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03/15/2021 12:00 AMBoys’ Ice Hockey
After spending a few weeks in quarantine, the Branford boys’ hockey team returned to the ice to play a pair of games last week. The Hornets took a loss to Guilford before earning a win versus North Branford to move to 2-3 on the season.
In its first game back, Branford took an 11-3 defeat against Guilford at Bennett Rink on March 11. Three days later, the Hornets edged out North Branford by the final score of 4-3 in a game at Northford Ice Pavilion.
Senior Dan Farricielli contributed to all four of Branford’s goals by netting a pair of scores to go with two assists in the victory versus North Branford. Sophomore forward Jack Linder stepped in to play net for Branford and, despite having minimal goalkeeping experience, Linder came up big by making approximately 20 saves to help the Hornets win the game.
With Branford trailing 1-0, Farricielli scored from sophomore Matt Morgan and senior Declan Ross to tie the game with 2:19 left in the first period. Farricielli put Branford up 2-1 when he netted his second goal of the game 1:57 into the second period.
North Branford came back to tie the game at 2, but the Hornets scored two more goals in the second period to make it 4-2 through two. First, senior Billy Linder scored from Farricielli and Morgan to give Branford a 3-2 lead. A few minutes later, Morgan scored from Farricielli for a 4-2 advantage. North Branford scored the final goal of the game with 9:19 to play in the third period, but the Hornets were able to hang on for the 4-3 victory.
Branford played Cheshire in its regular-season finale on March 15 (after press time). Following that game, the Hornets are slated to participate in the SCC Tournament that starts on Saturday, March 20.
Boys’ Basketball
The Branford boys’ basketball team played three games last week and came away from the slate with one win to move to 7-4 on the season. The Hornets took a loss to Hand, defeated Career, and then dropped a contest against East Haven in last week’s matchups. Branford faced East Haven in its regular-season finale on March 15 (after press time), after which the Hornets are scheduled to compete in the SCC Division II Tournament beginning on Thursday, March 18.
Branford took a 70-48 defeat against Hand in a home game on March 8. Freshman Jake Palluzzi scored 22 points for the Hornets in the loss. Junior Dylan Sachs had nine points, and fellow junior David McDonald scored five points in the game.
Two nights later, Branford played a road game versus Career. The Hornets bounced back from their loss to Hand by claiming a 49-42 victory over the Panthers in New Haven. Branford trailed Career 29-22 at halftime, but outscored the Panthers 15-5 in the third quarter for a 37-34 advantage entering the fourth. The Hornets went on to outscore Career 12-8 during the fourth quarter to get the seven-point victory.
Palluzzi netted 21 points for Branford in the win. Senior Tucker Jacobson had nine points, while Sachs and senior Justin Elpi added seven points apiece for the Hornets.
Then on March 12, the Hornets finished their week by dropping a 63-62 decision to East Haven in another road game. Elpi and Palluzzi both scored 21 points for Branford. Jacobson scored nine points, and Sachs had eight points in the loss.