The West Haven Squirt A travel hockey team played two close games this weekend. The Westies tied a tough Riverhawks A team, 3-3, before dropping a 5-4 decision to Yale A. The Blue Devils are now 21-15-3 overall.
On Saturday morning at Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies came back from two goals down in the third period to earn a 3-3 tie against the Riverhawks. Ethan Kelly had a goal and two assists and Sean Studley scored the tying goal to lead the West Haven offense.
The Blue Devils scored the only goal of the first period when Ethan Kelly won an offensive zone faceoff to his brother Matthew, who zipped home a wrist shot from the blue line. The Riverhawks then took control of the game in the second period and went up 2-1 at the second intermission.
The Riverhawks made it 3-1, before the Westies battled back. Zach Melchiore worked hard in the neutral zone and drew a penalty. On the power play, Ethan Kelly won a draw back to Jonathan Charbonneau, who quickly passed to Ryan Pniewski. Pniewski’s shot was deflected by Kelly over the goalie and in. Less than a minute later, Ethan Kelly stole the puck and found Studley in the high slot. Studley buried the tying goal with a rising wrist shot.
Leo Mazuroski played solid defense throughout the game and Maddex LaFountain made 14 saves in goal for the Westies.
On Sunday, the Blue Devils faced Yale at Ingalls Rink in New Haven. Studley and Ethan Kelly each scored a pair of goals, but it was not enough as Yale outlasted West Haven, 5-4.
Kelly tallied the only goal of the first period when he stole the puck in Yale’s end and roofed it with two minutes left before intermission. LaFountain made a sprawling save as the buzzer rang to preserve the lead.
Yale tied the score at 1-1 in the first minute of the second period and looked to take the lead with a power play. But Melchiore chipped the puck against the boards where Studley grabbed it and beat a defender. His rising wrist shot went upper 90 and the short-handed tally gave West Haven the lead again.
A minute later Melchiore tipped the puck to Kelly who slid it to Studley. The winger made an easy deposit in the net and the Westies looked to be in control.
Yale rallied for two goals within 15 seconds of each other late in the second to even it at 3-3. LaFountain made another clutch save on a breakaway with two seconds remaining to keep it tied.
Yale scored twice more in the third period while Ethan Kelly scored an unassisted goal for the Westies with three seconds remaining for the final margin. LaFountain made 16 saves in goal.
The West Haven Peewee A travel hockey team split a pair of games this week, falling to Southeastern in Norwich, before defeating Yale in West Haven.
The Westies opened the week with a 5-1 loss against Southeastern A. West Haven opened the scoring when Mickey Dowd scored off an assist from Michael Madera, but that was all West Haven could muster as Southeastern evened the game after one period and had a 3-1 lead after two.
The Westies rebounded with a 6-2 victory over Yale Sunday morning at the Edward L. Bennett Rink in West Haven. Madera led the way with two goals and two assists, Dowd had one goal and two assists, and Zach Goetze added a goal and an assist.
West Haven took a 2-0 lead after one period as Goetze scored off assists from Dowd and Madera 4:19 in, and Chris Consorte scored off an assist from Dylan Bosworth with 3:26 to go in the period. After Yale got within 2-1, West Haven scored the next two goals for a 4-1 lead.
Brady Price scored off an assist from Danny Johnson 5:13 into the second, and Madera scored off assists from Dowd and Ray Heenie with 1:54 to go for the three goal lead.
Yale scored 13 seconds into the third to get within 4-2, but Dowd scored off an assist from Madera just over three minutes in, and Madera capped the scoring off an assist from Goetze in the final two minutes.