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WH YOUTH HOCKEY 2021
THE HOME OF WEST HAVEN SPORTS
(January 11, 2022) - The West Haven Mite A travel hockey team was back in action after the winter break. The Westies continued their fine run of form, going 2-0 on the weekend despite being on the road for both games.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils played the Yale Mite A team, with the Westies coming out on top 5-4 over the Bulldogs. Logan Minio and Brady Salkins netted two apiece, with Salkins getting the game winner. Henry Seslar picked up the other goal, with Jameson Eid getting the assist.
Ben Trenchard and Cooper Owens were both strong on defense for the Westies, breaking up plays and blocking shots.
The Mite A's were right back in action on Sunday, this time taking on the Yale A1 squad, winning 8-2. Jameson Schempp was fantastic in goal, making several saves in the winning effort, once again supported by Owens and Trenchard on defense.
Jax Guarino picked up a goal and an assist to back up his strong play, and Eid added two goals. Caden Minio scored with a nice assist from Logan Minio to put away the game.
On Saturday, the Mite C’s hosted the Milford Mudhounds at Bennet Rink. In net for the Blue Devils was Jackson Ford, who made many great saves during the matchup.
Multiple goals from West Haven were scored by JP Beebe, Emmet Hemming, Carter Liston and Sarah Mastroni. In addition, Landon Alling, Caleb Ford, Kiera Harrison and Abby Hemming each contributed a goal for the Blue Devils.
On Sunday, the Mite C’s traveled to Wonderland of Ice to take on the Wonderland Wizards. Abby Hemming was goalie for the Blue Devils, making many great saves.
Alling scored multiple goals for the Mite C’s, while Beebe and Harrison also each scored a goal. Shots on net were also contributed by Emmet Hemming and Mastroni.
The West Haven Bantam A hockey team won its first two games of 2022 this weekend. On Saturday at Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Blue Devils beat the Long Island (NY) Gulls Gold 08, 4-3. On Sunday at Avon Old Farms the Westies downed Avon A, 4-1. The Blue Devils are now 22-7-4 overall and 18-4-4 in CHC league play on the season.
The Westies hosted the LI Gulls on Saturday morning and the visitors took a 1-0 lead after one period. West Haven tied the game 4:04 into the second when Joey DiGioia flipped the puck on goal and Gio Ferrucci banged home the rebound.
Just over three minutes later, there was a scramble in front of the Gulls goal. Matt Molnar tipped it to Alex Bowery who slid in a backhand for a 2-1 lead.
The Gulls tied the game at 2-2 before the West Haven special teams went to work late in the period. Back to back LI penalties in the last 1:30 gave the Westies a two-man advantage.
DiGioia went the length of the ice to Brody Elam who went right back to DiGioia. The defenseman ripped a rising wrist shot, putting the Westies up 3-2. Still skating up a man, the Blue Devils went up 4-2 less than a minute later. Sean Studley won the puck behind the LI goal and fed Parker Guarnieri who slid the puck out front to Ferrucci, where he fired it home.
Three minutes into the third period, the Westies went down two skaters due to penalties. Elam, Studley and Leo Mazuroski killed off the 1:30 with Trevor Cathey making some clutch saves in goal. The Gulls did cut it to 4-3 later in the third but the West Haven defense was solid down the stretch. Cathey finished with 26 saves in the 4-3 win.
On Sunday morning in Avon, the Westies took a 1-0 lead in the opening period when Ferrucci picked off a pass and snapped home a wrist shot. Avon tied it 1:35 later and the score remained 1-1 into the third period despite the Westies owning most of the play.
Bowery finally gave the Blue Devils the lead when he took Tanner Walsh's pass, came around the net and fired through the five-hole. Theo Diakomis made it 3-1 when he took Bowery's lead pass at the blue line and zipped one under the goalie's blocker. Studley capped the scoring with a breakaway goal from Ferrucci with just under five minutes to play.
Cathey was again stout in between the pipes. The defense of Elam, DiGioia, Mazuroski and Jack McNivens worked hard and were solid as well.
(January 18, 2022) - The West Haven Mite a Travel team took on Yale for the second weekend in a row and came away with another victory. Brady Salkins led the way in scoring, with Cooper Owens, Jax Guarino, and Jameson Eid netting goals as well. Henry Seslar rounded out the scoring, with the assists coming from Eid and Benjamin Trenchard.
The Blue Devils were right back in action on Sunday, traveling to South Windsor. Despite playing shorthanded, the Westies came away with the win. Salkins and Guarino led the offense, netting six goals between the two of them. Trenchard and Owens anchored the defense, while Eid and Seslar worked hard on the wings. Jameson Schempp made several key saves in the MVP-like performance in goal to lead his team to the win.
The West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA travel hockey team got a late invite to the CAN AM Youth Challenge Cup in Shelton and proceeded to notch four wins for the tournament title.
In the final, the Westies downed the Westchester Express AA 4-1 to capture the title. Rocco Kelly opened the scoring with an unassisted goal. Charlie Gunning took a pass from Dylan Spreyer and went top shelf to make it 2-0. Spreyer added his own goal on a nice pass from Jaxon Troyer. After Westchester got on the board, Colby Cushing was set up by Andrew Lacasse and Gunning to finish the scoring. Quinn Smith did the rest between the pipes with 12 saves on the day.
West Haven Squirt AA, Can Am champions. Submitted photo.
In the round robin play, Lacasse buried two goals and Spreyer, Cushing, and Kelly added goals to lead the Westies to a 5-1 win over the Westchester Express AA. Sophie Digioia (2), Owen Santos and AJ Farrell accounted for assists in the game. Smith got the win in net and finished with 9 saves.
