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03/11/2017 11:00 PMThe Branford boys’ ice hockey squad played its best down the stretch this winter and then brought that momentum into the Division II State Tournament, where the Hornets earned a 3-1 win versus Westhill-Stamford in the first round. Unfortunately for Branford, its campaign ended in quarterfinals when it took a 5-0 loss to Watertown-Pomperaug. The Hornets went 12-9-1 in their first year with Jim DiNapoli as head coach.
After winning five of their final seven regular season contests, Branford entered the Division II State Tournament as the No. 10 seed and faced off against 7th-seeded Westhill-Stamford for a first round showdown at Terry Connors Rink in Stamford on March 7. Senior wing Mitchell Petrillo recorded a natural hat trick by netting the first three goals of the game, including two in the opening period, to lift Branford to the 3-1 victory. Senior goalie Justin Edwards played the latest in his long line of great games for the Hornets, allowing just one goal in the final minute when his team was already up 3-0.
“They were really excited. It was a good win for us,” Coach DiNapoli said. “Justin played outstanding. He was just really great in net. They came at us pretty hard. They have a good club and are really well coached with a lot of speed, so the two early goals were big for us, and they held up in large part due to Justin’s effort. All the players showed a lot of heart out there.”
Branford netted the first score just 2:28 into the game when senior defenseman Dalton Childs scooped up the puck at the blue line and put a hard shot low on net that Petrillo deflected past opposing goalkeeper Colin Rella. With six minutes left in the first period, sophomore wing Max Bunton made a great cross-ice pass to Petrillo, who buried the goal to give the Hornets a 2-0 lead after one.
Branford’s two-goal advantage held up through a scoreless second period and into the third. With 1:30 remaining in the game, Petrillo extinguished any possibility of a miraculous comeback by Westhill-Stamford (12-9-1) when he scored an empty-net goal from senior captain center Scott Klouda for a hat trick and a 3-0 Branford command. Westhill-Stamford got on the board with 49 seconds left, but it was too little, too late, as the Hornets came away with the 3-1 win to move on to the quarterfinals. Coach DiNapoli said one of the biggest factors in the victory was that Branford killed off all six of Westhill-Stamford’s power plays, including a 5-on-3 advantage in the second period.
Four days later, Branford took on No. 2 seed Watertown-Pomperaug in a quarterfinal contest at Bennett Rink in West Haven. The two teams had just played to a 1-1 tie on Feb. 27, but this time around, Watertown-Pomperaug prevailed 5-0 to improve to 17-4-1 and advance to the semis. Watertown-Pomperaug scored two goals in the first period, added one in the second, and scored two more in the third on its way to the victory.
Despite the defeat, Coach DiNapoli expressed how pleased he was with his club for jelling during the latter half of the campaign. Branford owned a record of 6-7-1 after losing to New Fairfield-Immacuate on Feb. 8, but the Hornets responded by rattling off four straight victories on their way to going 6-2-1 in their final nine games.
“I had a lot of fun. It was great being with that group of kids day in and day out. They really grinded hard for the three months of the season,” said DiNapoli. “We spent a lot of time together and we all worked toward a common goal. We fell short of where we ultimately wanted to go, but I’m really proud of this group. They’re a great group to be around with great leadership and a great senior class.”
DiNapoli said the fact that “the younger kids developed and the older kids showed tremendous leadership,” were two key components of his team’s second-half surge. Two of those older kids—Klouda and Edwards—earned All-SCC/SWC Division II honors for their performances this season. Klouda made the First Team and Edwards was a Second Team selection. Klouda centered Branford’s top line as a senior captain this season, while Edwards played every minute of every game in goal except for one through the past two years.
“Scott has more heart than any coach could hope for...He’s been great on and off the ice and just carried the torch for us. Through his example, every day in practice kids come out and work their tails off. He’s a very good leader and everyone else has followed and bought into his effort,” said DiNapoli. “Justin has been outstanding...Any game he’s in, we have a chance to win. I believe he’s one of the best goalies in the state.”
DiNapoli had been an assistant with Branford prior to becoming the team’s head coach this winter. DiNapoli welcomed Mike Landino to the program as an assistant coach and praised Landino for how his attitude and approach benefited the Hornets.
“What a nice addition Coach Landino has been to the team,” DiNapoli said. “He’s a former goalie at Notre Dame of West Haven and is very detailed and lends a great deal of exuberance to our club.”
From the Sidelines
Branford’s top line this season featured senior captain center Scott Klouda, senior wing Mitchell Petrillo, and sophomore wing Max Bunton. Freshman Spencer Engstrom centered the second line and was typically flanked by sophomore wing Theo Kirby, plus freshmen wingers Zac Jones, Theo Kirby, and Jack Manware. The Hornets’ defensemen were senior Dalton Childs and James Cunningham, juniors Will Benni and Liam Deane, sophomore Rob Lionetti (who also saw time at forward), and freshman Max Manware. Senior Justin Edwards started in net and freshman Ryan Andrews was the backup goalie. Sophomore forwards Sam Roberts and Eli Schlesinger and freshman forward Bennett Gentile also competed for the Hornets this season.