Boys Hockey 2016-2017

Richie Greene (9) against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Collin Braziel (27) against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Easties thump Westies
Quick start decisive in loss to East Haven
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 30, 2017) – Looking to build off a two-game winning streak and a solid victory two days ago, the West Haven boys hockey team k exknew it was in for a battle when it traveled to play East Haven Monday afternoon. That challenge was not met head on.

Max Lynch (94) celebrates a West Haven goal against East Haven, January 30, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Scoring early and often, and leading 3-0 after one period of play, East Haven defeated the Westies 7-4 in East Haven. With the loss, West Haven fell to 8-4.

Trailing 5-0, West Haven could have easily packed its bags and went home. Instead, the Westies rallied, only to fall short.

Read about the loss at GameTimeCT here

Richetelli leads Westies
Senior scores 3 times in 5-2 win over SGWL
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 30, 2017) – Fresh off a defeat on the road against East Haven, the West Haven boys hockey team knew it was in for another test two days later against Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks. Led by senior Pete Richetelli, the Westies rallied to defeat tenth-ranked SGWL 5-2 at the Edward L. Bennett Rink Wednesday evening.

Richetelli scored three times and added an assist, and Max Lynch added a goal and two assists as the Westies improved to 9-4 on the season.

"We told the team before the game how important this game was," West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. "Pete (Richetelli) really stepped up with three goals. This was a nine-point game. Every win gets us closer to a home game and that's our next goal."

In a wide open second period, the two teams combined to score four times in a span of 1 minute, 41 seconds. A goal by E.J. Pacapelli with 6.1 seconds remaining in the middle period put the Westies up 3-2 after two periods of play.

Richetelli gave the Westies a 1-0 lead 2:30 in off assists from Kevin Moriarty and Lynch. SGWL needed just 14 seconds to tie the contest, before getting another 32 seconds later for a 2-1 lead over the Westies.

Less than a minute later Lynch took a pass from Richetelli on a two-on-one break, deked and scored to even the contest at two.

The contest settled down until the final seconds of the period as Pacapelli scored an unassisted goal in front with 6.1 seconds to go for a 3-2 advantage.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores against SGWL, February 1, 2017. Video courtesy of Live Barn.

Max Lynch (94) scores against SGWL, February 1, 2017. Video courtesy of Live Barn.

E.J. Pacapelli (11) scores against SGWL, February 1, 2017. Video courtesy of Live Barn.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores against SGWL, February 1, 2017. Video courtesy of Live Barn.

Richetelli sealed the game in the third, scoring twice. The senior scored an unassisted goal off a rocket from the slot with 9:56 to go, before scoring into an empty net off an assist from Lynch with 1:47 remaining. Brendan Serenson made 35 saves in the win for West Haven.

Serenson stands Tall
Senior makes 32 saves in win over NDWH
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 4, 2017) – When the Notre Dame-West Haven and West Haven hockey teams battle on the ice, no added incentive is needed. Throw in the fact the teams were representing local police and fire departments in the Police and Fire Appreciation contest, the game had even more meaning.
Behind an outstanding effort from Brendan Serenson in goal with 32 saves, West Haven topped Notre Dame 2-1 in a classic Southern Connecticut Conference Division I contest at the Edward L. Bennett Rink Saturday evening.

Brendan Serenson made 32 saves in a win over Notre Dame-West Haven, February 4, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“The intensity here was great,” Serenson said. “Both teams really brought it. I thought we did a great job getting through the first period. We were able to pull together.”
Despite being outplayed through the first 20 minutes of the contest, West Haven (10-4) jumped on the scoreboard first. With the puck sitting in the crease, freshman Kevin Moriarty poked the loose puck past Notre Dame senior goaltender Liam Connell for a 1-0 lead with 5:34 gone by in the middle period.
The Westies gained momentum and, after Connell denied a pair of quality scoring chances, Pete Richetelli increased the lead. Taking a pass from freshman Robbie Forleo in the slot, Richetelli quickly beat Connell for a 2-0 advantage with 4:18 to go in the period.
“Brendan Serenson kept us in the game,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. “They keys to our success have been getting great goaltending and scoring three goals. Today, we got two. We were fortunate today.”

West Haven celebrates after a win over Notre Dame-West Haven, February 4, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
West Haven looked as if it would take a two goal lead to the third period, but a late burst by the Green Knights made things interesting in the final two minutes. Off a scramble in front, Michael Ansaldo beat Serenson to the top corner off assists from Thomas Driscoll and Clayton Coassin to cut the deficit in half with 1:49 left in the second.
“I thought their goaltender frustrated us,” Notre Dame coach Tim Belcher said. “He (Serenson) played great. I thought he was the best player on the ice tonight. You have to give him all the credit. He was a game-changer tonight. Hats off to him.”
With the intensity of the contest, the game did not go without incident as a pair of players from both teams received major penalties in the final seconds. It was unclear after the game if those four players would be sitting the next game.
“I just told the kids that was unacceptable behavior at the end of the game,” Belcher said. “There are ways you lose a game. That was unacceptable to me. There is a bigger picture out there. You have to lose the way you win.”
Said Morrell, “It was an emotional game. Sometimes the emotions are too big for the kids. You never want to see that.”
The Green Knights (8-6), ranked fifth in the Register/GameTimeCT Top 10 poll, dominated play in the opening period, holding a 14-6 shot advantage, but neither team could find the back of the net.

Kevin Moriarty (14) scores against Notre Dame, February 4, 2017. Video courtesy of Live Barn.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores against Notre Dame, February 4, 2017. Video courtesy of Live Barn.
While Notre Dame had its share of opportunities, the best chances for both teams in the first period came in the final minutes as Notre Dame’s Matt Ciaburro was denied on an angle in front with 30 seconds to go, and West Haven’s Collin Braziel was turned away by Connell from point blank range in front with eight seconds left in the period.
Serenson also denied Ciaburro two times earlier, stopping the senior on a rebound in front 4:29 in, and again from the slot with eight minutes to go in the period.
Connell finished with 22 saves for Notre Dame.

Westies blank Milford
11 players in scoring column of 8-0 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 11, 2017) – The West Haven boys hockey team won its third straight game Saturday afternoon, topping Milford 8-0 at the Milford Ice Pavilion. The win was West Haven's third in a row and helped the Westies improve to 11-4 on the season.