In the opening round, the Westies were all over the Connecticut Junior Rangers AA in a 11-1 win. Lacasse scored four goals and Jeremiah McGrath added two goals for the Westies. Digioia, Gunning, Cushing and Farrell all found the back of the net. Cody Young, Kelly, Santos and Farrell all had assists.
Cushing, Gunning and McGrath scored to pace the Westies to a 3-1 win over PAL Silver Knights in the final game of pool play. Peyton Berlepsch and Santos accounted for the assists. Smith finished with 12 saves.
The Westies squeezed in a CHC game over the weekend as well and took home a 4-2 win over Darien AA.
McGrath tipped in a shot from Kelly and then added another to open a 2-0 lead. After Darien cut the lead to one, Gunning responded with two goals to finish the game.Young and Stella Porto had assists in the contest. Smith was stellar in net, turning away 21 shots, including three breakaways.
The West Haven Bantam A hockey team went 1-2 this weekend and now stands at 23-9-4 on the season. The Blue Devils dropped a 4-1 result to Stamford A, beat CT Junior Rangers 2007 AAA 3-1, and lost 6-2 to Junior Bulldogs 2007 A.
On Saturday morning at the Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Blue Devils scored their only goal on a power play in the second period. Theo Diakomis won the puck on the boards and found Alex Bowery. Bowery whipped a pass to Tanner Walsh on the far post and the winger knocked it home giving the Westies a 1-0 lead. Stamford scored a pair of goals late in the second and two more late in the third for the 4-1 win.
Later on Saturday, the team headed to Stamford's Twin Rinks to face CT Junior Rangers 2007 AAA. After a scoreless opening period, the Westies eventually got on the scoreboard.
Gio Ferrrucci kept the puck in the zone and flipped a nice no-look, backhand pass to Diakomis who roofed a backhand of his own. Just 33 seconds later it was 2-0 as Sean Studley fired a shot that was saved and Walsh banged in the rebound.
The Westies made it a 3-0 game later in the second when Studley jumped on a loose puck in the slot and swept it into the net with his backhand. The Rangers scored a power play goal late in the second.
Down the stretch in the third, West Haven’s penalty-kill unit killed off back-to-back penalties and Trevor Cathey was solid in net to preserve the 3-1 victory.
On Sunday at Northford Ice Pavilion, the Westies faced Yale 2007 A. Cathey was stellar in goal as he made several highlight-reel saves throughout the game. He made multiple saves in the opening period as both teams created chances. Yale scored in the final minute to go up 1-0.
The Westies tied it with a power play goal early in the second. Bowery fed Jack MacNiven at the point for a wrister.
Yale then went up 3-1, but Studley got the Blue Devils back in the game in the last minute of the second. He skated over the blue line, through two defensemen, and knocked a pass to Bowery. Bowery passed back to Studley who tapped it in the five-hole. Yale pulled away later in the third period, despite Cathey's efforts, and won 6-2.
(February 1, 2022) - The West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA played four games over the past two weeks.
On Sunday, the Westies hosted the state’s top ranked team and dropped a 6-5 contest against Connecticut Jr. Whalers AA. The Westies started slowly and found themselves in a 5-0 hole.
Andrew Lacasse opened the scoring with assists from Rocco Kelly and Sophie Digioia. Kelly took a pass from Peyton Berlepsch to add his own goal. Dylan Spreyer buried a goal on a pass from Jaxon Troyer. After the Whalers added another, Digioia and Charlie Gunning scored with the goalie pulled to cut the deficit. A furious rally to tie up the game fell short. Quinn Smith was solid in net with 18 saves on the day.
The Westies tied Mass Conn Elite 3-3. Lacasse buried two goals and Colby Cushing added the other goal. Assists on the day came from Digioia and Lacasse. Smith finished with 16 saves.
Rocco Kelly scored twice as the Westies also tied Elite AAA 2-2 at Blake Field. Owen Santos and AJ Farrell had assists. Smith kept the Westies in the game with 23 saves in the contestThe Connecticut Junior Rangers Elite AA scored four third period goals to hand the Westies a 7-3 defeat.
Digioia, Spreyer and Gunning had the goals for the Westies. Cody Young accounted for the lone assist on the day. Smith finished with 14 saves.
(February 8, 2022) - The West Haven Mite A travel team played in the Mite State Jamboree last Saturday, going 4-2-1 in a day of competitive games.
The Blue Devils opened up the day with a 1-0 win over CT Elite. Jax Guarino scored the lone goal off a nice one-timer set-up by Logan Minio. Jameson Schempp was stellar in goal, making a few big saves down the stretch to preserve the win.
The pair combined again in game two, this time Guarino setting up Minio for the goal in a 1-0 win over Central. Cooper Owens played strong defense to help keep the shutout.
The Westies tied the undefeated CT Chiefs in the third game. Down 1-0 with under a minute to play, Ben Trenchard broke up a Chiefs attack and got the puck up to Minio. Minio skated along the boards before cutting in to set up Brady Salkins for the tying goal as seconds ticked away.
The Westies fell 1-0 in game four to the Yale Mite A team. Schempp again came up with some big saves, but the Westies could not find the back of the net, despite the hard work of Caden Minio, Jameson Eid, and Henry Seslar.
The Blue Devils bounced back in their next game, taking it to Wallingford and winning 3-0. Guarino and Salkins both found the back of the net again, as did Logan Minio, getting the assist on his goal from Caden Minio.
The day started to catch up with the Westies, as they fell in game six to the Wonderland Mite A team from Bridgeport. Seslar and Eid showed a lot of hustle, but they couldn't get their offense off the ground in the loss.
The boys finished the day strong, defeating Ridgefield in the final game 6-2. Trenchard and Owens once again anchored the defense, as Guarino picked up the hat trick. Seslar banged one home, getting set up by Salkins. Logan Minio added the other two goals, and Schempp was once again solid in net for the Westies.
