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02/25/2017 11:00 PMThe East Haven boys’ ice hockey team won a pair of big games over rivals North Haven and Branford to improve to 15-3 with two games remaining in the regular season. With the Branford victory, the Yellowjackets clinched the SCC/SWC Division II regular season title with a record of 10-1 and also earned the top seed in the Conference Tournament. On top of that, Head Coach Lou Pane’s club will be the No. 1 seed in the subsequent Division II State Tournament.
The Branford game was knotted 2-2 through two before the Easties buried four goals in the third period for the 6-2 victory.
“This fulfilled a couple of goals we had prior to the season starting,” Coach Pane said on the win. “Going into the third against Branford, I told the boys, ‘We have 15 minutes and it’s either they write our names on a banner and forever they will be known for it or we’ll regret it knowing we lost.’ In that third period, we responded well with a lot of character and scored four goals to secure that No. 1 seed.”
The Easties’ week started with a 10-0 home blowout of North Haven on Feb. 22. It was a flawless Senior Night performance for the Yellowjackets and the fifth time they’ve put up 10 or more goals on an opponent this season. East Haven’s first line of senior Joe Aloi and freshmen Nick Capone and Jake Aloi did most of the damage by scoring seven of the 10 goals, and at least one member of the trio also had a hand in the Yellowjackets’ three other goals.
“We’ve been fortunate to have such a great first line with Nick, Joe, and Jake. Nick is leading the state in scoring as a freshman, Joe is up there also, and Jake as a freshman is also in the top 10 in scoring in the state,” Pane said. “Those three guys have been carrying us, especially with the injury to Zach Paquin, who has missed the last five games. We miss Zach, but they’ve really picked it up, and proved they’re an offensive power. They’ve been carrying us.”
Joe Aloi turned in a dominant performance by popping in four goals and contributing two assists in the win. Capone scored two goals and handed out a whopping seven assists. Jake Aloi scored once and finished with three assists. Joe Lorello scored once and Matt Latella netted two goals to round out the scoring. Lorello also had four assists. Logan Hamilton made 21 saves to earn the shutout and continue his unbeaten streak in net.
“We’re 15-3 with a mixed group of some senior leadership, some upperclassmen, and some freshman doing a bang-up job, even in our goalie rotation. Logan Hamilton has two shutouts. Right now, he’s 8-0 or 9-0 as a freshman goaltender,” Pane said. “We have a broad range that is pitching in, so our chemistry is there. We just have to continue to work hard. I tell the boys all the time, ‘It’s all about effort, not talent.’ It’s about the effort we give every night.”
The lopsided victory over the Indians gave East Haven plenty of confidence heading into its matchup with Branford on Feb. 25. East Haven used that boost to deliver a 6-2 win over the Hornets at DiLungo Rink. The Yellowjackets scored the first two goals of the game, but Branford battled back with a pair of goals to make it 2-2 heading into the final period. Pane gave his motivational speech to the team in the locker room, and East Haven came firing out in the third by scoring four goals to win its division title and secure the top seed for its playoff draws. Joe Aloi and Capone both scored twice and added three assists, while Jake Aloi and Lorello scored a goal apiece for the Easties. Jake Aloi had three assists, plus Matt Twarowski made 16 saves in goal for the victory.
The way East Haven is playing this year has Coach Pane very excited for what might become of the club’s postseason run. Last year, East Haven won two games in the Division II State Tournament to advance to the semifinals.
“The way we finished last year, we made a great run and won eight or nine or something like that to make the tournament and then went deep into the semis, which gave a lot of our guys playoff experience and you need experience to compete at a high level ina setting where there are big crowds and a lot of intensity,” he said. “When it’s a playoff atmosphere like we were in last year, to have that experience, it carries forward with a lot of guys. When it’s been a big game in a tight setting, we’ve been able to achieve.”
From the Sidelines
The seniors who were honored prior to the Yellowjackets’ Senior Night win against North Haven were Matt Latella, Mike Dogolo, Joe Aloi, Joe Lorello, Ryan Albert, and Shawn Wagner.
The Yellowjackets have outscored the opposition 123-42 thus far this year.
East Haven is the No. 1 seed in the SCC/SWC Division II Tournament and will face either Guilford or Watertown-Pomperaug in the semifinals at Bennett Rink on Thursday, March 2. A win there puts East Haven in the championship game against either one of those two teams or New Fairfield-Immaculate at Bennett at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March. 4.