Eleven different players got into the scoring column, and Logan Cole and Noah Iversen combined on the shutout. Cole made six saves in the first two periods combined, and Iversen finished with seven saves in the third period.

Dante McClure (6), Noah Iversen (c.), and Colin Hines (19) celebrate after posting a win against Milford, February 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Max Lynch led the offense with two goals and two assists, while E.J. Pacapelli finished with a goal and two assists. Kevin Moriarty added a pair of goals, and Gerry Maus had two assists in the win.

The Westies controlled the game from the start, holding an 18-4 shot advantage after one period of play and 31-6 advantage after two periods. The Westies led on the scoreboard as well, holding leads of 4-0 after one period and 6-0 after two periods of play.

Kyle Froehlich (90) against Milford, February 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Dante McClure gave the Westies a 1-0 lead just 3:23 into the game when he turned a Milford turnover into a goal from the slot.

Max Lynch extended the lead to 2-0 with 6:45 left in the period with a nice deke in front off assists from Pacapelli and Moriarty. The lead grew to 3-0 just 1:51 later when Alex Lynch scored an unassisted goal. Pacapelli tapped in a pass from Max Lynch with 2:51 left in the opening period for a 4-0 advantage. Maus also assisted on the goal.

Max Lynch gave the Westies a 5-0 lead with a nice backhanded goal 2:06 into the second period, before Kevin Moriarty took a pass from Max Lynch and roofed a shot for a power play goal with less than three minutes to go in the middle period.

Dante McClure (6) scores against Milford, February 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Max Lynch (94) scores against Milford, February 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Alex Lynch (88) scores against Milford, February 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

E.J. Pacapelli (11) scores against Milford, February 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Max Lynch (94) scores his second goal of the game against Milford, February 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Kevin Moriarty (14) scores against Milford, February 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Kaden Morgillo and Pacapelli set up Moriarty's second goal of the game in the third period, and Nico Kyle scored off an assist from Nick Carfora 19 seconds later for an 8-0 advantage.

Falcons soar past Westies
Winning streak comes to an end in loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 15, 2017) – All good things must come to an end. Such is the case for West Haven's three-game winning streak.

Allowing the last three first period goals and trailing by three in the second period, West Haven, ranked eighth in the Register/GameTimeCT Top 10 poll, fell to second-ranked Xavier 6-3 in Middletown Wednesday evening. With the loss, West Haven fell to 11-5 on the season.

The Westies jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Alex Lynch took a shot from the point which found its way to the back of the net just 5 minutes 5 seconds into the game.

The goal, assisted by Collin Braziel and E.J. Pacapelli, would be the lone bright spot for the Westies in the opening period. Xavier scored the next three goals of the opening stanza, including two in less than a minute.

Trailing 4-1 in the second period, the Westies inched closer when Braziel scored the first of his two goals off an assist from Nico Kyle with 2:07 to go in the period.

Back in the game, West Haven suffered the crushing blow when the Falcons extended the lead to 5-2 with 38 seconds to go in the period.

Xavier took a 6-2 lead early in the third, before Braziel's second of the game with 4:11 to go ended the scoring. Lynch and Kyle assisted on Braziel's third period tally.

Westies post road Victory
Top Harvey School 5-1 in New York
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 17, 2017) –The West Haven boys hockey team has been able to shrug off losses rather quickly this season. Friday afternoon was no different.

Using a pair of goals and an assist by Max Lynch, and a goal and two assists apiece from Pete Richetelli and Kevin Moriarty, West Haven improved to 12-5 with a 5-1 victory over the Harvey School in New York Friday afternoon. Robbie Forleo added a pair of assists for West Haven.
The Westies took a 1-0 lead just 51 seconds into the second period when Lynch scored off assists from Richetelli and Moriarty. After the Harvey School evened the game a short time later, West Haven took the lead for good when Richetelli scored off assists from Collin Braziel and Lynch for a 2-1 lead with 9:02 left in the middle period.
E.J. Pacapelli capped the scoring in the second period with 3:22 remaining. Pacapelli’s goal came off assists from Forleo and Richetelli.
The Westies pulled away in the third period with a pair of goals. Moriarty set up Lynch for his second goal of the game with 11:25 to go, and Moriarty scored with 1:30 left off assists from Forleo and Kaden Morgillo.
Logan Cole made 14 saves in the win for West Haven.

Richetelli leads Westies
Senior scores 3 goals in 6-2 win over Cheshire
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 25, 2017) –From this point forward, it is all about seeding for the West Haven boys hockey team. Senior Pete Richetelli is doing his part to make sure the Westies get as high a seed as possible in the upcoming state tournament.

Scoring three times to open the game, Richetelli led West Haven to a 6-2 victory over Cheshire Saturday afternoon at the Edward L. Bennett Rink.

Pete Richetelli celebrates one of his three goals against Cheshire, February 25, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

With the win, West Haven has now won two straight games and five of its last six contests.

"These games are all about the postseason," West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. "At the beginning of the season, we set some goals, and right now, one of the goals we can attain is getting a home game. The next goal we can control is getting a home game."

Richetelli gave West Haven a 1-0 lead with 2 minutes, 47 seconds left in the opening period when he deflected a shot by Jerry Maus in for a goal.

Richetelli then gave the Westies some breathing room with two goals in the opening minute of the second period. Niko Kyle set up Richetelli just 13 seconds in, and 32 seconds later, Maus found Richetelli, who spun around and blasted a shot in from the high slot for a 3-0 advantage.

"That helps," Morrell said of Richetelli's two quick goals,. "We come out fired up and build on the lead. Pete got two quick ones for us."

Leading 3-1, Collin Braziel extended the margin when he scored with 8:19 remaining in the middle period.

Logan Cole makes a save against Cheshire, February 25, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

After both Kye Froehlich and Robbie Forleo were denied from the point in the first two minutes of the third, Max Lynch increased the lead to 5-2 with a sharp shot from the right faceoff circle with 7:04 to go.

Just 3:38 later, Moriarty scored in front off an assist from Lynch for a 6-2 advantage.

Logan Cole made 19 saves in the win for West Haven.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores one of his three goals against Cheshire, February 25, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Collin Braziel (27) scores against Cheshire, February 25, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Senior City
Serenson, Richetelli, Nax Lynch lead WH past Glastonbury
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 27, 2017) –With playoff seeding on its mind, the West Haven boys hockey team took a minute to honor its seniors prior to Monday evening's contest against Glastonbury. Once the ceremony ended, it was back to business.

