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12/08/2018 11:00 PMThe Wings’ girls’ ice hockey team is featuring a different look as it begins a new season. After forming a co-op squad with players from Branford, East Haven, and North Branford the last four years, the Wings will be flying without anyone from East Haven this winter. High-scoring forward Juliana Constantinople and goalkeeper Julia SanGiovanni are among the East Haven residents who are no longer competing for Head Coach Jack Norton’s club, which bid farewell to 14 athletes from last year’s team that finished with a record of 18-4, while advancing to the semifinals of both the Southern Connecticut Conference and State tournaments.
The good news is that the Wings were able to bring a few new people aboard this year by forming a co-op with two schools from Wallingford. The Wings have two athletes from Lyman Hall High School and two students who go to Sheehan on their roster for the 2018-’19 campaign. Coach Norton is looking for these newcomers to mesh with the returning veterans in order to help the Wings remain a part of the playoff conversation.
“One goal is to get back into the SCC Tournament, and another goal is to qualify for the State Tournament, and I think we can do that. The entire league looks pretty balanced, and there are lot of teams that are going to be competitive. There should be a lot of one- and two-goal games this year,” said Norton, who’s in his fifth season as the team’s head coach. “We had a good group the last four years, and we knew it was going to be a challenge after saying good-bye to 14 kids, which is like losing a whole team. But all the coaches are excited about getting this year started, and we’re looking forward to this new chapter.”
The Wings are being led by a senior captain trio that features one athlete from each town. The team’s captains are North Branford student Brianna Raccio, a defender; Branford resident Kelly Tiernan, who plays forward; and Shannon Sauter, a defender who attends Sheehan. Raccio and Tiernan are both four-year veterans of the program, and Coach Norton believes their experience will prove huge plus this season.
“Brianna and Kelly have been with the team for four years, so they understand the program and the way we do things,” Norton said. “Brianna leads by example and is a tough competitor on the ice. Kelly is certainly a leader in the locker room who brings along the younger kids and helps them quite a bit. Shannon is new to the team, but is clearly a leader, too, and a very vocal and positive kid.”
The Wings are also leaning on two veteran players from North Branford, as well as a pair of Branford students who return with plenty of ice time under their belts. Melanie Norton will once again be a key member of the defensive corps, while fellow North Branford junior Emma Sheehan is back at the forward position for the Wings. Branford juniors Sophia Caturano and Gianna Benni, who both play forward, will also be relied upon to help produce points for Coach Norton’s squad.
“Melanie will be on the ice quite a bit. She’s a solid defender and a tough battler who’s very firm on her feet. Emma is a fast skater who’s also solid on her feet. She shoots the puck well and can score goals,” said Norton, who’s assisted by Dom Odice and Greg Thompson. “Sophia is a creative player who’s nifty with the puck. She can pass it into tight areas and she also scores goals. Gianna will be seeing more time minutes on the ice than in the past. We’ll be counting on her to step up her game a little bit this year.”
The other North Branford residents on this year’s team include seniors Jordan Regan (forward) and Emily Neubig (defender), along with freshmen Nolan Brustman (defender), Sophia Jara (forward), Meagan Montenaro (forward), and Maddie Montenaro (forward/defender). Meagan Montenaro scored both goals for the Wings when they took a 5-2 loss against Avon-Southington-East Granby-RHAM in their season opener at Newington Ice Arena on Dec. 8.
Seniors Brenna Thorpe (forward), Olivia Thompson (forward), and Sam Harrington (defender) are among the other Branford students on the squad, in addition to freshman forward Isla Lionetti.
Lyman Hall junior Kristina Meadows will serve as the Wings’ starting goalie this season. Lyman Hall sophomore Ashleen Keating and fellow forward Molly Donegan, a sophomore from Sheehan, are the other Wallingford residents who have joined the team.
While there are still some question marks surrounding this year’s edition of the Wings, Coach Norton said there is no question about how hard his players are working to help the team continue its recent run of success.
“They are putting in the effort. We always preach that everyone puts in as much effort as they can and gives 100 percent when they step on the ice for those 45 seconds to a minute for their shift,” said Norton. “Early on, I have seen some real positive things at practice. We didn’t hear much talking the first few practices, but now, the kids are starting to jell and talk to each other more as the speed of our practices has picked up. The intangibles are there.”