The West Haven Mite C hockey team took on the Milford Mud Hounds at Bennett Rink. Multiple goals were scored by JP Beebe, Carter Liston, Landon Alling, Emmet Hemming, Sarah Mastroni and Caleb Ford. In addition, a goal was contributed by Jackson Ford, while several shots on net were made by Abby Hemming. Making her debut In net for the Blue Devils was Kiera Harrison, and she made many great saves.
The Mite C’s took on the Chiefs Mini Mites on Sunday at Newington Arena. Playing goalie for the Blue Devils was Emmet Hemming, also making his debut and making many great saves.
Multiple goals were scored by Carter Liston, Beebe, Mastroni, Jackson Ford and Abby Hemming. Additionally, a goal was scored by Alling and several shots on goal were made by Kiera Hemming and Caleb Ford.
The West Haven Squirt A travel hockey team participated in the Connecticut Hockey Conference State Tournament in Shelton this past weekend. The team went 4-0 against their opposition to gain the Nutmeg Division title. The team was coached by Paul Moriarty, Pat Morrissey, Adam Mink, and Niko Kyle.
In the championship game, the Westies downed New Canaan, 2-1, to capture the title. Colton Bruneau opened the scoring with an unassisted goal with two minutes left in the first period, jamming in a loose puck from the crease. West Haven held a 1-0 lead deep into the second period, until New Canaan scored on a breakaway to tie the game with 2:53 left.
The tie did not last long as Logan Stackpole was able to find the puck in the crowd, took off into the offensive zone and sniped a quick shot that ended up in the back of the net to give the Westies a 2-1 lead. Nikolas Scalice had a blockbuster game between the pipes with a double-digit save count, holding New Canaan to the one goal. Bruneau received player of the tournament racking up six points across the four-game stretch.
On Saturday, the Westies played a doubleheader. The first game was against the Riverhawks and Logan Stackpole scored two goals in the game, each assisted by Colin Whelan. Rounding out the scoring to give the Westies a 5-1 victory was Bruneau with a hat trick, one of which was an assist by Stackpole. Forwards Kyle D’Agostino and JJ Charbonneau worked hard along the boards to keep control of the puck in the neutral zone in both games.
In the second game of the day, the Westies played the Southern CT Stars, ending with a 5-1 victory. Leading off the scoring was Dane Walsh, going top shelf with an unassisted goal in the first period. In the second period, Stackpole score an unassisted goal followed by defenseman Conner Owens who launched a rocket from the blue line. Stackpole would go on to score a second goal in the third period off an assist from Whelan, and rounding out the scoring was Walsh with another unassisted goal. Anthony Parise also had a strong game with a few breakaways to move the puck up the ice for the Westies. Goaltender Evan Harrison was a brick wall in the game, shutting down Southern’ s scoring efforts.
In the opening game of the tournament, the Westies played a very physical game against New Canaan. Colton Bruneau scored the first goal of the game off an assist from defenseman Holden Napoletano. Dane Walsh went top shelf to score in the second period, and defenseman Ryan Schempp sniped a shot from the point off a quick pass from Bruneau on a Westie power play.
Overall, the Westies only had four goals scored against them in the tournament. The outstanding efforts of the West Haven defense of Ryan Schempp, Conner Owens, Kyle Johnson, and Joseph Mondo shut down their opponent’s offense with a solid and consistent effort in every game.
Crisp passing, a masterful neutral zone reset strategy, and a strong backchecking effort were the keys to success for the young Westies. The goaltending duo of Nik Scalice and Evan Harrison, who split time between the net, each had double digit save counts in the tournament.
The West Haven Bantam A hockey team split a pair of games on Saturday as it prepares for the upcoming state tournament. The Blue Devils dropped a tight, 2-1 decision to Avon and then rebounded with a 6-3 win over Darien. The Westies' overall record is now 25-10-5.
On Saturday morning at Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies hosted Avon A. The Blue Devils took an early 1-0 lead with a power play goal. Jack MacNiven found Sean Studley along the boards. He hit Alex Bowery streaking down the slot and Bowery buried his wrist shot. Avon tied it at 1-1 in the final minute of the first period.
Neither team scored in the second period as Trevor Cathey made several clutch saves for the Westies in the period. Cathey stayed hot in the third and made two big saves on uncontested shots to keep the game tied. Avon finally broke through with 58 seconds left in the game to pull out the 2-1 win.
Later on Saturday night, the Blue Devils went to Stamford Twin Rinks to face Darien A. West Haven took an early 1-0 lead when MacNiven fired from the blue line and Gio Ferrucci banged in the rebound 3:30 into the game. Darien tied it when the puck caromed off a Westies' skate and the game remained 1-1 at the end of one period.
The Westies took over the game in the second. Studley found Ferrucci barreling down the slot and he wristed it home. Theo Diakomis battled behind the net and found Matt Molnar, who whipped the puck out front where Zach Melchiore swept it in. The Westies made it 4-1 in the final minute with a 5-on-3 tally. Bowery won the faceoff back to Joey DiGioia who quickly passed to Brody Elam. Elam skated it in and ripped a laser through the five hole.
Darien closed to within 4-3 with a pair of goals early in the third. Studley got the momentum back when he picked up the puck in Darien's zone, juked a defenseman, and slid it to Bowery who buried his wrist shot. DiGioia added an empty net goal in the final minute for the 6-3 win. Cathey was solid again in goal.
(February 15, 2022) - The West Haven Mite A travel hockey team was back in action this past weekend, playing against the Wonderland Wizards Mite A squad. The Wizards won the contest 12-7, but the young Westies gave them a tough game.