Led by two goals and two assists from Peter Richetelli, and one goal and three assists from Max lynch, along with 24 saves by Brendan Serenson, West Haven defeated Glastonbury 5-0 at the Edward L. Bennett Rink Monday evening.

Peter Richetelli (8) against Glastonbury, February 27, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

With West Haven's third straight victory, the Westies improved to 14-5 on the season, with a contest against rival Hamden Wednesday evening on theroad to end the season.

West Haven received all the scoring it needed in the first period, scoring four times.

Richetelli got things going with 6:35 left in the opening period as he scored off assists from Kevin Moriarty and Max Lynch. Just 30 seconds later, West Haven was awarded a penalty shot and Richetelli made no mistake, using a backhander for a 2-0 lead.

West Haven was not donein th eperiod. Just 1:08 later, Niko Kyle scored off assists from Max Lynch and Alex Lynch, before Collin Braziel added another tally with 1:17 left in the opening period off assists from Richetelli and Max Lynch.

Brendan Serenson (35) against Glastonbury, February 27, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

The game remained that way until late in the third period when Richetelli and Robbie Forleo set up Max Lynch for a 5-0 advantage with three minutes to go in the game.

West Haven falls in Finale
Hamden tops Westies 6-3
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 1, 2017) –With a chance to enter the postseason on a high note, the West Haven boys hockey team fell to Hamden 6-3 Wednesday evening in Hamden. With the loss, the Westies finish the regular season 14-6 and look to be the sixth seed in the upcoming Division I state tournament.

Collin Braziel (27) celebrates a goal against Hamden, March 2, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Collin Braziel, Gerry Maus, and Kevin Moriarty all scored in the loss, while Pete Richetelli and Max Lynch each added a pair of assists. Brendan Serenson made 38 saves in the loss for West Haven.

West Haven took a 1-0 lead just 1:46 into the contest on a goal by Braziel, before Hamden's Zach Owens evened the game. The Westies came right back to take a 2-1 lead with 4:06 to go in the opening period when Maus scored off assists from Richetelli and Lynch.

With the game even at two on a goal by Hamden's Mike Gethings, Moriarty gave West Haven a 3-2 lead with 4:04 to go in the middle period off assists from Richetelli and Lynch.

West Haven players celebrate a goal against Hamden, March 2, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

That lead was a short one as Tyler Webb evened the contest for Hamden 53 seconds later.

Hamden won the game with three third period goals, including two by Jake Blackwell in a span of 1:38.

West Haven tops Fairfield
Westies to play Xavier in quarterfinals
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 8, 2017) –The opening round of the state tournament has not been kind to the West Haven hockey team over the last four years. Each time the Westies opened play in the postseason, they were eliminated after just one game, three times to Xavier.
With the sting of not having won a postseason contest, West Haven and its seniors did something about it.
Behind two goals and an assist from senior Pete Richetelli, one goal and two assists from Max Lynch, and 16 saves from fellow senior Brendan Serenson, No. 6 West Haven rolled to a 5-2 victory over No. 11 Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in the opening round of the CIAC Division I state tournament Wednesday evening at the Edward L. Bennett Rink in West Haven.

West Haven celebrates a win over Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in the opening round of the state tournament, March 8, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“This is a huge win for us,” Richetelli said. “We jumped on them right out of the gate. We dominated play in the first, but it took us a little while to score. Alex Lynch took a nice shot and I was able to tip it in.
“A game like this gives us confidence. We did not end the year great. Tonight, we came out and played well.”
West Haven’s reward for the opening round victory is a meeting with No. 3 Xavier Saturday in the quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
“We did what we needed to do,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. “We knew Fairfield came in with a lot of wins with 14. We were able to get going quickly. I thought the key was when they did score, we were able to come right back.
“To win in the first round is big for us. We have accomplished a lot of our goals. We wanted to get a home game, we wanted to get 100 points and we did that exactly, and we are ranked in the Top 10, which is important for the team. We have advanced to the next round, and now we want to get to Ingalls (Rink).”
The Westies (15-6) dominated a large portion of the opening period, but did not take the lead until 3 minutes, 3 seconds remained in the period. After constant pressure in which Fairfield goaltender Charles Capalbo kept West Haven off the scoreboard, senior Alex Lynch ripped a shot from the point which was tipped in by Richetelli in front for a 1-0 West Haven lead.

Pete Richetelli (8) celebrates a goal against Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in the opening round of the state tournament, March 8, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Just 1:03 later, West Haven increased the margin to a pair of goals. With traffic in front, E.J. Pacapelli took a nice feed from Nico Kyle and poked a shot past Capalbo for a 2-0 advantage.
“The Blue line (Pacapelli, Kyle, Collin Braziel) had two goals today,” Morrell said. “That was big. We need them to contribute and they did tonight.”
Capalbo kept the deficit at two goals for his team as he came up big to start the second period, denying Kyle Froehlich from the point, and robbing Kevin Moriarty in front.
With Capalbo keeping the team in the game, the Mustangs responded with 3:18 remaining in the middle period when Anthony Beccaria beat Serenson off an assist from Ryan Gove to cut the deficit in half.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, their momentum lasted all of 20 seconds. Taking a feed from Max Lynch, Richetelli ripped a laser off the post from the circle with 2:58 to go in the period for a 3-1 lead.
“We started very slowly in this game,” Fairfield coach Carl Larouche said. “We were not forechecking and I think some of the players were a little tentative. We needed more forechecking. I was not happy with the first period.”
The Mustangs (14-5-2) looked as if they got within a goal once again, but an apparent goal was called off when the Mustangs were ruled to have too many men on the ice with 12 minutes to go.
On the ensuing power play, Richetelli rang a shot off the crossbar which fell straight down into the crease. Max Lynch was right there to tap the puck into an open net for a 4-2 advantage.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores against Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in the opening round of the state tournament, March 8, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Max Lynch (94) scores against Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in the opening round of the state tournament, March 8, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.
The Mustangs responded 59 seconds later on a goal by William Von Brauchitsch, but just 54 seconds later, Collin Braziel restored the three-goal lead for West Haven off an assist from Alex Lynch.
“Our defense and goaltending was solid tonight,” Morrell said. “That’s what we need. That has been our recipe for success all year.”Capalbo finished with 25 saves in the loss for the Mustangs.

