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04/07/2018 12:00 AMFor the 32nd time in his 32 seasons as head coach of the Yellowjackets’ boys’ ice hockey team, Lou Pane guided the Easties into the State Tournament during the recent winter season. This year was different, though, because it was the first time that East Haven fielded a co-op squad as athletes from a few other towns along the shoreline joined the program. Coach Pane confirmed that the co-op would remain intact for next season.
“This is the first year we ever co-oped. We had four co-op players, and they fit in so nicely. They were really hard workers and brought a breath of fresh air,” said Pane. “The chemistry was great, and we couldn’t ask for more. We became a team right off the bat as they fit in. You couldn’t ask for more from the out-of-town kids for the job they did. It’s nice having those guys with us.”
East Haven had a solid first half of the season and posted a record of 6-3-1 through its first 10 games. The Yellowjackets then clinched their 32nd consecutive State Tournament berth with a 4-2 victory versus Woodstock Academy on Feb. 20.
“That’s one of the two goals we set for the year. Our first goal is to make the State Tournament, which we were successful. It’s our 32nd straight, and that’s a credit to the kids that have come through the program and are in the program now. We’ve been fortunate enough to have kids willing to sacrifice and do what it takes to have the determination to fulfill those goals,” Coach Pane said. “I look back and admire the guys. We have a sign in my office that says ‘Tradition Never Graduates.’ We’ve been fortunate to keep that in the office, and that’s the mojo we go with. We’ve been successful with that.”
East Haven finished the regular season with a record of 9-10-1. As the No. 12 seed in the Division II State Tournament, the Yellowjackets took a 3-1 loss to 5th-seeded North Branford in a first-round contest.
“We outshot them at their place, and their goaltender saved the game for them,” Pane said. “I said to the team when we left, ‘Sometimes, this game is unfair, because tonight the better team did not win.’ We were better that night, but they scored more goals, even though we outplayed them.”
Goaltender Matt Twarowski earned All-SCC/SWC Division II First Team, All-State First Team, and All-Area honors for the Easties this year. The senior captain posted a goals-against average of 2.33 and recorded a .920 save percentage on the season.
“Matt had a great season for us. He kept us in games and singlehandedly won games for us,” Pane said. “He did an outstanding job and, every night we came in, he gave us a chance to win. That’s why our goals-against was down this year.”
Unfortunately, East Haven struggled at the other end of the ice as the team scored just 45 goals for the season. Senior captain Zach Paquin and senior alternate captain Matt Henderson led the team with 17 points apiece. Henderson and seniors Alec Speirs and Jean-Luc Bolduc were the Old Lyme residents who played for the Yellowjackets this year, while Old Saybrook senior Charlie Carlo also joined the club.
“Some years, you coach a bunch of kids that are scorers. This year, we struggled to score goals at times,” Pane said. “We didn’t have a guy that had over a point per game for us. You have to weigh in on a defensive style of play so you’re going to play in low-scoring, tight games where you hope you win by a goal or two.”
Although the offense may not have been there this year, Coach Pane noted the grittiness of his team and said that several players put together great campaigns. Speirs scored four game-winning goals, Carlo played both offense and defense effectively, while senior captain CJ Teto, junior Chris Giglietti, sophomore Joe Consiglio, and freshman Rocco Plano all worked hard and logged plenty of quality minutes throughout the season.
This type of effort resulted in Coach Pane’s two favorite games of the year: a 3-2 overtime win at home over Cheshire on Jan. 6 and a 2-1 road victory versus West Haven on Jan. 13.
“Any time you beat West Haven at West Haven, not many teams do that throughout the year,” Pane said. “We had some special nights, and those are some things I like to think about with this year’s team.”
Looking ahead to next year, East Haven will need some new players to step up as half of its roster is graduating. Fortunately for the Yellowjackets, goalie Logan Hamilton will return following his stint with the Junior Hartford Wolfpack to shore up the goaltending situation with the graduation of Twarowski.
“We’re happy to say Logan Hamilton is coming back,” Pane said. “That’ll solidify us in goal. We’re looking for other guys to pitch in so we can be competitive next year.”
From the Sidelines
The senior captains for the Yellowjackets this season were Matt Twarowski, CJ Teto, and Zach Paquin, while Matt Henderson was an alternate captain. The other seniors on the team were Charlie Carlo, Joe Pappacoda, Michael Astorino, Mani Finola, and Mike Moscato.
The Yellowjackets’ wins this year came against Staples (4-0), Cheshire (3-2 in overtime), Hand (5-3), West Haven (2-1 in overtime), Milford (4-0), Newtown (9-3), Woodstock Academy (5-2 and 4-2), and Westhill-Stamford (4-2).
East Haven lost to Farmington (6-0), New Milford (4-1), Guilford (6-2), Hall-Southington (3-0 and 4-2), Amity (2-1 in overtime), Branford (2-0), New Fairfield-Immaculate (2-0), North Branford (3-1), North Haven (3-0), and North Branford (3-1 in the Division II State Tournament). East Haven also earned a 1-1 tie with Watertown-Pomperaug.