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Three Local Girls Finish as Hockey National Quarterfinalists

Pictured is the Connecticut Polar Bears U-14 A girls' ice hockey team that won the New England Regional Tournament held in Augusta, Maine. Three local girls are on the Polar Bears in Kendall Castro from Killingworth, along with Grace Lavin and Sarah Platt, both from Madison. Teams competing in the tournament were from New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Maine. Connecticut had two teams participate in the tournament, the Darien Ice Cats and Connecticut Polar Bears. The Polar Bears and the Ice Cats met in the finals of the regional tournament in which the Polar Bears won 4-0. The Polar Bears advanced to the USA Hockey National Tournament held in Buffalo, New York. At nationals, the girls went 2-1 in round robin play (losing to eventual-champion Assabet Valley from Massachusetts, but beating Illinois, 3-1, and Colorado, 3-2, in a shootout). They advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost to New Jersey in overtime, 4-3.

Pictured are (top row) Coach John Alissi, Mackenzie White, Emilee Wilkinson, Mary Edmonds, Grace Lavin (Madison), Catherine Sadak, Annie Alissi, Liza Diffley, Kendall Castro (Killingworth), Coach Tom Wilkinson, Coach Ray Diffley; (second row) Julia Dinapoli, Jillian Mazzocca, Cory Callahan, Dakota McMahon, Sarah Platt (Madison) Emma Reynolds, and Kelsey Czerniawski.

Photo and information courtesy of Mike Castro