Finally
Westies top Xavier in quarterfinals
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 11, 2017) –The West Haven and Xavier boys hockey teams are no strangers when it comes to the postseason. In the previous four years, the two teams have met three times in the postseason with the Falcons coming out on top each time, twice in overtime.
Saturday evening was a different story. Behind a 32-save performance by Brendan Serenson and a collective smothering defensive effort, No. 6 West Haven topped No. 3 Xavier 4-1 in the Division I quarterfinals at Yale University’s Ingalls Rink.
With the victory, West Haven (16-6-0) advances to Wednesday’s semifinals against second-seeded Ridgefield, also at Ingalls Rink at 7:30 p.m. West Haven advances to its first semifinals since the 2011-2012 season when it lost to cross-town rival Notre Dame.

Brendan Serenson made 32 saves in a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“The key was getting out of the first period with the lead,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. “We knew all year long the first period has been an issue. We knew we had to get great goaltending, which we got, solid defense, which we got, and we had to put the puck in the net, which we did.”
Serenson was the story of the game, stopping 30 shots in the final two periods. The senior was at his best in the final seven minutes when the Falcons threw everything they had at Serenson, scoring just once with 2:05 remaining on Anthony DiPreta’s blast from the point.
The Westies were not going to suffer the same heartache against the Falcons this time around, using empty net goals by Kevin Moriarty and Pete Richetelli in the final 1:36 to seal the win. Moriarty scored off an assist from Richetelli, before Richetelli put the exclamation point on the victory with 2.6 seconds to go.
“I just stayed focused on stopping the puck,” Serenson said. “I was just focused on the puck. We talked about how good they are and we knew we just needed to come out and play our game. That’s what we did. We did a great job of clearing the puck out from in front.”
West Haven held Xavier to just three shots on goal in the opening period and took a 1-0 lead with 8:14 remaining when Moriarty’s initial shot was stopped by Xavier goaltender Jared Guidobono, but Max Lynch was there to knock in the rebound.
The Falcons (14-7-1) started to turn the tide of the game in the second period, holding an 18-5 shot advantage, but Xavier was unable to get a shot by Serenson. The senior goaltender made a great glove save on a shot by Aden Hotchkiss, and a blast off an angle shot by DiPreta a short time later.
“He is the story of the game,” Xavier coach Dan DeConti said of Serenson. “We knew going into it he was going to be good. They got that goal and kept everyone back. We had a hard time getting through.”
The third period was all Xavier at the start, but the Falcons could not get the equalizer as Serenson denied Brett Reid on three separate occasions in the first 6:30 of the period.
“This is absolutely amazing,” West Haven defenseman Alex Lynch said. “For everyone here, it is our first time playing at the Whale. We knew we had to step it up defensively. We knew we had to chip the puck off the boards and we did that.”
With the Falcons pressing. Richetelli got an opportunity for West Haven and was denied in front with 4:30 to go. Less than a minute later, Alex Lynch ripped a shot from the point which found the back of the net with 3:34 to go for a 2-0 lead.

Pete Richetelli (8) and Max Lynch (94) celebrate following a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
With the West Haven faithful celebrating, the Falcons made sure the finish was not going to be an easy one for the Westies as DiPreta answered 1:29 later.
“We knew we might have to rely on our goaltender (Serenson) and he responded,” Morrell said. “He was outstanding.”

Alex Lynch (88) scores in a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Xavier, March 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores in a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Xavier, March 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.
Richetelli then set up Moriarty for the first of two empty net goals for West Haven. When Richetelli fired the puck in for the second empty-netter, West Haven had finally solved the Falcons in the postseason.
Richetelli finished with a goal and two assists, while Moriarty added a goal and an assist in the win for West Haven.

End of the Road
Westies fall to Ridgefield in semifinals
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 17, 2017) –Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be. The West Haven boys hockey team found this out first-hand.
Capitalizing on a puck off a West Haven skate and an apparent missed off sides call on the following goal, No. 2 Ridgefield scored four times to defeat sixth-seeded West Haven 5-1 in the Division I semifinals at Yale University’s Ingalls Rink Friday evening.

Max Lynch (94) and Joe Morrell shake hands after West Haven lost against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Tied at one entering the third period, West Haven (16-7) looked to get the next goal early in the third. Unfortunately for the Westies, Jack Stafford’s shot deflected past West Haven goaltender Brendan Serenson off a West Haven skate in front for a 2-1 Ridgefield lead just 1 minute, 14 seconds into the third.
The Tigers (23-2) extended the lead to 3-1 when Stafford continued a play which looked as if Nick Cullinan was off sides. With no call made, Stafford beat Serenson with 9:33 to go for a 3-1 Ridgefield advantage.
“We wanted to get that first goal in the third period,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. “We came out of the first two periods tied at one and in good shape. We just got some unfortunate bounces.”
Charlie Luft scored off a Ridgefield faceoff 58 seconds later for a 4-1 lead and Jeff Pracella scored into an empty net with 2:34 to go to end West Haven’s season.
“I just told these guys from where we started at the beginning of the year to be here at Ingalls speaks a lot about them,” Morrell said. “It is unfortunate it ended. These kids really wanted to play and they worked hard in practice. They gave us everything they had. In a few days, they will sit back and realize what they accomplished.”
Serenson (29 saves) was the story for West Haven in the middle period as he stopped all 15 Ridgefield shots, allowing the Westies to even the contest with 3:17 remaining.
Collin Braziel came down the right wing and drew the defense towards the middle. When Braziel kept the puck, Ridgefield goaltender Sean Keegans made the initial save, but Braziel poked in his own rebound to even the game at one.

