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12/15/2018 11:00 PMBoys’ Ice Hockey
The Hand boys’ ice hockey team started off a new era in triumphant fashion by earning a victory in its first game of the year. The Tigers hosted the Shepaug-Litchfield-Nonnewaug-Thomaston co-op squad and prevailed by the final score of 4-1 at Northford Ice Pavilion on Dec. 12.
Josh Ruotolo scored two goals for the Tigers, who are entering their first campaign with Head Coach Brian Gonsalves. Michael McKeon scored a goal to go with an assist, while Kevin Sandor handed out two assists in the win. Eric Dillner made 14 saves in net for Hand.
“It felt good to get the first one out of the way. The boys have been working hard since the preseason, and it was nice to see that hard work pay off tonight,” said Gonsalves. “Dillner was great between the pipes. He came up huge for us in the opening minute stopping a breakaway. It allowed us to settle down and get our game going. [The game] could have been completely different if he doesn’t come up big there.”
Last year, Hand finished with an overall record of 5-17. The Tigers competed in the SCC/SWC Division III Tournament, as well as in the Division III State Tournament.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
Hand took a loss against West Haven-Sacred Heart Academy (WH-SHA) in its second game of the season last week. The Tigers dropped a 6-0 decision to WH-SHA and are 0-2 to start the year.
Eric Roy begins his debut campaign as Hand’s head coach this winter. Last season, the Tigers finished at 10-11-1 overall, while qualifying for both their Conference and State tournaments.
Girls’ Basketball
The Tigers lost a contest versus defending Class M state champion East Haven in their 2018-’19 season opener. Hand began the year by dropping a 59-37 decision to the Yellowjackets on Dec. 11. Sara Wohlgemuth scored a game-high 19 points, while Taya Akers chipped in with points 11 for the Tigers.
East Haven led from wire-to-wire in its home opener as Hand struggled to hit shots early on. A spinning layup from Wohlgemuth late in the first quarters brought the Tigers within one, but East Haven closed the period with a 5-0 run to take a 19-13 lead into the second. The two teams kept it close throughout the game, with East Haven taking an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter. In the final frame, the Yellowjackets outscored Hand by a 16-2 margin on their way to the 22-point victory.
“We knew we had a tall order right out of the gate when we got scheduled to visit defending state champion East Haven on Opening Night. They’re always tough, well-coached, and feature [senior guard and Nebraska commit Makenzie Helms],” Head Coach Tim Tredwell said. “Meanwhile, we’re [featuring] a lineup with four sophomores and two freshmen seeing significant minutes...Not an ideal result to kick off the season, but we will learn from it, and move forward.”
Last season, Coach Tredwell and the Tigers finished with an overall record of 22-5 after reaching the semifinals of both the SCC Tournament and the Class L State Tournament.