Logan Minio led the scoring, picking up assists from Jax Guarino and Caden Minio. Guarino added two goals of his own, with Logan Minio assisting him. Brady Salkins rounded out the scoring, getting the pass from Ben Trenchard.
Trenchard and Cooper Owens both played well defensively, and Jameson Eid and Henry Seslar put in a lot of hustle on the wings to get up and down the rink. Jameson Schempp continued his impressive run of form in goal, making several huge saves throughout the game.
The West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA team notched two wins and a tie over last two weeks.
The Westies were able to play at the Peoples United Center on the campus of Quinnipiac University and Quinn Smith stole the show in net by posting a 1-0 shutout with 22 saves over the Mid Fairfield Rangers AA.
Andrew Lacasse buried a pass form Rocco Kelly to account for the only goal. AJ Farrell, Cody Young, Owen Santos and Stella Porto led the defensive efforts in front of Smith.
The Westies tied the Mid Fairfield Rangers AA 2-2 in West Haven. Charlie Gunning and Dylan Spreyer found the back of the net for the Westies. Smith notched 17 saves in the contest.
The Westies travelled to Stanford and came away with a 5-4 win over the Connecticut Junior Rangers Elite. Lacasse opened up the scoring on a pass from Jeremiah McGrath, and Digioia evened the score on a pass from Jaxon Troyer. After falling behind a goal, Digioia buried a pass from Gunning to tie it. Digioia then added an unassisted goal, before Lacasse broke free and buried the game winner on a 5-on-3 shorthanded penalty kill. Smith turned in another stellar performance in net with 19 saves for the win.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team dropped a 3-2 decision to CT Junior Rangers 2008 AAA in the team's final tune-up before the state tournament. The Blue Devils, 25-11-5 overall, will be competing for a Tier 3 championship next week.
On Saturday morning at Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies and CJR played a back-and-forth first period before the home team grabbed the lead with 1:47 left. On the power play, Parker Guarnieri slid a pass to Leo Mazuroski just inside the blue line and the defenseman fired a laser beam making it 1-0.
The Rangers scored late in the second and twice more in the third period to take a 3-1 lead. In the game's final minute, the Westies were on a two-man advantage and pulled the goalie.
Gio Ferrucci worked the puck off the boards behind the net and found Sean Studley in the slot. Studley picked the upper corner and buried it, making it a one-goal game. The Westies could not find the equalizer in the final moments. Trevor Cathey was strong in net for the Blue Devils.
(February 28, 2022) - The West Haven Mite A travel hockey team ended its season on a high note, downing the Elite Mite A squad 8-4.
Going down 1-0 early in the game, Jameson Schempp made a beautiful kick save, and Brady Salkins picked up the rebound. Salkins then took it the length of the ice and netted the tying goal.
Jameson Eid scored the next goal for the Westies, getting the assist from Henry Seslar. The Guarino-Minio connection continued to produce, as Logan Minio got a pass from Caden Minio, then found Jax Guarino open in front of the net to bury the one-timer. Logan Minio would go on to score two of his own, and Salkins added to his tally to, one of which came from a nice defensive play when Ben Trenchard and Salkins double teamed an Elite player in the center of the ice, winning the puck for Salkins to put into the back of the net. Trenchard and Cooper Owens played lock down defense the rest of the way, helping Schempp preserve the win.
(September 12, 2021) - The West Haven Mite A travel hockey team opened the season with a big game over the Hamden Dragons on Opening Weekend at the Edward L. Bennett Rink.
Brady Salkins scored the opening goal, after Ben Trenchard stripped the puck of a Hamden forward and released Salkins into open ice with a nice pass.
Trenchard continued his strong game on defense, and was joined by Cooper Owens. Jameson Schempp was strong in goal, making a few big saves early on to keep the Westies in the game.
Logan Minio and Jax Guarino established a strong connection, each setting up the other and each scoring. Henry Seslar also put the puck in the back of the net, while Jameson Eid and Caden Minio each had a strong game as well.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team opened their season with a 4-4 tie against Yale A on Saturday at Bennett Rink. Brady Price opened up the scoring early, burying two within the first four minutes of the game. West Haven led 2-1 in the second when Alex Bowery picked top corner to make the score 3-1.
A surge of offense from Yale put West Haven in a 4-3 hole with six seconds to go in regulation. With an empty net, Alex Bowery got the puck to Brody Elam on the blue line. Elam quickly fired a shot on goal that found the back of the net.
West Haven had strong defensive efforts from Elam, Cam Levy, Leo Mazuroski, and Dylan Bosworth. Between the pipes, Johnny Kennedy and Trevor Cathey both had strong games.
The West Haven 16U Midget American hockey team fell in the semifinals of the Massachusetts Tier I Labor Day tournament.
The Westies opened the tournament with a 5-0 victory over the Springfield Rifles. Layne Jackson made several stellar saves in posting the shutout.
The Westies took a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. Mike Madera opened the scoring off assists from Max Schroeder and Jason Anderson, before Matt Stevens scored unassisted and Cooper Savoy scored the first of his two goals off an assist from Schroeder for a 3-0 lead after one.
West Haven put the game away with two goals in the second. Madera scored his second of the game off assists from Chris Adkins and Jake McManus, before Schroeder assisted on the final goal of the game by Savoy.
The Westies fell in the second game of the tournament to the Barnstable Raiders 7-1. Madera scored to cut the deficit to 2-1, but the Raiders scored three times in the final 2:56 of the first and never trailed.
West Haven again fell in its third game 6-1 to the Manchester Flames. Trailing 2-0, Savoy got the Westies within a goal off an assist from Schroeder, but the Westies never got closer.
