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12/25/2017 11:00 PMThe winter of 2017 in East Haven was highlighted by some major accomplishments from junior Kylie Schlottman and freshman Nick Capone, who helped their respective girls’ basketball and boys’ ice hockey squads have great campaigns. Elsewhere, Antonio Lieto was the champion of the 113-pound weight class at the SCC Championship, while Niam Coward reached the State Open in the shot put.
Girls’ Basketball
The Yellowjackets’ girls’ basketball team put together an excellent season this winter, finishing with an overall record of 18-6 that included a SCC Quinnipiac Division title, as well as appearances in both the SCC and Class M State tournaments. The Yellowjackets defeated West Haven in the first round of SCCs before losing to Hamden. In states, East Haven beat Wilcox Tech and then dropped its second-round contest against Waterford.
During the season, junior Kylie Schlottman scored her 1,000th career point, and she also broke the school record for points in a season by scoring 460. For her performance this year, Schlottman was not only selected as East Haven’s Most Valuable Player, she was also named the SCC Player of the Year and was an All-SCC First Team, New Haven Register All-Area, and All-State recipient.
Junior Olivia Coyle made the All-SCC First Team and the All-State Third Team despite missing time with an injury. Freshman Alexis Pendziwater broke the school record for three-pointers made in a season with 52.
Boys’ Basketball
East Haven finished with a record of 3-17 for the campaign. The Yellowjackets earned wins against Law by the final scores of 65-45 and 61-40, as well as 63-48 victory versus Platt Tech. The Easties forced overtime in a game at Shelton in what was ultimately a nine-point loss.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The East Haven’ boys’ ice hockey team found its offensive groove early and often throughout the 2017-’18 winter season, resulting in a 19-5 overall record. The Easties, who won the SCC/SWC Division II regular-season title, earned the top seed in both the SCC/SWC DII Tournament and Division II State Tournament. The team shut out Watertown-Pomperaug 3-0 in the conference semis before taking a 3-2 overtime loss to Guilford in the final. East Haven went on to blow out Amity 8-0 in the first round of states, after which the Yellowjackets lost 1-0 against South Windsor in the quarterfinals.
Offensively, East Haven was a special team that scored 150 goals and was led by a great first line that featured senior captain Joe Aloi and star freshmen Nick Capone and Jake Aloi. Senior defender Matt Latella also logged big minutes, while freshman netminder Logan Hamilton wrapped up the year with a 12-2 record in goal.
Capone led the state with 88 points on 40 goals and 48 assists. He was named All-SCC/SWC Division II First Team, the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) All-State First Team, and the New Haven Register All-Area and All-State teams. To cap off his phenomenal year, Capone was drafted 38th overall by the Bloomington Thunder in the United State Hockey League Draft.
There were three other award recipients for the Yellowjackets. Joe Aloi and Latella were both All-SCC/SWC Division II First Team, CHSCA All-State First Team, All-Area, and Register All-State Second Team, while Jake Aloi was CHSCA Division II Second Team and Register All-State Third Team.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
In the team’s first season known as the Wings, the Branford-East Haven-North Branford girls’ ice hockey squad finished with an overall record of 8-11-1.
East Haven resident Julia SanGiovanni, a junior goalkeeper, made the All-SCC First Team and was also an All-State honoree for Head Coach Jack Norton’s squad. Junior Emmy Norton, a North Branford resident, earned All-SCC Second Team distinction.
Wrestling
East Haven put forth a solid winter season with quality results in its postseason competitions. Antonio Lieto led the charge at the SCC Championship by winning the 113-pound division to claim an All-SCC First Team spot. Alex Tapia went All-SCC Second Team in the 138 division for the Yellowjackets, who finished sixth overall as a team.
At the Class M State Championship, East Haven finished ninth overall as top performances came from Lieto, Joe Milano, Victor Garcia, Damien Benway, and Tanner Divito. Garcia, Devito, Milan, and Benway also competed at the State Open for the Easties.
Boys’ Indoor Track
Niam Coward made it to the State Open Championship in the shot put for East Haven this year. At the SCC West Sectional Championship, Coward won the shot put with a throw of 43 feet-5.75 inches as the Yellowjackets finished in ninth place. Coward’s toss of 46 feet-4.25 inches at the Class M Championship earned him a third-place finish. His career-best throw of 46-6 was good for an eighth-place finish at the State Open.
Girls’ Indoor Track
The Yellowjackets finished in ninth place at the SCC West Sectional Championship, led by Sydney Marquardt with her fourth-place finishes in the pole vault and long jump. Molly Mazzucco finished sixth in the high jump, while the Yellowjackets’ 4x400 relay team of Katie Maffeo, Olivia Turek, Paige Maffeo, and Mazzucco placed sixth.
Cheerleading
The Yellowjackets finished in fourth place in the All-Girl Division of the SCC Championship, where East Haven’s Alexa Battaglino and Alexis DeMarco were recognized as All-Conference performers. The fourth-place finish marked the best in program history for the Easties at the SCC Championship meet.