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01/06/2018 11:00 PMOn the heels of a banner season, the Guilford boys’ ice hockey squad had to go back to the drawing board after graduating some cornerstone players from last year’s team. However, thus far this winter, the Indians have seen plenty of positives and are penciling in the victories.
Last winter, Head Coach Ralph Russo’s club finished with a mark of 21-5, setting the program record for victories in a season. In the playoffs, Guilford won all six of its games to win both postseason tournaments. 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 behind 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.
This season, the Indians currently stand with a 4-1 record following three straight victories, most recently an 8-3 win over West Haven on Jan. 6. Coach Russo explained that even with a solid opening to the campaign, Guilford still has to experiment in order to find its best lineup.
“We have returned important pieces, especially in the scoring position,” said Russo. “[Junior forwards] John Delucia and Jack Ring have done a good amount of our scoring so far. [Seniors] Joe Neleber and Tom Cattaneo have been anchoring our defense. We’re still working hard to find consistency in play and looking for the best combinations of players out there. We want to be playing our best hockey at the end of the year.”
Leading the troops alongside forward Delucia is senior co-captain defenseman Neleber. While each athlete brings his own strengths to the rink, they both know that they need to put in the long hours when the pads are off in order to better themselves and their teammates.
“Since his freshman year, Joe has been consistently involved on and off the ice, along with his offseason training. He’s worked hard to make himself a competitive player. He has a lot of natural ability, but he’s learning to challenge himself to get better,” said Coach Russo. “John has a tremendous competitive spirit and athleticism. He’s excelled at lacrosse and hockey and makes the people around him better. He also knows when to be offensive minded and then when to be defensive minded.”
The Indians welcome back a strong core of players from their championship roster of a year ago with Cattaneo on defense, along with Ring at forward, junior Jake Watrous at center, and sophomore Jack Dacey as forward. Coach Russo said that all of those athletes are strong in terms of how they control the pace of the puck.
“Tom is a tremendous competitor. With his experience, he helps with the tempo of the game and keeps the defense mindful of what they need to do,” said Russo. “Jack Ring is an outstanding playmaker. He controls the tempo of the game, which gives us offensive opportunities and limits them for our opponents. Jake has worked hard in the offseason and is very good at faceoffs. He brings a high energy level. Jack Dacey is versatile and has a good shot. He brings a physical presence on the ice and he also dictates the tempo of the game.”
Guilford displays great depth across its roster by welcoming newer faces who figure to play pivotal parts in the Indians’ quest for success. Among those athletes are senior forwards Lucas Napolitano and Luke Faulkner-Filosa, junior defensemen James Petritz and Liam Murphy, junior forwards/defensemen Mike Letourneau and Greg Litvyn, fellow junior Xander Mason-Mann, and freshman forwards Zach Woxland, Zach Sperry, and Ethan Bertrand. Following the graduation of goalie Kyle Dwyer, the Indians’ keepers this season are senior Mete Yanbul, senior Will Boender, and sophomore Alex Attruia.
“James has been helping us on defense, along with Mike and Greg, who both switch between defense and forward. Liam has also been working hard in the preseason and first few games. Zach Woxland has earned a lot of playing time, and we have been using Zach Sperry and Ethan to see how they work with the experienced players,” Russo said. “Lucas has made a big impression so far in playing wing. He plays a smart game, he’s big and strong, and we look for some rebound goals from him. Xander is also a quick skater. Luke is willing to play forward, defense, or goalkeeper We have two guys competing for goaltender. Mete is out No. 1 guy right now. He started three of our first four games. Alex missed some time the last few years with injuries, but both guys are competitive in net, and we want them to keep pushing each other.”
The Indians defeated Cape Elizabeth, Maine by a 6-5 final on Dec. 28. Delucia netted a hat trick, and Guilford’s other goals were scored Watrous, Dacey, and Cattaneo. Dacey and Watrous handed out two assists, and the others came from Delucia, Ring, Neleber, and Woxland. Attruia made 23 saves as the Indians outshot Cape Elizabeth 44-28.
Coach Russo said the daily expectation for his athletes this year is to come to work every day ready to put their best foot forward, while never applying the brakes.
“We want the guys to be competitive in games, and you have to compete every day in practice to do so,” said Coach Russo. “We want them to compete to get better If we do all those things, we will be a better team.”
From the Sidelines
Ralph Russo is now in his 17th year as head coach for the Guilford boys’ ice hockey team.
Bill Graves is the assistant coach for the Indians this season.
Earlier in the season, Guilford defeated Trinity Catholic 10-5 on Dec. 16, lost a 4-3 overtime decision to North Branford on Dec. 20, and edged Yarmouth, Maine 3-2 on Dec. 27.