led the way with a pair of goals, while Brown added a goal and three assists.
Deane gave West Haven a 1-0 lead with 6:03 left in the first, scoring off a rebound of a Brown shot. Trailing 2-1, Cade Simone one-timed a pass from Brown home to even the game with 9:34 left in the second. Just 49 seconds later, Deane scored an unassisted goal from the slot for a 3-2 West Haven lead.
With the game even at three, Shane Repetto gave the Westies a one-goal lead in front just 24 seconds into the third off assists from Kyle Droney and Brown.
New Canaan took the lead for good with three goals in 1:30 for a 6-4 advantage with 11:02 to go. West Haven got within a goal when Brown scored in front off assists from Simone and Madera with 3:41 to go, but the Westies could not get the equalizer.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team had a win and a tie in its games this past weekend. On Saturday, the Westies defeated New Canaan 6-0, before rallying late to tie the Whalers 5-5
On Saturday morning against New Canaan, the Westies controlled play early in what was a fast paced game. Mikey Alfano put the Devils up in the first period with a goal that was assisted by Joe Honcz.
In the second period, the Westies turned up the pressure. Nico Bruneau put home a rebound from a Ben Carfora shot which was set up by DJ Carfora’s pass. Bruneau then returned the favor, assisting on Ben Carfora’s goal to give the Westies a 3-0 advantage after the second period.
The Devils continued their relentless style of play in the third period. Ben Carfora scored his second of the game on an assist from Anthony Peschell, then the Alfano- Honcz combination put two more goals home, each assisting on the other’s goal, while Justin Pniewski assisted on both goals and Adrian Feliosh grabbed an assist as well. Joe Crisci stopped all 26 shots he faced for the shut out.
On Sunday, the Devils started quickly against the Whalers on the road in Cromwell. Alfano started the game again with an unassisted goal, Ben Carfora netted the next one with an assist from Feliosh, and Nico Bruneau rounded out the first period scoring on a goal with assists going to Andrew Wrzosek and Luca Ubaldi.
The Westies gave up three power play goals in the second period as a 3-1 lead turned into a 5-3 deficit. Carfora was able to lead the comeback charge in the third period, netting two for a hat trick, and the Westies came away with the tie.