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04/07/2017 12:00 AMThe road to a title is often a bumpy ride for any team. There are ups and downs throughout the season, and the hallmark of a championship squad is persevering thorough the lows in order to finish the year on a high note. This scenario defined much of the recent season for the Guilford boys’ ice hockey team, which captured both its conference and state crowns in the 2016-’17 campaign.
The Indians got out to a strong 5-1 start before taking a 9-2 loss to East Haven this winter. Guilford responded with six straight victories, but then finished the regular season with losses to Cheshire and Watertown-Pomperaug to go 15-5. In the playoffs, however, Guilford exorcised some of those demons by going 6-0 during the second season. First, the Indians captured their first conference crown with a 3-2 overtime victory versus East Haven in the SCC/SWC Division II Tournament final. Then after winning its first three games in the Division II State Tournament, Guilford took down Watertown-Pomperaug in the championship game with a comeback 5-3 victory at Ingalls Rink. The Indians trailed 2-1 before netting four goals in the third period to earn their first DII crown since 2010 and third state title overall. Head Coach Ralph Russo’s club finished the year with a mark of 21-5, which set the program record for victories in a season.
“The strength of our team changed to our underclass, so we had a lot of question marks to start the season, but their goal was to win the state title. Realistically, as a coach, you want the younger kids to jell and get off to a good start and then play your best hockey at the end of the year, which is what happened,” said Coach Russo, whose club had lost to Watertown-Pomperaug twice during the regular season. “We lost to East Haven, which was our turning point, because we then won six in a row. Then we had the two-game losing streak at the end of the year,and came back to win seven straight. We had a good group of talented players that learned from their mistakes. It was great to see them improve on them in that last game. The state final was a microcosm of the entire year. We had a great start, then [Watertown-Pomperaug] dialed up their game in the second, and then our adjustments were the entire third period.”
Coach Russo added one of Guilford’s defeats turned into a seminal moment for his team. Russo said the regular season loss to East Haven embodied the fact that Indians were never going to surrender this year.
“After losing to East Haven in the regular season and then facing and beating them in a conference final, a game we’d never won before, it was a good statement to the persistence and effort of our team,” said Russo. “Even in that loss, though, we had parts of the game where we never gave up. The second period was a strong one for us. They just had a desire to compete every day and in practice.”
Senior captain forward Ricky Sandella was an offensive force for the Indians. Sandella, who was an All-State and All-SCC/SWC Division II First Team selection, finished the year with 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points. Sandella was complemented at the captain’s helm by senior goaltender Kyle Dwyer, who improved exponentially each year and had his finest hours this winter. Dwyer made 59 saves between Guilford’s two wins in the Conference Tournament on his way to being named its Most Outstanding Player.
“Ricky has excellent hand-eye coordination and a tremendous love to play the game. He brought a skill set and I watched it develop for four years. He had a great sophomore year, bounced back from adversity as a junior, and pushed himself to a whole new level this year,” said Russo. “Kyle also led by example. He was quiet and soft spoken. He worked hard at goaltending and had a tremendous focus. He played through injuries and started every game since he joined the team sophomore year. The last two years, he’s had a great ability to play well in the big games and make big saves. He played against someone who was touted as the best goalie in DII in [a victory versus New Fairfield-Immaculate in the conference semis] and then stopped East Haven and their high-powered offense in the final. He also made big saves in the state final that allowed us to regroup. Both guys have an enthusiasm for playing that is contagious.”
Also contributing with their leadership for the Indians this year were senior defenseman Austin Booth and fellow senior Nick DiRaffaele, a forward.
“It’s a nice challenge for each senior class to lead their team to success and this senior class has helped the team reach new heights,” said Coach Russo. “Austin had a remarkable year. He picked up his game in the playoffs with great intensity. He’s a strong skater and defensive forward who was smart with the puck and kept other teams in check. Nick didn’t have too much playing time, but he was a great leader in the locker room, and led the team cheer before each game. He had a willingness to work hard every day.”
Joining Sandella on the All-SCC/SWC and All-State DII squads were Second Team selections in sophomore forwards John Delucia (68 points on 35 goals and 33 assists) and Jack Ring (team-leading 71 points with 32 goals and 39 assists), who were both Sandella’s linemates. For the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Senior and Junior Select All-Star games, Dwyer competed in the Senior game, while junior defenseman Joe Neleber played in the Junior game that Russo coached in.
In terms of team awards, Dwyer was named Guilford’s Most Valuable Player and also won the Hobey Baker Character Award winner, first-year player Ring was Rookie of the Year and took home the Fred Rosa Award as the squad’s high scorer for the season, DiRaffaele was presented with the Spirit Award, Delucia won the Sportsmanship Award, Most Improved Player went to Booth and freshman goalie Kieran Dall, and Best Defensive Player was shared between several defensemen in freshman Jack Kane, sophomore Cam Bagnall, junior Tom Cattaneo, and Neleber.
In closing, Coach Russo said that couldn’t be any prouder of what Guilford accomplished this season. The Indians stamped their legacy on the program by committing themselves to work hard from the first practice through their final game, leading to them hoisting what they had chased since December: a state championship plaque.
“It’s amazing what they accomplished this year. They won their first conference title and won 21 games, the most for a single season in the program’s history. It was also nice for it to all happen in our 35th year as a varsity program,” said Russo. “We had a great defensive unit that put teams in check. We had a first unit in Ricky, John, and Jack that combined for 197 points, which is phenomenal. It was a privilege for me to coach and witness great hockey this year and see them accomplish the ultimate goal for each team every year.”
From the Sidelines
Ralph Russo finished his 15th year as the head coach of the Indians’ boys’ ice hockey squad. Bill Graves was Guilford’s assistant coach for this season.
Guilford’s prior state final appearances came in 2011 (Division II), 2010 (Division III), and 1994 (Division II). The Indians lost 3-1 to Cheshire in 2011, defeated Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury 7-3 in 2010, and beat East Windsor-Ellington-Somers 8-1 in 1994.
In the first two rounds of the Division II State Tournament, Guilford defeated No. 13 Trumbull 6-2 for the opener and then beat No. 5 Farmington Valley 9-6 in the quarterfinals. The Indians then downed No. 9 South Windsor 3-2 in the semifinals.