Needing a win to advance, West Haven posted a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bulldogs. Trailing 2-0, the Westies scored the next four goals in the win.
Schroeder cut the deficit in half off an assist from Savoy, and Dylan Bershtein scored the next two goals in a span of 2:06 for a 3-2 lead. Mickey Dowd assisted on the first tally and Stevens on the second. Bershtein completed his hat trick with an unassisted goal 2:44 into the final period.
West Haven advanced to play the Flames in the semifinals, but a fluke goal spoiled a masterful performance by Jackson in goal as West Haven was eliminated 1-0.
The Westies swept a weekend series with the Ct. Chiefs this past weekend, winning 5-0 at home Saturday and 6-0 on the road Sunday.
On Saturday, Patrick Conroy, Bershtein, and McManus scored once each, while Savoy had a pair of tallies. Savoy, Will Giaquinto, and McCarthy had assists in the win.
McCarthy, Conroy, Marco Goodmaster, Jason Alling, Haygen Axelrod, Gavin Luddy, and Yousef Ullah all played well on defense to support the goaltending of Jackson in the shutout.
The defense was at it again on Sunday, supporting the goaltending of Javed Ullah and Ben Amarone in the shutout.Adkins, Schroeder, McCarthy, Dowd, Madera, and Anderson all scored in the win. Savoy had two assists, while Luddy, Stevens, and Adkins also had assists.
(September 19, 2021) - The West Haven Mite A's were back in action this weekend, playing twice. On Saturday, the young Westies hosted the CT Chiefs, falling to the skilled team.
Jameson Schempp made some fantastic saves to give his squad a chance. Ben Trenchard and Cooper Owens worked hard on defense, and Jax Guarino tried to spark the Blue Devil attack.
On Sunday, the Westies traveled to Shelton to take on the Riverhawks. The Blue Devils rebounded nicely from the day before, coming away with the win off of goals from Brady Salkins, Logan Minio and Caden Minio, Henry Seslar, and Guarino.
Trenchard and Owens were once again strong on defense, with Trenchard contributing to the attack with a pair of assists, and Owens notching goals of his own. Jameson Eid also scored and backchecked hard to help out on defense, and Schempp played another strong game in goal to secure the win for West Haven.
Photo courtesy of Anthony Parise.
The West Haven Squirt A travel hockey team closed out its second week of action with a solid 8-1 win over local rival Milford Southern Stars at the Edward L. Bennett Rink on Sunday morning.
Colton Bruneau scored the opening goal on a deflection off a nice pass from Conner Owens, then four minutes later, Logan Stackpole hustled up the ice with the puck to score an unassisted goal.
The Westies continued their strong offensive game in the second period as JJ Charbonneau scored on a well-placed pass from Bruneau, who would go on to score three more goals in the game.
Evan Harrisson made a few big saves between the pipes to hold Southern to only one goal and was helped with a strong defensive effort from Kyle Johnson, Joe Mondo, and Ryan Schempp.
Colin Whelan wrapped up the scoring with two goals in the third period. Dane Walsh, Holden Napolitano, and Kyle D’Agostino all had a strong game as well.
The West Haven Peewee A team finished up its second weekend of the season going 1-1, earning its first win of the season.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils hosted the Southern Stars at the Bennett Rink, falling to a talented Stars team by a score of 7-1. West Haven scored its only goal at the 10 minute mark of the first period when Kyle Guarino came down the wing and made a very impressive move to protect the puck and fed the puck to Michael D’Auito, who was waiting in front to bury it home.
There were many positive plays in the game with the loss, Brooklynn Maher had 7 blocked shots in the game, Dhruva Guarani had a great blocked shot in the final minute of the game. Andrew Grillo, Rushford Jaworski, Sophia Locklear and Ayden Troyer all played well in the game. Mason LaCroix started the game in net with Kai Lupa coming in in relief.
On Sunday, the Blue Devils traveled to Norwich where they took on the Southeastern Seahawks and skated to a 12-1 victory.
After a scoreless first period, the Westies got on the board in the first 11 seconds of the second period off an unassisted goal by Ty Silva. Raymond Weston scored the next goal four minutes later off an assist by Gavin Coady.
Michael D’Auito scored an unassisted goal with six minutes remaining in the period, and Cam Lipford went on to score consecutive goals within 57 seconds of each other. Alessandra Picard got the helper. After a timeout by the Seahawks, Picard went on to score her own goal to make it 6-1.
West Haven came out in the third period scoring six more goals. Weston scored his second of the game 22 seconds into the period, Picard scored her second of the game four minutes into the third period off a feed from Aedan Guarino, who went on to score his own goal just 44 seconds later.
Michael D’Auito scored the team’s tenth goal from a feed by his brother David D’Auito. Kyle Guarino tallied the 11th goal with an assist coming from Weston, his third point of the contest. Michael D’Auito knotted his second of the game to finish out the scoring, with Picard picking up her fourth point of the day.
Lupa started the game in net with LaCroix coming in relief. The pair had a combined 11 saves in the game.
The West Haven Bantam A team won its first three games of the 2021-22 season this weekend with a two-game sweep of Wizards A and a dominating performance over ECHO A. The Blue Devils are now 3-0-1 overall.
On Friday night at Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies hosted the Wizards in the first of two games on the weekend to post a 5-4 victory.
Down 1-0, the Westies tied the score in the final minute of the first period. Cam Levy carried the puck into the zone and dropped a pass to Mike Page, who zipped home a wrist shot. An awkward bounce off the endboards led to a Wonderland goal at the buzzer though.
Page tied the game at two when he picked the puck off the boards and fired from the high slot 3:25 into the second. The Wizards scored twice in an eleven second span to go up 4-2 before the Westies came back.
