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12/27/2017 11:00 PMGirls’ Ice Hockey
The Hand-Coginchaug-Old Lyme (H-C-O) girls’ ice hockey team is now 3-1 after recording back-to-back victories.
The Tigers routed Masuk-Barlow-Newtown-Oxford-Bethel 9-0 on Dec. 20. H-C-O dominated this game from start to finish. Coming off a tough 1-0 loss to West Haven-Sacred Heart Academy, the Tigers got offensive contributions from everywhere, with 13 players picking up at least one point. Anna Sather started the scoring 38 seconds into the game and completed her hat trick with 3:18 remaining in the game. Kaitlyn Sandor netted two goals, and her sister Jacqui Sandor added three assists. Skylar Rascati and Sarah Conroy picked up a goal and assist each. Kylie Gargiulo earned a shutout in goal in her first start of the season for the Tigers.
“I’m very proud of the way this team bounced back after a tough loss. We wanted to improve our starts, and we definitely got off to a great start scoring a goal in the first minute today,” said Head Coach Ray Lilley. “Even with a 6-0 lead after two, we didn’t sit back and relax either. They were relentless all over the ice and kept on the attack through the final buzzer. It’s definitely good to see a nine-goal outburst after being shutout. Even more promising is that we got contributions from all over the lineup. We can really build off a win like this and ride the momentum into our next game, and then into a tough January, where we have 11 games.”
The Tigers then edged out Guilford 2-1 on Dec. 27. Guilford got on the board first when Lily Mackey slipped one past Carina Mancini midway through the second period, but only 16 seconds later, Sydney Ogden tied the game off a feed from Grace Lavin from behind the net. Later on, Jacqui Sandor took a pass from Jacqueline McKeown and scored to put Hand on top for good just 29 seconds into the third. Behind Mancini’s 24 saves and many key face-off wins down the stretch, the Tigers held off a late Guilford push to win the game. H-C-O killed off four Indians’ power plays in the victory.
“We were a little out of sorts tonight and looked uncomfortable in our first road game of the season. It took a goal halfway through the game to really wake us up, and the quick strike right after was definitely good to see,” Coach Lilley said. “We saw a lot of great things tonight that don’t show up on the scoresheet, and you can’t win close games without those types of contributions. Whether it was some clutch face-off wins by Grace Lavin, strong and steady play on defense from Grace Doheny, Sam Rodham, and Lilly D’Ancicco, or going 4-for-4 on penalty kills, I really think that this is going to be a game that we look back at later in the season and say that this game helped us get through some other tough battles at the end of close games. That was a frustrating game, and we could have easily just rolled over and called it a night, but these girls really wanted to beat their rivals. It was an ugly win, but still a win, and a win on the road, so overall, we have to be pleased with taking another step forward.”
Boys’ Ice Hockey
Hand now sports a record of 2-3 after recently completing a busy four-game stretch.
The Tigers first blanked Shepaug Valley-Litchfield-Thomaston-Nonnewaug 4-0 on Dec. 20. Hand then took its first loss of the season by a 5-1 final versus Amity on Dec. 22, before losing a 4-3 contest against Staples the next day. Finally, Hand took an 8-0 loss to Lyman Hall/Haddam-Killingworth/Coginchaug on Dec. 27.
In the 4-0 win, Paul Gagliardi had two goals and two assists, while Griffin Fitzmaurice had a goal and helper for the Tigers. A quick score by Gagliardi opened the door for Hand. Fitzmaurice added his second goal of the season later in the first period. After another goal by Gagliardi, Sid Feld closed out the scoring with his first of the season at the 14:25 mark of the third.
“We have been working on puck confidence and puck control, and so it was good to see the team come out and do what they should do and control the game by controlling the puck,” said Head Coach Luke Galvin. “It was a good effort. The players played a complementary style. Now, we have to continue to build on this effort.”
In the Amity game, the Spartans led 2-0 after one period and held a 5-0 advantage through two on their way to the win.
Facing Staples, Hand and the Wreckers played to a 1-1 standstill at the first intermission. Hand used a shorthanded goal to take a 3-1 unto the third, but Staples took advantage of some Tigers’ mistakes to score three goals in the final period for the one-goal win.
Closing out the stretch, the Tigers fell behind Lyman Hall/H-K/Coginchaug 7-0 after two periods in an 8-0 defeat.
Wrestling
The Tigers are now 2-0 on the campaign after nailing down a victory over Cheshire.