Collin Braziel (27) celebrates his goal along with E.J. Pacapelli (11) against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Ridgefield had countless opportunities to extend the lead, but Serenson was up to the challenge. The senior made a glove save on a shot by Jonas Chang with 9:33 left, then denied Matteo van Wees from the slot 49 seconds later.
“I think we proved to a lot of people it is not always about numbers,” Serenson said. “We work hard and we have a lot of heart in here. We all play for the guy next to us.”
Serenson saved his best for the final six minutes of the period as he denied Stafford on a 2-on-1 break with a tremendous leg save with 5:07 to go in the period.
The Westies had to battle back from the opening period as the Tigers scored the lone goal in the first 15 minutes on a power play. With Alex Lynch in the penalty box for interference, Ridgefield defenseman Jack McGeary found an open area between Serenson and the post to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead with 5:13 to go in the period.
West Haven, which had only four shots in the opening period, had opportunities to get on the board. Braziel had the best chance five minutes into the game, but rang a shot off the post. Nico Kyle was stopped in close by Keegans with 7:50 to go, and Max Lynch was denied in the crease by a pad save from Keegans with 11 seconds left in the period.

Collin Braziel (27) scores against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Max Lynch (94) against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Pete Richetelli (8) gets ready to play against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Nico Kyle against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

BOYS HOCKEY 2016-2017

Robbie Forleo (3) against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

West Haven against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Westies fall against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

West Haven celebrates against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Max Lynch (l.) and Brendan Serenson (r.) against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

State Champions - 1949, 1961, 1964, 1976, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1994
All-State Players - Ray Luedee '75; Mark Carlo '76, '77; Marty Crouse '77, '78; Don MacMillan '77; Eddie Merola '79; Bob Serenson '84; Jay Andrew '84; Mark Anquillare '84; Mike Gilbert '87; Mike Woznyk '87; Paul Mulligan '88; Darrell Galasso '90; Rob Kryznel '93; Keith Dupee '94; Shaun Jackson '00; Aaron Beauvais '00; Tom Withington '00; Mark Heffernan '00, '01, '02; Brandon Fanelli '02; Jim Lafo '02; Chris Quagliani '02; Ron Baia '03; Nick Quagliani '03; Chris Shore '04; Joe Pereira '05; Ken Comfort '06; Joe Innamorato '07; John Ascenzia '10; Tim Baylis '10; J.P. Withington '11; Kyle Leyerzapf '12; Mike Troiano '12; Austin Hansen '13; Mike Savino '14; Alex Scranton '14; Mike Savino '15; Tyler Paine '16; Pete Richetelli '17; Brendan Serenson '17; Alex Lynch '17

Solid Start
Westies blank East Catholic in season opener
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(December 21, 2016) - West Haven boys hockey coach Joe Morrell was looking for his team to get off to a quick start to the season. Morrell got what he was looking for.

Behind goals from senior Pete Richetelli, junior Collin Braziel and sophomore Nico Kyle, and a shutout performance by Brendan Serenson, West Haven opened the season with a 3-0 road victory over East Catholic.

Collin Braziel (27) had a goal and an assist in West Haven's 3-0 victory over East Catholic, December 21, 2016. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

"It was a great start to the season," Morrell said after his team improved to 1-0. "We did the little things well. We need good goaltending, good defense and we need to score at least three goals. We got it all today."

While the Westies were able to put the puck in the net, the story of the game was the defensive play of the entire team, allowing only 20 shots on goal throughout the contest.

The Westies limited East Catholic's shots on goal and controlled play in the process. The end result was West Haven holding a 36-20 advantage in shots on goal in the contest.

West Haven got on the scoreboard late in the first when senior Pete Richetelli scored off an assist from Kevin Moriarty at the 14:20 mark.

The Westies increased the lead midway through the second period when Braziel scored on a backhander with the team playing 4-on-4. Assists on the goal by Braziel went to Alex Lynch and E.J. Pacapelli at the 7:58 mark.

The Westies capped the scoring in the final five minutes when Kyle ripped a shot to the top corner off assists from Lynch and Braziel with 4:46 remaining for the 3-0 final.

With his teammates protecting the net, West Haven goaltender Brendan Serenson makes one of his 20 saves in a 3-0 shutout over East Catholic, December 21, 2016. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 

With the scoring in place, the rest was up to Serenson. The West Haven goaltender was up to the challenge, turning aside all 20 shots sent his way for the opening shutout.

Two in a Row
Westies blank East Catholic again to move to 2-0
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(December 23, 2016) WEST HAVEN – Special teams often find a way in determining the outcome of games. Such was the case Friday afternoon when West Haven took on East Catholic.

Scoring twice on the power play and killing off eight East Catholic power plays, West Haven posted a 3-0 victory over the Eagles at the Edward L. Bennett Rink in West Haven. The win completed a home and home sweep for the Westies and improved the team’s record to 2-0 to start the season.

Pete Richetelli (8) and the Westies topped East Catholic, December 23, 2016. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“Obviously 2-0 is the best we can be, but I am more pleased both have been shutouts since I am a defensive guy,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said after his team posted its second straight shutout. “We have played very well defensively.
“We did a great job killing penalties. We killed eight today and six in the first game. That is too many. We can’t afford to take silly penalties.”
West Haven’s White Line of seniors Max Lynch and Pete Richetelli, and freshman Kevin Moriarty combined to score all three goals and totaled six points in the win. Richetelli led the way with a goal and two assists, while Lynch added a goal and an assist.
“It is huge to win our first two games,” Richetelli said. “It is nice to have two wins going into Hamden. We may have surprised some people.
“The line is clicking right now. Me and Max have played together since youth hockey, and Kevin Moriarty is doing a great job as a freshman.”
West Haven scored twice in the second period to take a 3-0 lead over the Eagles, with both goals coming on the power play.
Richetelli gave the Westies a 2-0 lead when he kept the play alive in front, then banked a rebound into an empty net with 9:24 remaining in the middle period.
Just 2:11 later, West Haven had a 3-0 lead when Kevin Moriarty scored his first varsity goal off assists from Richetelli and Lynch.

Logan Cole made 15 saves in a shutout against East Catholic, December 23, 2016. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

West Haven held a 13-5 shot advantage in the period, but goaltender Logan Cole, who turned aside 15 shots in the shutout, was forced to come up big with 3:47 left in the period, stopping a shot by Chris O’Connor on a two-on-one break for the Eagles.
The Westies scored the lone goal of the first period, taking advantage of four-on-four play. Looking to break out of the zone freshman Robby Forleo sent a lead pass to Richetelli.
Richetelli broke out of the West Haven zone on a two-on-one break with Lynch and perfectly fed Lynch in front. Lynch wasted no time stuffing the puck past East Catholic goaltender Joseph Sitarz with 8:35 left in the period.
The Westies dominated play in the opening period and held a 12-3 shot advantage with Cole stopping all three East Catholic shots.West Haven’s Niko Kyle nearly increased the lead with 3:40 remaining in the period, but his shot through a maze was tuned aside by Sitarz with a blocker save.