Skating 4-on-4 with 1:54 remaining in the second, Gio Ferrucci won a faceoff to Brady Price, who snapped it over the goalie's shoulder, making it 4-3.
The Westies took over the game in the third period. Ferrucci hit Parker Guarnieri in stride for a breakway and the winger cashed it in 3:07 into the period. With just under four minutes to play, Dylan Bosworth carried the puck into the Wizards' zone and shoved it to Page. Page's wrister won the game and gave him his first hat trick of the young season.
Trevor Cathey and John Kennedy split the game in goal and both were solid.
The Westies and Wizards played the rematch Sunday morning at the Wonderland of Ice. Kennedy got the start and kept the Blue Devils in the game with several key saves in the opening period of the victory 3-1.
Down 1-0 in the second period, West Haven went on the power play in the opening minute. Brody Elam passed ahead to Price who beat a defenseman and sniped a quick wrister.
The game remained tied at one into the third when the Westies once again took over. Guarnieri worked the puck off the boards to Page behind the net, who fed Ferrucci in front for a one-timer and a 2-1 lead.
A power play goal by Price from Page gave the Westies a two-goal lead midway through the period. Kennedy made the 3-1 score stand up with a solid performance and 22 total saves.
Later on Sunday, the Westies traveled to the Bolton Ice Palace for a meeting with ECHO and posted an 8-3 victory.
After West Haven yielded a power play goal early in the game, the Westies tied it at one five minutes later when Levy kept the puck in the zone and fed Sean Studley for a goal inside the near post. Price then stole a pass at his own blue line and cruised in for a breakaway that he coolly converted.
Theo Diakomis made it 3-1 with a laser from just above the right circle. ECHO scored late in the period to make it 3-2 after one.
The Westies took over the game in the second. Alex Bowery's initial shot was saved, but Price knocked the rebound through the five hole 19 seconds in. Only 40 seconds later, Levy slid the puck to Zach Melchiore who zipped it home.
Skating 5-on-3 just 3:35 later, Leo Mazuroski slid the puck to Levy who walked it in and hammered the shot home. Levy went coast-to-coast with 22 seconds left in the second to make it 7-2 for the Westies. Ferrucci went top shelf with Bosworth assisting to close the scoring for the Blue Devils in the third. Cathey was solid in net with 11 saves in the 8-3 win.
(September 26, 2021) - The West Haven Mite B team faced formidable opponents this weekend.
On Saturday, the Mite B team took on a very skilled Southern CT 8U Maroon squad. The Mite B defense was led by Alexa Jacob and Finn Mclaughlin with stellar goal tending from Landon Silverman. Keegan Jackson led the offense, creating numerous opportunities in front of the net.
On Sunday, the Mite B team traveled to Terry Conners Rink in Stamford to face the Stamford 8U team. With strong net minding by Landon Silverman, the Westies battled hard against the experienced Stamford team. Keegan Jackson continued to lead the offense, supported by the tenacious duo of Jack Weiss and Sadie Moll.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team remained undefeated on the young season with a tie and a win this weekend. The Blue Devils tied Greater New Haven A, 4-4, and dismantled Stamford A, 7-1, to push their record to 4-0-2.
On Saturday at Edward L. Bennett Rink, Greater New Haven scored the only goal of the first period on a power play. Just 31 seconds into the second period, the Westies tied the game with a power play goal of their own. Brody Elam fired from the point and it deflected to Brady Price who fired into the open cage.
Parker Guarneri then gave West Haven a 2-1 lead when he worked the puck off the boards and found the back of the net with his shot. GNH would tie the game at two before Price grabbed the puck at his own blue line and raced in for a breakaway. He zipped it home and the Westies carried the 3-2 lead into the third period.
The Blue Devils made it a 4-2 game 4:25 into the third when Elam whipped a shot through the crease that Tanner Walsh pounced on and knocked home.
Penalties undid the Westies down the stretch though. The Warriors scored two power play goals and the teams skated to the 4-4 tie. John Kennedy (five saves) started in goal and Trevor Cathey (19 saves) relieved in the first period.
The Westies headed to Terry Connors Rink to face Stamford on Sunday evening. Mike Page scored a pair of goals, with Guarneri and Matt Molnar assisting, in the opening period to give the Westies a 2-0 lead.
Page notched a hat trick with a goal in the opening minute of the second period with Guarneri assisting. Guarneri then made it a 4-0 contest with a 5-on-3 power play goal, assisted by Joey DiGioia.
Stamford cut the West Haven lead to 4-1 early in the third.
Page then blew the game open with two more goals, both unassisted, before Alex Bowery capped the scoring on an assist from Elam. Kennedy posted two shutout periods in goal, before Cathey played the final period of the 7-1 victory.
(October 5, 2021) - The West Haven Mite B team was back in action this weekend.
On Saturday, the Westies faced a determined Dairen 8U team. The Mite B offense was led by Keegan Jackson and Santino Martin. The Mite B’s fought hard to limit scoring opportunities by Darien with strong defensive play by Austin Picard and Finn Mclaughlin.
On Sunday, the team traveled to Stamford to face the Darien Gray team. Landon Silverman was flawless in net, supported by an aggressive offense led by Jack Weiss.
The Mite B’s were strong on both ends of the ice, with notable performances by Mason MacDonald and Alexa Jacob.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team earned three decisive wins this weekend and remain undefeated on the season with a 7-0-2 record. Ten different players scored goals as the Blue Devils outscored their opponents 27-7 in the three games.
On Saturday afternoon at the Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies hosted Wallingford A. Brady Price swept in Theo Diakomis' pass to open the scoring forty seconds in. Brody Elam fired on net and Sean Studley deftly redirected it through the five-hole making it 2-0 one minute later. Diakomis knocked in a rebound of Price's shot, before Wallingford cut it to 3-1. Leo Mazuroski's point shot was saved, but Alex Bowery slammed it home for a 4-1 lead after one period.
