This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
01/08/2022 11:00 PMAfter playing only five games for all of last season, the Hand boys’ ice hockey team feels grateful to be back on the ice this winter. While the Tigers have already experienced a few setbacks, Head Coach Brian Gonsalves remains confident that his squad will persevere through the hardships in 2022.
Hand has an overall record of 3-4 on the season. The Tigers lost their first three games, but have responded by winning three of four since then, including a 5-2 road victory versus Rhode Island school Moses Brown on Jan. 8.
“I’m pretty excited for what we have this year and the next couple of years. When we put this roster on paper, we were very excited,” Coach Gonsalves said. “The talent level is here. It’s just a matter of getting that experience together on the ice. We only played five games last year and no one really got experience, so we will be going through some growing pains at the early stages of our season.”
Those growing pains were apparent during Hand’s first three games of the campaign. The Tigers took shutout losses against Greenwich (4-0), Watertown-Pomperaug (3-0), and South Windsor (4-0) to begin the season at 0-3. Coach Gonsalves said that Hand put together a solid effort in the Greenwich game, nearly doubling the opposition in shots on goal, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.
Hand quickly rebounded from the slow start by scoring victories in its next two contests. The Tigers claimed a 3-2 win against Cheshire on Dec. 23 and then followed that up with an 8-1 victory over North Branford on Dec. 29.
In the Cheshire game, juniors Kevin Rich and Ryan Pfaff both scored a goal for Hand, as did sophomore Jimmy DeAngelis. Senior captain Marcus Padula dished out two assists in the win. Junior goalie Alex Schiano made 29 saves for the Tigers.
“They trust each other, and they trust the process. We’re starting to roll like we have before,” said Gonsalves. “Getting our first goal out of the way in the first period was huge against Cheshire. We were pressing a bit, and it lifted a giant weight off of our shoulders once we finally scored.”
Coach Gonsalves credited Schiano for his efforts in net this season. Schiano suffered a serious leg injury last August, but went through the rehabilitation process, and is now holding the fort in goal as the Tigers’ starting netminder.
“He’s got a lot of mental toughness. For a kid who’s never started between the pipes until this year, he’s been incredible,” Gonsalves said of Schiano. “He comes into practice every day like he’s not going to be the starter, and a lot of these guys look up to him. He’s exactly what we want as our goalkeeper.”
The Tigers exploded for eight goals in their victory against North Branford, spurred by a hat trick from Padula. Pfaff was right behind Padula with two goals scored on the night. Seniors JJ Barber and Jeff Pinover both scored one goal, and junior Charlie Wira also scored a goal for Hand. Schiano played another solid game in the crease by stopping 12 shots for Coach Gonsalves’s squad.
“I’m most looking forward to seeing this team’s growth throughout the season, and we saw a lot of growth in our win against North Branford. They need to establish their identity and see where it takes them this year. We’ve been as successful as we can be so far,” said Gonsalves. “We had question marks about what we could be, both internally and externally. But now that we’re about a quarter of the way through our season, we’re excited with where we’re at.”
Hand started off last week’s action by taking a 5-4 road loss to Hamden, a Division I program, at Lou Astorino Ice Arena. Senior captain defenseman Kevin Sandor scored a goal for the Tigers, along with Padula, Pfaff, and Rich.
Despite the loss, Coach Gonsalves was proud of his club for giving a solid Hamden squad a run for its money, describing the Tigers’ effort as a “tenacious performance.” Hand was back in action just two days later when the team hit the road to face off against Moses Brown, Rhode Island, prevailing by the final tally of 5-2. Pfaff scored two goals for the Tigers, while Padula, Sandor, and freshman Matthew Gervais each netted one goal apiece in the win.
Padula, Sandor, and Beckham Hughes are leading the way as Hand’s three captains this season. Coach Gonsalves said that each member of the trio brings a unique attribute to his program.
“Marcus joined this team as a sophomore. He’s grown so much since that time and even got a hat trick against North Branford. He’s scoring goals as a defender, and that says a lot about who he is as a player,” Gonsalves said. “Along with Marcus, Kevin has been great ever since he joined the team as a freshman. He’s also a tremendous lacrosse player and will likely be playing Division I lacrosse once he graduates from Hand. Our final captain Beckham became a leader out of seemingly nowhere. This whole team respects him and trusts him. That says a lot about a kid who didn’t get a lot of ice team his first two years with the team.”
Pinover and Barber are the two other seniors on Hand’s roster. In addition to Schiano, Rich, Wira, and Pfaff, the Tigers’ junior class also includes Malcolm Yanez, Spiro Maniatis, and Ethan Hajdasz.
Jack Orlando, Ian Lehman, Alex Osterman, Owen Scarice, and Trip Rizzo join DeAngelis as the sophomores on the squad. Hand’s freshman class features Anthony Albino, Matthew Gervais, Benjamin Lind, Ethan Bencivengo, Nick Lyons, and Charlie Wood.