Max Lynch (94) scores as the Westies topped East Catholic, December 23, 2016. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores as the Westies topped East Catholic, December 23, 2016. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Feeling Green
Westies suffer first loss against Hamden
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(December 29, 2016) – Opening the season with a pair of victories over East Catholic, the West Haven hockey team was looking to stay on a roll. Unfortunately for the Westies, Jake Blackwell and the Green Dragons had other ideas.

Behind two goals from Blackwell, Hamden defeated West Haven 3-1 at the Edward L. Bennett Rink Thursday evening.

For more on this contest, read the article by Dan Nowak of GameTimeCt here

Road Warriors
Moriarty, Cole lead Westies past Simsbury
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 4, 2017) – After suffering its first loss of the season a week ago, the West Haven boys hockey team was eager to get back on the ice. That eagerness helped lead to a victory as the Westies defeated Simsbury 3-0 in Simsbury Wednesday evening.

The win allowed the Westies to improve to 3-1 just four games into the regular season.

"This was a nice win for us," West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. "Mort (Kevin Moriarty) and Logan (Cole) were huge for us tonight."

Freshman Kevin Moriarty scored all three West Haven goals, while Pete Richetelli and Max Lynch each had a pair of assists in the win. Logan Cole made 35 saves in the shutout, including stopping a penalty shot by Simsbury with West Haven leading 1-0 in the contest.

After a scoreless first period, Moriarty gave the Westies a 1-0 lead at the 5:28 mark of the second period when he scored off assists from Richetelli and Alex Lynch. After Cole stopped the penalty shot to preserve the shutout, the Westies had to hang on.

Cole was up to the challenge, rejecting shot after shot by Simsbury, before Moriarty scored an insurance goal with 4:57 to go. Max Lynch recorded an assist on Moriarty's second tally of the game.

Moriarty fittingly closed the scoring in the final 30 seconds off assists from Gerald Maus and Max Lynch.

Westies blank Conard
Richetelli, Moriarty key second straight WH win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 9, 2017) – If anyone had told West Haven coach Joe Morrell and his team prior to the season they would have four wins in the first five games of the season, the team would gladly have signed up for it. Five games in, that is exactly where the Westies are.

Behind 10 points from the white line of Pete Richetelli, Max Lynch and freshman Kevin Moriarty, the Westies defeated Conard 5-0 at the Edward L. Bennett Rink Monday evening.

Moriarty scored twice and increased his team lead to six goals, while Richetelli also scored twice to increase his total to four on the season. Richetelli added three assists, and Max Lynch also picked up three helpers in the win for the Westies.

"It was a nice win," West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. "When we do the small things, good things happen."

Alex Lynch also picked up two assists and sophomore Niko Kyle had a goal and an assist for the Westies.

After a scoreless first period, West Haven took a 4-0 second period lead and never looked back.

Richetelli put the Westies on top, scoring 41 seconds into the middle period off assists from Max Lynch and Alex Lynch. Just 3:10 later, Moriarty continued to make his presence felt in front when he scored off assists from Max Lynch and Richetelli.

Pete Richetelli (8) and the Westies defeated Conard, January 9, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

The Westies and Moriarty were not done. The freshman gave West Haven a 3-0 lead off assists from Robbie Forleo and Richetelli with 6:39 left in the period. Richetelli capped the offensive barrage in the middle period when he gave the Westies a 4-0 advantage off assists from Max Lynch and Alex Lynch with 2:53 left in the period.

Freshman Kevin Moriarty (14) and the Westies defeated Conard, January 9, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

West Haven made sure its fourth victory was never in doubt, scoring two more goals in the third.

Kyle Froehlich gave the Westies a 5-0 lead when he scored 4:23 in off assists from E.J. Pacapelli and Kyle. Kyle then capped the scoring in the final seconds, scoring off an assist from Richetelli.

Brendan Serenson and sophomore Noah Iversen combined on the shutout, with Serenson making 14 saves and Iversen finishing with two. All three West Haven goalies, Serenson, Logan Cole, and Iversen have played well thus far this season.

Comeback Kids
Westies rally to top North Haven
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 12, 2017) NORTHFORD – Down a pair of goals in the opening period was not the way the West Haven hockey team wanted to start against North Haven. Outplayed early, the Westies relied on their leadership to turn the tide.
Denying North Haven on a two-man advantage for a full two minutes in the second period, and riding the momentum of a late second period goal by Max Lynch, West Haven rallied to defeat the Indians 3-2 in a Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision contest at the Northford Ice Pavilion Wednesday evening.

Logan Cole came up big in goal in a 3-2 win over North Haven, January 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
“We have good leadership in there,” Lynch said. “From the freshmen to the seniors, it is outstanding to have it. It was big to get that late goal (Pete Richetelli) in the first period, then we killed that penalty. We are just a hard working team. We grind it out.”
With the game even at two after Lynch scored off a backhander in the final 10 seconds of the second period, the Westies got the only goal they needed in the third on the power play. E.J. Pacapelli won the draw to Nico Kyle, who slid the puck to Collin Braziel. Braziel promptly ripped a shot by North Haven goaltender John Reilly just three seconds into a West Haven power play and 3 minutes, 56 seconds into the final period.
“This game had three issues we were able to overcome,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. “The first is we have not been down two goals this season, then we killed a full five-on-three, and we had a disallowed goal. We were able to fight through all that. We have to come ready to play every game. These guys just kept working today.”
West Haven (5-1), ranked ninth in the Register/GameTimeCT top 10 poll, looked as if it had a second power play goal by Braziel with 6:11 remaining in the game, but the goal was disallowed after Reilly lost his glove in the crease.
Despite the Westies holding a 13-11 shot advantage in the middle period, West Haven goaltender Logan Cole was forced to save the day for the Westies, making several outstanding saves, many coming on a 5-on-3 advantage by the Indians for a full two minutes.
The junior denied C.J. Kenny in front with 7:19 to go in the period, made a tough pad save on Conor Quinn’s blast from the point seconds later, and turned the momentum in the period when he stopped Alex Cianci in front twice on the initial shot and rebound in front with 3:27 left in the period.
“I thought he (Cole) played very well tonight,” Morrell said. “He made some big saves, especially when they were up two guys.”
The saves by Cole were enough to keep the Westies in the game until Lynch tied the contest with 8.4 seconds to go in the middle period. Skating away from the net, Lynch flicked a backhander off the pads of John Reilly for the equalizer.
“That is a tough team,” Morrell said of North Haven. “They keep coming at you and work hard. They could have easily stopped when we took the lead, but they kept coming at us.”

