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12/18/2021 11:00 PMAs the North Haven boys’ hockey team hits the ice with a different nickname, Head Coach Chris Avena said that the goals and expectations will remain the same for the Nighthawks this winter. One year after claiming its first SCC title during an abbreviated season, North Haven opened up the 2021-’22 campaign by splitting a pair of games during the first week of action.
“With a sense of normalcy, it was good to get the guys back on the ice,” Coach Avena said. “Coming off of our SCC championship last year, we are excited to get started on schedule and on time.”
North Haven started its season by playing a pair of homes at the Northford Ice Pavilion last week. The Nighthawks took an 8-1 loss to Lyman Hall and then came back with a 6-0 victory over New Milford to move to 1-1 on the young season.
North Haven faced off with Lyman Hall for its opener on Dec. 13. Lyman Hall jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first period before adding three more goals in the second period on its way to the 8-1 win. Senior assistant captain Brian Jooss scored North Haven’s lone goal of the game on assists from fellow senior captain Mike Anquillare and senior Nicholas Tondalo.
North Haven was looking to get back on track when the Nighthawks hosted New Milford on Dec. 18. Junior Will Sullivan scored the first goal of the contest on an assist from senior Justin Pniewski during the first period. The Nighthawks went on to score three goals in the second to take a 4-0 lead. Tondalo scored from senior Aydin Mindlin and Pniewski, junior Thomas Guidone netted a goal on assists by Sullivan and junior Owen Quick, and then senior captain Jake Hines scored from Sullivan and Quick to finish off the big period.
Sullivan opened the scoring in the third period by scoring on an assist from Hines. Later in the frame, Mindlin scored an unassisted goal to finish off North Haven’s 6-0 victory.
Coach Avena said that the Nighthawks went into their matchup versus Lyman Hall feeling comfortable in what they had accomplished last season. However, after losing that game by seven goals, North Haven entered its contest against New Milford with a different mindset. With his team earning a six-goal victory, Avena feels that the Nighthawks’ mentality changed for the better.
“We went into Lyman Hall happy with what we did the year before. We thought we were going to be able to just pick up where we left off. Obviously, as the game was played, we were sadly mistaken,” said Avena, whose team went 8-2 last season. “New Milford was more of a redemption game. Are we going to let Lyman Hall define who we are or let that game motivate us to strive to be better? We got the latter against New Milford.”
Junior goalie Bryce Petersen made his first varsity start in the New Milford game and stopped 22 shots to get both the first win and shutout of his career. After sitting behind graduated All-State goalie Andrew Sacco and current senior Jared Anderson, Petersen waited for his opportunity to play goal for North Haven and capitalized in a big way when he stepped between the pipes versus New Milford.
“He was good. Bryce has been working really hard over the last couple years, being behind Andrew and Jared,” Coach Avena said. “He has been staying focused and waiting for his turn. He got his turn against New Milford and made the most of it.”
Avena said that the Lyman Hall loss opened the Nighthawks’ eyes in terms of what they need to do defensively this season. Two of the team’s starting defenders from last year, Nick Howlett and Justin Marks, have graduated. As his club moves forward, Coach Avena is looking for the Nighthawks to focus on improving their play on defense, while still finding ways to light the lamp on the offensive end.
“The Lyman Hall game really opened our eyes on how we need to strengthen up in our defensive zone. We graduated a few guys who were main parts of the defensive core,” said Avena. “We need to solidify that defense. At the same time, we have to find scoring. We’re focusing equally on both sides of the ice.”
Anquillare and Hines are serving as North Haven’s senior captains this year, and Jooss is an assistant captain for the squad. Anquillare and Jooss have been on North Haven’s roster for the past four years, and Coach Avena said they are both team players who work hard every single day. Avena added that Hines is one of the team’s top players who provides a ton of energy for the Nighthawks every time they lace up the skates.
“They’re all seniors. Mike and Brian are in their fourth year with the program. Jake is in his third. Mike and Brian are the ultimate team guys. They lead in the locker room and come to work every day ready to go. They work hard, and we’re starting to see the benefits of their labor,” Coach Avena said. “Jake was on our top line last year. He is our leader on the ice and our motor. He is the most skilled guy we have, and he’s the energy we feed off of.”
North Haven’s senior class also features Anderson, a goalkeeper; along with Tondalo and Mindlin, who have both been playing forward for the past four seasons; and Pniewski, a three-year defenseman.
Along with Quick, Guidone, Sullivan, and Bryce Petersen, the Nighthawks’ junior class includes Andre Ohanyan, Alex Petersen, Connor Keaney, Ethan Buck, and Joseph Taft.
The sophomores on the squad are Nolan Cole, Jake Donovan, Kevin Lawlor, Ben Gilbert, and Jack Keaney. Nicholas Salzano is a freshman on North Haven’s roster.
As his team embarks on a new season, Coach Avena’s long-term goals are for North Haven to defend its SCC crown and earn a berth in the Division II State Tournament this year. Right now, though, Avena wants to Nighthawks to concentrate on playing solid all-around hockey and improving as a unit before they think too much about the playoffs.
“Certainly, we would like an opportunity to defend our SCC title and finish top four in the conference. That and getting a State Tournament berth are pretty much the goals every year when you go in,” said Avena said. “Our goals have been adjusted since the beginning of the season. We’ve made it simpler, and just getting into those two situations are something we want to accomplish this year.”