Printer Friendly Version - Branford Boys’ Hockey Notches 12th Victory; Girls’ Basketball Defeats Foran

Senior Jack Manware had two goals and an assist to help the Hornets dispatch the Eastern CT Eagles by a 6-3 score last week. Branford now stands with a record of 12-1-1 on the year. File photo by Susan Lambert/The Sound

The Branford boys’ ice hockey team hosted the Eastern CT Eagles for a non-conference game at Northford Ice Pavilion on Feb. 8. The Hornets claimed a 6-3 victory to improve their overall record to 12-1-1 this winter.

Senior Jack Manware and junior Dan Farricelli both had two goals with an assist, while senior Spencer Engstrom had a goal with two assists for Branford in the win. Engstrom scored from senior Jack Manware and Farricelli to give Branford a 1-0 lead 3:54 into the game. A little more than a minute later, Manware scored on an Engstrom assist to make it 2-0 after one.

Early in the second period, Farricelli scored from senior Chris Donadio and Engstrom for a 3-0 Hornets’ advantage. The Eagles got on the board to make it 3-1, but Branford answered when Manware scored on an assist by Donadio to increase the lead to 4-1 with 6:57 left in the period. About a minute later, Farricelli scored an unassisted goal to give the Hornets a 5-1 lead.

Branford took a 5-2 lead into the third period. Just 1:01 into the frame, freshman Matt Morgan scored an unassisted goal to give the Hornets a four-goal cushion in an eventual 6-3 victory. Junior goalie Jared Yakimoff made 18 saves for Branford.

The Branford-East Haven-North Branford (B-EH-NB) girls’ ice hockey squad took three home losses in recent action. The Wings have a record of 3-12-1 on the season.

On Feb. 1, B-EH-NB dropped a 4-2 decision to Avon-Southington-RHAM-Newington-Lewis Mills-Wethersfield at Patsy DiLungo Ice Rink. Then on Feb. 5, the Wings hosted Mercy-Northwest Catholic for another non-conference game and took a 5-2 defeat. Three days later, the Wings lost to SCC opponent Guilford by a 4-2 score to move to 1-6 in conference play this year.

The Hornets came away with one win in their three games last week to move to 5-11 entering the last week of the regular season. Branford earned a victory versus Foran before taking defeats against Hillhouse and Sacred Heart Academy later in the week.

Branford started off its week by posting a 37-26 home win over Foran on Feb. 3. Two days later, the Hornets lost a 48-39 contest at Hillhouse in an SCC Oronoque Division game. Then on Feb. 7, Branford took a 50-26 road loss to Sacred Heart Academy in a divisional game at the University of New Haven.

On Feb. 3, the Hornets took a 52-50 defeat against Lyman Hall in a road game. Four days later, Branford hosted Foran and lost to the Lions by a 50-47 final.

Branford was represented by several competitors at last week’s SCC Championship. The Hornets scored nine points as a team and finished in 14th place at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 7.

Andrew Wirtz cleared a height of 11 feet to claim fourth place in the pole vault for Branford at SCCs. Senior Sean Jansen took 10th place with a height of 10 feet, while junior Ryan Hanniford finished 11th by clearing 9-6.

Branford’s 1,600 sprint medley relay of Wirtz, junior Mekhi Barnette, sophomore Cheng Wu, and senior Nolan Scott came in fourth place by posting a time of 3:53.03. The 4x400 relay of Wu, senior Julio Tozetto, Wirtz, and Scott finished sixth with a mark of 3:43.76.

Scott ran a time of 1:28.49 to claim eighth place in the 600-meter run for the Hornets. Tozetto placed 14th in the event at 1:32.45. Barnette finished 10th for both the high jump (5-4) and the long jump (18-8.5).

Hanniford finished 10th in the preliminaries of the 55 hurdles with a time of 9.00 seconds. Sophomore Cameron Meli finished 18th in the 300-meter dash with a 41.41.

The Hornets sent a handful athletes to compete at the SCC Championship at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 7. Branford finished in 17th place by scoring four points at the meet.

One week after taking second place at the SCC West Sectional Championship, the Hornets’ 1,600 sprint medley relay team finished fourth in the SCC Championship. Branford’s team of junior Noor Issa, sophomore Katie Laska, senior Rose Lockery, and sophomore Catherine Duffy recorded a time of 4:35.23 to earn fourth place.

Branford’s 4x200 relay of Issa, Laska, Duffy, and Lockery took ninth place with a time of 1:53.87, while the 4x800 relay featuring senior Maya Kyriakides, junior Steph Toste, freshman Marina Smiarowski, and senior Juli Dillon finished 10th at 11:28.51.

Sophomore Bella Finta took ninth place in the 1,600-meter run by crossing the finish line with a time of 5:53.05. Toste finished 15th for the 1,600 with a 6:23.92.

Lockery placed 11th in the preliminaries of the 55-meter dash with a mark of 7.80 seconds. Smiarowski finished 21st for the 1,000-meter run at 3:54.76.