Mike Page scored on a breakaway, Studley took Tanner Walsh's pass and banked one in off the far post, then Bowery (hat trick) cleaned up a rebound of a Price wrist shot to make it 7-1 after two periods.
Bowery roofed one after a poke check and Page sniped the top corner off a feed from Price to complete the scoring for the Westies.
John Kennedy started and Trevor Cathey relieved in goal as both were solid throughout.
On Saturday evening, the Westies' defense stymied the Central Capitals A team in a resounding 10-1 victory. Elam, Mazuroski, Joey DiGioia, Cam Levy and Dylan Bosworth played fast and physical in front of Cathey and Kennedy.
Parker Guarnieri slid a nice pass to Gio Ferrucci for a short-handed one-timer to start the scoring barrage early in the first period. Page earned another short-handed goal 38 seconds later. Bosworth flipped in a backhand and Page got another short-handed tally to make it 4-0 after one.
Page (hat trick) roofed one in the slot from Ferrucci, Bowery tipped home Elam's shot, Walsh backhanded in Zach Melchiore's pass, and Guarnieri fed Page again making it 8-0 after two.
Walsh's tough angle shot and Price's redirect of Bosworth's point shot capped the Westies scoring in the third.
A breakaway late in the game ruined the shutout but Cathey and Kennedy were both sharp in net for the game.
The Blue Devils headed to Norwich to face the Southeastern Seahawks on Sunday morning. Ferrucci flipped one in from the blue line, giving West Haven an early lead, before the Seahawks tied the contest.
Studley's wraparound attempt squirted to Melchiore, who tapped it in to regain the lead. Price slammed in a rebound of Diakomis' shot making it 3-1 after the opening period.
Price fed Bowery from behind the net and Page hit a streaking Bowery, who juked the goalie and scored to push the lead to 5-1.
After a Seahawks goal, Mazuroski zipped in a rising wrist shot to make it 6-2. Price and Studley each scored unassisted goals with hard wrist shots in the third period.Kennedy and Cathey were clutch between the pipes again in the 8-3 win.
(October 12, 2021) - The West Haven Mite C team played in a jamboree this weekend at Milford Ice Pavilion.
In the first game, goals were scored by JP Beebe and Emmet Hemming. Great saves were made by goalie Abby Hemming. The Mite C’s also had great passing and shooting from Kiera Harrison and Sarah Mastroni.
In the second game, the Mite C team had a goal by Beebe and help from his teammates, Emmet Hemming, Kiera Harrison and Mastroni, with more great saves made by goalie Abby Hemming.
In the third and final game of the jamboree, West Haven had goals from Landon Silverman, Beebe, Emmett Hemming and Finn Mclaughlin, with shots on net by Harrison, Sadie Moll and Mastroni.
In net for the third game was Abby Hemming, who made lots of great saves for the team.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to ten games to start the season with a decisive 10-1 victory over South Windsor A on Saturday at Edward L. Bennett Rink. Mike Page led the Blue Devils with five goals, while Parker Guarnieri and Dylan Bosworth both had three assists.
The Westies jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening period and never looked back. Gio Ferrucci started the scoring with a one-timer from Guarnieri and Page. Leo Mazuroski fed Page for his first tally, and Brody Elam fed a pass to Bosworth and Page redirected in his point shot.Another point shot by Cam Levy was passed by Sean Studley to Zach Melchiore, who banged the shot home. Brady Price cashed in a breakaway from Alex Bowery, and Page went bar down from a tough angle to cap the first period onslaught.
Levy found the net through traffic with Bosworth assisting to start the third period. Guarnieri slid Ferrucci's pass to Page for an easy tap-in, Mazuroski rang one off the post and Matt Molnar fired home the loose puck, and Page roofed a pass from Guarnieri to cap off the scoring.
Trevor Cathey started in goal and made a few nice saves early in the contest. John Kennedy relieved and also play well in goal.
(October 19, 2021) - The West Haven Youth Hockey Mite A team was back in action this weekend, with two tough games. On Saturday, the Westies hosted the CT Junior Rangers Elite, with the two teams playing to a thrilling tie.
Logan Minio and Brady Salkins led the offense, while Henry Seslar worked the wing. Cooper Owens sparked the counter-attack from defense, and Caden Minio back-checked hard to help out his team defensively.
The Westie Mite A's were back in action on Sunday, with a late afternoon game against Northwestern in South Kent. After a close first period which saw Jax Guarino score and Jameson Schempp make several big stops in goal, the Westies pulled ahead and never looked back. Jameson Eid also scored, and Keegan Jackson covered on defense and got into key positions on offense. Ben Trenchard did a superb job on defense in the win, stripping the puck from the Northwestern skaters, and passing it up to pick up a few assists.The West Haven Bantam A team ran its season-opening unbeaten streak to 11 games with a 7-3 win over Western A on Saturday, before dropping a 9-1 decision on Sunday to Junior Bulldogs 2007 A. The Blue Devils are now 9-1-2 on the season.
On Saturday afternoon at the Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies went up 1-0 just over six minutes into the game when Brady Price passed to the point for a shot by Leo Mazuroski which Theo Diakomis redirected home. Price made it 2-0 with a shorthanded goal when he grabbed the puck on his own blue line, split two defensemen, juked the goalie, and dropped it in the empty net. Price and Alex Bowery converted a beautiful 2-on-1 with Bowery one-timing Price's saucer pass in the final minute of the period.
