An early-season boys hockey game between Division II contenders
Guilford and
Cheshire this past week promised an interesting matchup and an indicator of the type seasons these programs might have.
The game delivered on all counts and provided some exhilarating hockey for this time of the season, ending in a 3-3 tie.
Cheshire, two years removed from a CIAC Division II title and one year from a quarterfinal postseason appearance, entered the season having lost a wealth of skill and leadership returning only two seniors. Still, the Rams possess talent in their underclassmen.
Guilford's Jordan Drake.
MaxPreps Photo by Kevin Pataky
Guilford, which moves up to Division II this year, came in with three seniors and eight juniors from its 2010 Division III championship team.
The Indians started quickly in the first two periods scoring a goal in each early and forced Cheshire to come back three times to earn the Southern Connecticut Conference tie at Veteran's Memorial Rink in East Haven.
Some of the best and most exciting sequences came in the second half of the third period and overtime in which Cheshire dominated possession but Guilford outshot the Rams 8-5, an area in which the Indians held an edge all game, 35-22.
"I thought we could be a little smarter with our puck control," Guilford coach Ralph Russo said. "We mishandled a few times some judgment plays. Handling the puck we could have done some different things with it. But, hey, it's early in the season, so that's stuff you want to be working on in practice."
Christian Cattaruzza scored at 4:02 of the first to give Guilford (1-0-1) the early lead. Cheshire (1-1-1) answered at 6:32 when
Spencer Hackett deflected a
John Cunningham slap shot for a 1-1 tie.
It took just more than a minute into the second period for
Jordan Drake to score on a breakaway and give Guilford another lead. This time, the Rams didn't get even until 4:57 of the third on
Matt Muzyka's slapshot from 18 feet.
It didn't last long.
Jon Venter put Guilford up 3-2 about one minute later scoring when the goal popped up from out of a scramble in the front of the net and went in. Hackett scored his second for the final goal 30 seconds after that on a wrister.
Cheshire received an outstanding overall effort from junior defenseman
John Cunningham, who assisted on Hackett's first goal. Cunningham always seemed to be in the right place making the right moves with the puck or fending off an attack whenever Guilford threatened late in regulation and in overtime.
"John Cunningham has really stepped up this year," Cheshire coach Jim Richitelli said. "He's taken a leadership role and he gets a lot of minutes back there on defense. Most of the time he makes pretty good decisions. He's a heady player, he sees the ice well. He's played a lot his freshman and sophomore years, so now he's got to step up because this is a young team. We've only got two seniors."
For both Cheshire and Guilford the game was more a learning experience than anything else. How they've developed by the next time they meet in late January at Northford Ice Pavilion will point toward their postseason chances.
"Play competitively every game, improve each game out," said Richitelli of his goals and expectations of this group. "We're counting on the younger kids. We told them 'For a lot of kids it's a big jump', a lot of the sophomores who are playing this year are playing for the first time on a varsity level. Mid-way through the year they'll find themselves and we'll try and bring it together and get some chemistry going."
TOP HOCKEY PERFORMERS* C J Carignan, Hamden: Had two goals and an assist in a 4-2 victory over Amity (Woodbridge).
* AJ Unker, Fairfield Prep: Scored a hat trick in a 7-2 victory over Notre Dame-Fairfield.
* Eric Podbiekski, North Branford: Scored three goals in a 5-3 victory over Milford.