Pete Richetelli (8) and Max Lynch (94) each scored for West Haven in a 3-2 win over North Haven, January 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
The Indians (1-5) controlled play in the first period, scoring the first two goals of the game and putting the pressure on the Westies. North Haven did its early damage from in close, with the first goal coming off a turnover and the second off a faceoff.
North Haven needed just 2:28 to get on the board when junior Corey Reilly picked up a West Haven turnover in the right faceoff circle, then slapped a shot past Cole for a 1-0 lead.
After two golden scoring opportunities for North Haven were turned aside by Cole, the Indians increased the lead to a pair of goals on the power play. Sam Pethick took the initial shot off the faceoff which was stopped by Cole, but went right to C.J. Kenny for a 2-0 lead with 6:56 left in the opening period.

Pete Richetelli (8) scores in a 3-2 win over North Haven, January 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Max Lynch (94) scores against North Haven, January 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Collin Braziel (27) scores against North Haven, January 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

Logan Cole makes the save against North Haven, January 11, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.
“We got off to a good start,” North Haven coach Mike Silengo said. “We battled and played hard. A couple of plays hurt us. John Reilly played very well in goal for us.”

West Haven cut the deficit in half in the final three minutes as Pete Richetelli picked up a loose puck in front and beat John Reilly top shelf with 1:44 left in the first.

Four in a Row
Westies top Scarsdale to improve to 6-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 14, 2017) – The West Haven boys hockey team is off to an impressive start to the season. With a win Saturday afternoon, that start includes a fourth straight victory after the Westies topped Scarsdale, New York, 3-1 at the Edward L. Bennett Rink.

With the win, West Haven improved to 6-1, setting up a big week against Fairfield Prep and Ridgefield.

In the win over Scarsdale, Pete Richetelli led the way with a goal and an assist, while Alex Lynch added two assists, and Brendan Serenson came away with 35 saves in goal.

After a scoreless first period, the Westies took the lead when Richetelli set up Dante McClure at the 2:17 mark for a 1-0 lead.

With the game even at one in the third, Richetelli and Max Lynch scored less than a minute apart for a 3-1 advantage. Alex Lynch set up both goals, getting the helper on Richetelli's tally 3:09 into the third, and another on Max Lynch's goal 42 seconds later.

The rest was up to Serenson as he came up big time and time again to preserve the win.

Blanked
Fairfield Prep tops West Haven 5-0
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 18, 2017) – With ten days off since it last played against Notre Dame-West Haven, Fairfield Prep coach Matt Sather and his team had work to do. Upon its return visit to West Haven, the Jesuits showed practice makes perfect.
Behind a dominant effort in all facets of the game, the Jesuits, ranked fifth in the Register/GametimeCT Top 10 poll, defeated No. 9 West Haven 5-0 in a Southern Connecticut Conference Division I contest at the Edward L. Bennett Rink in West Haven Wednesday evening.
“We did some video work and got to watch ourselves play,” Sather said. “That was good for us. What was important was we took four days off. We had nine kids sick and we just took some time away from each other. I think that helped.”
Fairfield Prep (5-3) owned the game from the start, holding a 35-15 shot advantage through two periods and 43-27 advantage in the game. The Jesuits scored twice in each of the first two periods and never looked back in winning its third contest in four games.
Sather talked about doing the little things after his team fell to Notre Dame and the Jesuits responded by winning just about every battle during the game. When the Westies had an opportunity, it was the defense or goaltender Chris Ligas who turned the Westies away.
“We did a good job with that,” Sather said. “We scored off a faceoff which is nice to see. That is a detail. We did a much better job of getting the puck in front of the net. We struggled a little with our penalty killing. We ran around a little bit. West Haven always plays hard. We knew we had to bring it here.”
Leading 2-0, the Jesuits left no doubt about the outcome of the game, pouring 21 shots on goal in the second period alone. West Haven goaltender Logan Cole kept Prep off the scoreboard in the middle period with several outstanding saves until the Jesuits added a pair of goals in the final five minutes of the period.
“They outworked us in every part of the game,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. “For us to win games, we need to outwork teams. They were all over us from the start.”
With the pressure mounting, sophomore Chandler DuMont extended the Prep lead to 3-0 when he walked in front and backhanded a shot past Cole with 4:25 to go in the period.
The Jesuits were not done and again it was a shot from in front which hurt the Westies. Prep’s Joe Mancini picked up a rebound in front and beat Cole 2:58 later for a 4-0 advantage.
The Jesuits controlled play from the start, leading 2-0 after one period of play and holding a 14-7 shot advantage in the process. After both goalies kept the game scoreless for the first nine minutes of the game, the Jesuits used a pair of quick shots to take the lead.
Prep’s Chris Brown skated through neutral ice and ripped a shot just inside the blue line which eluded Cole for a 1-0 Prep lead with 5:39 to go in the opening period. Just 1:40 later, Jack Cavanaugh won a draw back to Brennan Henry, who quickly rang a shot past Cole for a 2-0 Fairfield Prep advantage.
“We were able to practice which was huge,” Brown said. “We were able to work on things. It was definitely important to get off to a quick start today.”
West Haven (6-2), which saw its four-game winning streak snapped, had a pair of quality scoring chances in the opening period, but could not capitalize. Pete Richetelli was denied by Ligas on a 2-on-1 with two minutes remaining, before a blast from the point through traffic by Alex Lynch was also stopped by Ligas.
The Jesuits capped the scoring in the third period when senior Tommy Fox scored in front 4:26 into the final period. Ligas finished with 27 saves in the shutout win, while Cole had 38 in the loss for West Haven.

Ridgefield tops Westies
West Haven rally falls short

By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 21, 2017) – After winning four games in a row, the West Haven hockey team knew the road got tougher, playing two of the top five teams in the state in succession. After playing Fairfield Prep and Ridgefield, the Westies are well aware there is work to be done.

