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03/26/2014 12:00 AMWhat Guilford boys' ice hockey lacked in the win column, it made up for with sheer heart and hustle all season long.
The Indians finished 5-15 on the year (1-9 in SCC-SWC Division II play), but the squad certainly played at a level above what its record indicated. Despite the mark, Head Coach Ralph Russo expressed that his club got better with time over the course of the winter campaign.
"We met our goal of improvement over the course of the season. We finished the season playing some of our best hockey. We fell short of our goal of competing in the playoffs for the first time in the last nine seasons," said Russo, whose team ended the year on a two-game win streak, including knocking off Division II state champion Hand. "This team goes down as one of the hardest-working teams in school history. We made some mistakes in games that resulted in other teams scoring and winning, but the consensus out there is that this team played hard every game. I am proud of their efforts. There were games when we were short-benched due to injuries and lack of depth, but we were playing for wins in the third period. That is the kind of work ethic that you should take pride in as a player. It doesn't show up in the scorebook, but it teaches you something about standing up to adversity and gaining confidence in yourself."
Senior captain/forward Carson Sperry (co-Sportsmanship Award) missed 75 percent of the season with an injury suffered in the football campaign, yet he was able to come onto the ice late in the year. Guilford had additional senior leaders in defenseman Brian Donohue (Connecticut All-Star Senior Game selection; All-SCC Team; co-Team Spirit Award; 4 goals, 11 assists), forward Derek Batick (Coaches' Award), and netminder Hunter Martins (Team MVP; Hobey Baker Character Award).
"It was great to see him [Sperry] make it back to compete in the last few games of the season," said Russo. "Brian proved to be a durable and physical defenseman who played approximately half of each game. Derek Batick contributed as a speedy and physical forward. As a novice to hockey just two years ago, Hunter showed outstanding dedication to his high school team through his work ethic, athletic ability, and ability to work through adversity."
Additional production came from a strong underclass that included junior forward Jack Petrick (CHSCA Junior All-Star Game selection; team leader with 27 points; Fred Rosa Award for that feat), sophomore defenseman Evan Powell (Defensive Player Award; 6 goals, 9 assists), along with freshman goalie Kyle Dwyer (co-Sportsmanship Award), and sophomore forward Alex Corso (co-Team Spirit Award).
In terms of big feats, Russo doesn't point to a signature win, but instead highlights how Guilford never threw in the towel against stiff competition.
"Despite not making the playoffs, our team competed in every game," said Russo. "We played every team, including the top teams, tough all year."
Other big contributors from the sophomore class were forwards Chris Cafiero (9 goals, 8 assists), Stephen Thibault (10 goals, 5 helpers), and defenseman Will Dacey (9 goals, 5 assists). With a young squad now a year wiser, Russo anticipates a campaign of even further growth next season that will hopefully help the Indians return to the postseason dance.
"This year was an important one to give inexperienced players the experience needed to improve," said Russo. "Next season, we will return a number of underclassmen at forward and defense who are much more experienced."