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01/05/2019 11:00 PMThe Branford boys’ ice hockey team was on the ice for three games last week and came away with two victories and a tie to improve to 4-1-2 this season. The Hornets posted a 5-0 shutout in Milford, earned a 5-1 road win over Cheshire, and then battled New Fairfield-Immaculate to a 2-2 draw in home game in last week’s action. Head Coach Jim DiNapoli’s team is riding a six-game unbeaten streak since losing its season opener.
Branford began the week by hitting the road to square off against SCC/SWC opponent Milford on Dec. 29. The Hornets won the game in convincing fashion by blanking the hosts 5-0 at Milford Ice Pavilion. Senior Rob Lionetti and junior Blake Kustra both scored two goals for the Hornets, who saw sophomore goalie Jared Yakimoff make eight saves for his second straight shutout in net. Yakimoff had previously made 49 saves when Branford notched a 2-0 shutout in West Haven on Dec. 26.
In the Milford game, Lionetti scored the game’s first goal on assists from sophomore Billy Linder and junior Zach Jones to give Branford a 1-0 lead with 10:32 left in the first period. At the 3:35 mark of the second period, Kustra scored from Jones and Linder to make it 2-0. Lionetti followed with an unassisted goal to increase the lead to 3-0 with 9:36 remaining in the period. Just 40 seconds into the third period, Kustra scored a goal on an assist from senior Max Bunton for a 4-0 advantage. Junior Spencer Engstrom scored with 19 seconds left in the game to put a bow on the 5-0 victory.
On Jan. 3, Branford recorded its fourth straight win with a 5-1 victory versus Cheshire in a conference game at Wesleyan University. Junior Jack Manware netted a pair of goals for Branford in the first period. Kustra scored three goals in a row for a natural hat trick during the third period as the Hornets cruised to the 5-1 win. Bunton handed out three assists for the Hornets.
Manware scored from Jones with 5:49 to go in the opening period to stake Branford to a 1-0 lead. Manware scored a goal on a Bunton assist just three minutes later to give the Hornets a 2-0 edge that they held through the second period. At the 3:23 mark of the third, Kustra scored a goal on assists from Manware and Lionetti to make it 3-0. A little less than three minutes later, Kustra scored his second goal from Bunton to give Branford a 4-0 advantage. Then with 3:19 left in the game, Kustra completed his natural hat trick by scoring his third straight goal of the period to make the score 5-0. Bunton and Engstrom had the assists. Cheshire scored its only goal of the game with 21 seconds remaining for the 5-1 final. Yakimoff stopped 23 shots to get another win in goal for Coach DiNapoli’s squad.
“I’m pleased with the effort of our club at this point of the season. Our confidence has been growing steadily,” said DiNapoli. “It’s rewarding to see the progression that all the boys are making. It’s a good group to be around. They come to the rink and are ready to compete, day in and day out.”
Branford closed out its week by picking up a point with a 2-2 tie against New Fairfield-Immaculate (NF-I) in a non-conference matchup at Northford Ice Pavilion on Jan. 5. Bunton scored from Engstrom to put the Hornets up 1-0 with 3:52 remaining in the second period. NF-I tied the game by scoring a goal with 5:57 to play in the third. With 3:43 to go, Jones scored from Manware to give Branford a 2-1 lead. NF-I scored the tying goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. Yakimoff had 21 saves in net for Branford.