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Valley Hockey Squad Loses in First Round of State Tourney

The East Haven-Old Lyme-Old Saybrook-East Hampton-Morgan-Valley Regional (EH-OL-OS-EH-M-VR) co-op boys’ ice hockey squad lost a 5-3 decision versus Watertown-Pomperaug (W-P) in the first round of the Division II State Tournament on March 5. The Yellowjackets, who were playing in states for the 33rd year in a row, posted an overall record of 9-11-2 on the season.

The 17th-seeded Yellowjackets had top-seeded W-P on the ropes late in the game, but the Indians scored the final three goals of the night to win it. East Haven got on the board thanks to a goal from sophomore Dave Amatruda, and the two teams were locked in a 1-1 tie after the first period.

Following a scoreless second period, Watertown-Pomperaug scored a goal to go up 2-1 in the third. EH-OL-OS-EH-M-VR responded by netting two goals in 40 seconds to take a 3-2 lead. Valley Regional senior Ricky Persico and Morgan sophomore Ryan Egan scored the goals.

W-P tied the game with 2:45 remaining and then took a 3-2 lead by scoring another goal with 1:08 to play. The Indians added one more goal on an empty-netter to get the 5-3 victory and advance to the quarterfinals. Junior Logan Hamilton made 21 saves for the Yellowjackets, who outshot W-P by a 29-25 margin.

—PJ Foti