Despite rallying for a pair of late goals, West Haven fell to Ridgefield, the top-ranked team in the Register/GameTimeCT top 10 poll, 3-2 at the Edward L. Bennett Rink Saturday afternoon.

Collin Braziel (27) and the Westies fell to Ridgefield, January 21, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Ridgefield dominated play early and led the Westies 3-0 after one period of play. The Westies, who lost for the second straight time and fell to 6-3, then settled down and played much better over the final 30 minutes, before mounting a late attack.

"Our effort got better as the game went along," West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. "When you're playing a strong team like Ridgefield, you need to play three periods to compete."

Collin Braziel scored off assists from Max Lynch and Pete Richetelli with 33 seconds remaining in the third period to get the Westies within 3-1, before E.J. Pacapelli scored with less than one second to go off assists from Lynch and Richetelli to make it a one goal game.

Max Lynch (94) and the Westies fell to Ridgefield, January 21, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

The Tigers took control of the game with a pair of goals in a span of 1:06 in the opening period. Jeff Pracella gave Ridgefield a 1-0 lead just 3:36 into the game when he scored in front of West Haven goaltender Brendan Serenson, before Will Forrest snapped a shot to the top right corner less than two minutes later.

West Haven had its chances in the opening period, but could not convert. Lynch was stopped in front with 3:31 left in the opening period and Alex Lynch's blast from the point was stopped by Ridgefield goaltender Sean Keegans 16 seconds later.

Ridgefield took a commanding 3-0 lead when Nick Cullinan scored off a back-hander in front with 1:45 left in the first period.

The Westies put pressure on to start the second, but Keegans was up to the challenge. The Ridgefield goaltender denied Richetelli in front 42 seconds in, turned aside a point shot from Robbie Forleo 1:30 later, and stopped Kevin Moriarty in front 2:30 into the period.

After Serenson denied a 2-on-1 break by the Tigers, Braziel had an opportunity in front, but was turned aside by Keegans.

Richetelli lifts Westies
Goal and 2 assists key in 4-1 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 23, 2017) – After a pair of tough losses against teams ranked in the top half of the state, the West Haven hockey team was itching to get back on the winning track. Senior Pete Richetelli made sure that happened.

Scoring once and adding a pair of assists, Richetelli led the Westies past Amity 4-1 at the Edward L. Bennett Rink Monday evening.

Pete Richetelli scores against Amity, January 23, 2017. Video courtesy of Mike Madera.

With the win, West Haven got back on the winning side and improved to 7-3 on the year.

"This game was important for us," West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. "When you win three in a row, you are on a roll. It is the same when you lose three in a row. You don't want to get in that situation."

Richetelli, who played his last high school game against his father, Mike Richetelli, an assistant on the Amity coaching staff, was motivated from the start. The senior had a part in West Haven's first three goals of the game and was not to be denied.

Richetelli assisted on the opening goal of the game when he set up freshman Kevin Moriarty in front for a 1-0 lead just 2 minutes, 43 seconds into the contest.

After Amity knotted the game at one on a tally by Jason Csejka with 2:19 left n the opening period, the Westies took the lead for good 23 seconds later.

Max Lynch beat Amity goalie Tyler Cole in front off assists from Richetelli and Collin Braziel for a 2-1 lead.

"I thought we had a lot of shots in the first period and could have been up more," Morrell said. "The second period was penalty-filled. Logan (Cole) played well. I though Max (Lynch) had a strong game."

The second period was filled with penalties with the two teams combining for 10 penalties. While neither team scored in the second period, West Haven had its chances.

Alex Lynch was denied from the point 3:21 in, Max Lynch was denied on a wrap-around attempt with nine minutes to go, and Niko Kyle's shot from the slot was turned aside by Tyler Cole 50 seconds later.

The Westies put the pressure on in the third period, but chances by Moriarty and Alex Lynch from the slot, and Robbie Forleo's tipped shot in front by Braziel were all turned away.

With the Westies on the power play late in the game, Alex Lynch set up Richetelli in front for a 3-1 advantage in the final two minutes. Robbie Forleo added an empty net goal, his first on the varsity level, with 31.1 seconds left for the 4-1 final.

Logan Cole made 22 saves in the win for West Haven, while Tyler Cole made 39 saves in the loss for Amity.

Blue Line leads Westies
Braziel, Pacapelli, Kyle score in win over NDFF
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 28, 2017) – Last season, the West Haven boys hockey team qualified for the postseason with seven wins. This year, the Westies wanted more.

That motivation has driven the Westies thus far and the first part of the journey was realized Saturday evening when West Haven topped Notre Dame-Fairfield 5-3 at the Milford Ice Pavilion. The win officially clinched a spot in the postseason for the Westies.

Nico Kyle (12) scores one of his two goals against Notre Dame-Fairfield, January 28, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

"After last year in not winning eight games, to win eight in our first 11 games is amazing," West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. "The boys have really come together as a team. The Blue Line really stepped it up for us with four goals."

The Blue Line, led by Nico Kyle with two goals, and E.J. Pacapelli and Collin Braziel with one apiece, sparked the Westies to the victory, combining for 10 points. Brendan Serenson continued the solid play by West Haven's goaltenders with 26 saves.

West Haven jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Kyle scored off an assist from Pacapelli just one minute, 36 seconds into the game. After the Lancers evened the game five minutes later, West Haven needed just 23 seconds to take the lead for good when Braziel scored off assists from Kyle and Pacapelli.

Brendan Serenson makes a save against Notre Dame-Fairfield, January 28, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Pacapelli then scored off an assist from Braziel with 6:34 left in the opening period to give the Westies a 3-1 advantage.

With the Westies leading 3-2 in the second period, Pete Richetelli extended the margin to a pair of goals off assists from Max Lynch and Alex Lynch.

The score remained that way until 3:33 into the third period. Kyle scored his second of the game off assists from Pacapelli and Braziel for a 5-2 advantage.

Pacapelli led the way for West Haven with a goal and three assists, Braziel had a goal and two assists, and Kyle had two goals and an assist.

Gerald Maus (18) against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

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Kevin Moriarty (14) against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

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Max Lynch (94) against Ridgefield, March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Richie Greene (9) against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Pete Richetelli (8) against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Gerald Maus (18) against Xavier, March 11, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.