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01/29/2020 11:00 PMAlthough Andrew Sacco is new to the North Haven boys’ ice hockey team, the sport has been a big part of his life for a long time. Andrew, a junior, first stepped on the ice as a toddler, taking after his father Andrew, Sr., who was an All-State goalkeeper at Notre Dame-West Haven. While Andrew’s dad influenced him to play hockey, it was Andrew who made the choice to step into the net as a goalie when he was 10 years old.
“My dad never really wanted me to play goal, but once I switched, I was set on it,” says Andrew. “He was an All-State goalie, so he knows a thing or two and helps me out. He also has taught me to always go out and try my hardest, and that’s helped me out the most with my game.”
Growing up in Durham, Andrew spent his youth playing with a number of teams, including the Greater New Haven Warriors, the Junior Bobcats, the Junior Wolfpack, the Junior Falcons, the Springfield Rifles, and the Yale Bulldogs. Now, Andrew is having a great campaign in net in his first season with the Indians this winter.
Andrew began his high school hockey career with the Lyman Hall/Haddam-Killingworth/Coginchaug co-op team as a freshman at Coginchaug two years ago, becoming the starting goalie for the squad. After moving up through the different age groups in the youth ranks, Andrew saw a big difference when he went up against upperclassmen in his freshman campaign.
“The speed of the game goes up once you start playing against older guys. The shots were getting harder and faster, the guys were bigger and stronger,” Andrew says. “I knew starting was something I had to work for. I know if you work for something, you could always achieve it.”
Andrew saw his co-op team grow during his two years with the program. The team had just 15 players on its roster in Andrew’s freshman year, but that total grew to 35 by the time he was a sophomore. Andrew helped the club win the Division III state championship in his sophomore season.
“My two years with the co-op team was a really good time,” says Andrew. “Sophomore year, we won it all in a huge win against our rival Sheehan. Getting that done, not only for myself, but for the seniors who had been working to grow the co-op for four years, was huge.”
Soon after the season, Andrew’s family moved to North Haven. Andrew arrived at the high school just in time to join the boys’ lacrosse team for the spring season, an experience that helped him meet people. Andrew has played lacrosse since 6th grade, but this was his first experience competing in high school, because Coginchaug doesn’t have a program.
“It’s fast-paced like hockey, and playing my first high school season was so much fun,” Andrew says. “I’ve been working hard in lacrosse to see if I could play at the college level.”
While playing lacrosse for North Haven, Andrew got to know several athletes who also played hockey. He joined a fall league alongside some of the people that he’d play with on the Indians. It was important for Andrew to form bonds with his new teammates.
“My goal is trying to bring everyone together as a brotherhood,” says Andrew. “If everyone has your back, more guys are going to put their bodies down for you and block shots. It helps carry that bond out on the ice and off the ice.”
North Haven Head Coach Chris Avena was excited to have someone with Andrew’s playoff experience join his program. Avena says that Andrew brings great skill and the right attitude to the Indians.
“Andrew certainly brings us an opportunity to win any game he plays in, but more importantly, he brings spark, energy, insight, and his knowledge and vision of the game,” says Avena. “He brings a winning pedigree with him, and it’s something we need inside our locker room that can hopefully help us get to where he was last year. There’s a plethora of good goaltending in Division II, so being able to have one of many out there gives us a fighting chance.”
Andrew and his North Haven teammates want to go on a postseason run this season and are currently sporting a record of 6-4-3 with just three seniors on the roster. Andrew hopes that the Indians can continue to improve through the rest of the campaign and into his senior year.
“These guys haven’t had a good sniff of playoffs in a long time, and me bringing the experience of winning a championship has helped inspire everybody,” Andrew says. “We just have to get the hours in at practice every day. We want to make playoffs and see how far we go—that’s everyone’s common goal right now. We want to make the best of what we have and see what we can do from there.”
Andrew has worked with many coaches and teammates who have helped him throughout his career. Andrew says that his parents have also provided him with a huge boost of support over the years.
“There have been many coaches I’ve had in the past and players who have wanted me to get better,” says Andrew. “Hockey is a huge commitment, and I can’t thank my parents enough for driving to out-of-state tournaments and paying for me to play and for my equipment. Without them, I wouldn’t be here doing what I love.”