Hand recorded an 84-0 shutout victory over Cheshire on Dec. 20. Pinfall victories for the Tigers came from Kyle Davern in the 120-pound weight class at the 1:12 mark, along with Dylan Brochard (126, at 0:37), Seamus Moriarty (160, at 4:42), Alec Dube (182, at 1:50), and Matt Derken (220, at 0:34). The following athletes also picked up wins via forfeit for Hand: Sam Stein (106), Jack Pireaux (113), Mark Hartmann (132), Will Sobran (138), Charles Jensen (145), Brendan Curran (152), Andrew Westphal (170), Sam Docker (195), and Van Docker (285).
Boys’ Basketball
Hand began its year by dropping decisions against East Lyme and Amity.
The Tigers took a 63-52 defeat to East Lyme on Dec. 19 in their season opener. Graeme McGivern had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Flynn Driscoll added a dozen points and six boards. Hand trailed 32-11 midway through the second quarter and then cut the deficit to three in the third, before Amity East Lyme pulled away.
Three days later, Hand dropped a 57-36 decision versus Amity.
Boys’ Indoor Track
The Tigers took part in the SCC Developmental Meet on Dec. 19 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven.
Top event finishes for Hand included Russell Powell for the 55-meter hurdles (3rd, 8.73), Caleb Nugent in the high jump (5th, 5-6), Ethan McMahon for the long jump (6th, 19-4), the 4x200 relay of Ameen Parks, Ryley Brohel, Greyson McGeary, and McMahon (7th, 1:40.66); the 4x800 grouping of Jaime Calderon, Nick Porte, Hunter Singewald, and Ben Opstrup (7th, 8:58.03); Porte in the 1,000 (13th, 2:50.28), Bryce Myers in the pole vault (13th, 8-6), Parks in the 55 (24th, 7.04), Connor Parthasarthy for the 600 (27th, 1:37.20), Leo Rupp-Coppi in the 3,200 (32nd, 11:46.69), and Mac McDonald in the shot put (41st, 30-0).
Girls’ Indoor Track
Hand competed in a SCC Developmental Meet at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Dec. 18
The Tigers’ top showings were delivered by Rachel Parthasarthy in the 1,000 (4th, 3:20.58), the 4x200 relay of Hayley Dean, Kayla Howard, Harmon, and Bridget Phillips (5th, 1:54.35); Gabrielle Harmon for the 600 (6th, 1:49.52), Elinor Laffargue in the 55 (13th, 7.95), Jade Law in the 3,200 (18th, 13:19.85), Angelina Ivanova for the 55 hurdles (56th, 13.69).
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
The Tigers opened up their season with a 3-0 record after defeating North Haven (92-85), West Haven (87-75), and Holy Cross (102-83) on Dec. 19, 22, and 27, respectively.
Facing North Haven, Hand’s 200 medley relay of Nate Imbergamo, Paul O’Connor, Beecher Porter, and Dylan Merritt finished in first place. Finn Hamblett (2:03.02) and Dylan Cassidy (2:05.75) took second and third, respectively, in the 200 freestyle. Dylan Merritt (2:16.36) and Sean Laragy (2:22.00) were first and third, respectively, in the 200 individual medley. In the 50 free, Dan Chen placed first with a time of 24.80 and Jake Beiner was the runner-up with a 25.47. The Tigers’ diving lineup of Mary Huminski, Jess Murphy, and Grace Goddard swept the competition by placing 1-2-3, respectively. Laragy finished strong with a win in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:02.48, and Ryan Harvey was close behind with a 1:02.75. Imbergamo swam a personal-best of 53.67 in the 100 free to place second with a 53.67, while Liam Pavlovic finished third with a 1:00.01. Porter and Cassidy placed second and third, respectively, in the 500 free with impressive opening-season swims of 5:10.44 from Porter and 5:45.09 from Cassidy. The 200 freestyle relay team of Chen, Laragy, Paul O’Connor, and Chris Wu also took the top spot. Other notable performances were Hamblett’s 100 backstroke time of 1:03.15 and Pavolovic’s mark of 1:13.35 in the 100 breaststroke.
Hand dominated in its victory against West Haven, taking first place in every event except the 50 freestyle. The 200 medley relay team of Dan Smyth, Paul O’Connor, Laragy and Tyler Merritt took first with a time of 1:50.46. Hamblett, Matt Sanford, and Eric Swenson finished first, second, and third, respectively, in the 200 free. Laragy had a strong showing in the 200 IM by taking first with a time of 2:19.86. Beiner and Rowan O’Connor placed second and fourth, respectively, in the 50 free. Ryan Harvey captured his first high school win in the 100 butterfly by swimming a time of 1:02.68. Paul O’Connor a took first in the 100 free with a time of 53.16. Additionally, Wu won the 500 free, Hamblett took first in the 100 backstroke, and Pavlovic prevailed in the 100 breaststroke.