In the second period, netminder John Kennedy made a few nice saves and Tanner Walsh scored the only goal when he roofed a loose puck. The Westies went up 5-0 in the opening minute of the third when Mike Page worked the puck off the boards and slid it to Parker Guarnieri who cashed it in.
Western tried making a game of it by scoring three straight to make it 5-3 with 5:47 to play. After a timeout, the Blue Devils righted the ship. Page got the momentum back when he slotted one home with Price and Bowery assisting. Bowery then capped the scoring with an unassisted goal giving the Westies the 7-3 win.
On Sunday night at Bennett Rink, the only West Haven goal was scored by Brody Elam with assists to Dylan Bosworth and Gio Ferrucci in the 9-1 loss to the Junior Bulldogs.
(October 26, 2021) - The West Haven Mite C hockey team played two games this weekend. On Saturday, the Mite C’s faced Southern CT.
Abby Hemming was in net for West Haven and goals for the Blue Devils were scored by Landon Alling and JP Beebe. Other shots on net were made by Emmett Hemming, Carter Liston, Kiera Harrison and Sara Mastroni. Caleb Ford and Jackson Ford played defense, and also had shots on goal. Abby Hemming made great saves for the Blue Devils.
On Sunday, the Blue Devils faced the Milford Mud Hounds. Multiple goals were scored by Alling, Beebe and Liston. Emmett Hemming and Ford each had a goal during the game.
Excellent hustle and shots on net were displayed by Ford, Mastroni and Harrison. Abby Hemming again was in net for the Blue Devils and made excellent saves.
The West Haven Squirt AA Team played in the Haunted Shootout in Marlborough, Massachusetts and took home the title.
The action kicked off Friday morning against the Providence Hockey Club, with West Haven posting a 14-0 win. Quinn Smith recorded his first shutout of the tournament and with hat tricks were recorded by Colby Cushing and Rocco Kelly.
The Westies had a slow start for the first five minutes, before taking a 5-0 lead after one period on goals by Kelly (2), Stella Porto, Jeremiah McGrath, and Owen Santos.
In the second period, the Westies continued to pour it on with seven more goals with tallies coming from Sophie DiGioia, Kelly, Andrew Lacasee, Dylan Spreyer, Charlie Gunning and two from Cushing. West Haven closed the scoring in the third period with goals coming from Jaxon Troyer and Cushing.
West Haven Squirt AA takes home the title in Marlborough, Mass. Contributed photo.
The Westies then faced the Maine Moose Friday evening and posted an 8-0 victory. West Haven stuck to its game plan to get pucks deep and forecheck with persistent pressure. Smith recorded his second shutout of the tournament.
The Westies improved to 3-0 with an 8-0 victory against the Greater New Haven Warriors. Smith recorded his third straight shutout of the tournament and goals were scored by Kelly, Gunning, DiGioia (4), Cody Young, and Peyton Berlepsch.
West Haven entered the cross-over round as the top seed, only to have to face their Connecticut rivals, the fourth-seeded Greater New Haven Warriors again. The Westies again prevailed 10-1.
The Blue Devils led 2-0 at the end of the first period on goals by Andrew Lacasse. With West Haven leading 2-1, Lacasse scored the next two goals and assisted on the fifth by AJ Farrell to stretch the score to 5-1.
The Westies tacked on another five, with goals from Gunning, Troyer, DiGioia (2) and another by Lacasse for the 10-1 victory.
West Haven advanced to the finals against second-seeded Weymouth and took home the title with a 3-1 victory.
Lacasse gave West Haven a 1-0 lead when he beat two defensemen out of the corner and passed to a well-positioned Peyton Berlepsch, who took a quick wrist shot to beat the goalie on his glove side for a 1-0 lead.
The goal by Berlepsch would hold up through the second period as both goalies were solid in net.
Weymouth evened the game early in the third period, banging a rebound home on a third chance to knot the score at one.
With 4:45 left, Lacasse was able to slide a pass over to DiGioia who buried the shot top shelf. Smith turned away a flurry of shots in the last two minutes with a Weymouth empty net, and West Haven secured the championship with 17 seconds left in the game when DiGioia hustled to the puck and came out from behind the net to put the nail in coffin by scoring her second goal of the game.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team advanced to the championship game of the Haunted Shootout in Marlborough, MA but was denied, 2-1, in a hard-fought game against Greater New Haven A.
Goaltender Trevor Cathey was tremendous in net for the Westies in the final game with several clutch saves. His kick save off a turnover and stuff of a power play attempt kept the game scoreless early. Gio Ferrucci won a face-off back to the point where Cam Levy’s shot was redirected by Parker Guarnieri off the post, but he hustled after the rebound and cashed it in giving the Westies a 1-0 lead in the opening period.
Five minutes into the second period GNH tied the contest. Cathey saved a wraparound attempt, but couldn't stop the rebound shot. The back and forth game remained tied into the third as the defense of Brody Elam, Dylan Bosworth, Levy, Joey DiGioia and Leo Mazuroski held strong.
With just over five minutes remaining, Bosworth's point shot was redirected by Alex Bowery off the post. Cathey stood tall during a late GNH power play, but the Warriors finally got one to go with 1:36 on the clock.
The Westies then pulled Cathey in the final 30 seconds and skated 6-on-4 after a late penalty. Brady Price fed Sean Studley in the slot, but a defenseman dove to block the shot and the goalie covered it with one second left to seal the win.
Studley led the Blue Devils' offense in the tournament with nine points (five goals and four assists) while Price led the team with six goals. Mike Page scored four goals, Tanner Walsh had two goals and two assists, while Guarnieri, Ferrucci, Matt Molnar and Zach Melchiore scored a goal apiece. Theo Diakomis and Levy added assists. West Haven outscored their opponents 21-5 in the five games.
West Haven faced top-seeded Genesis (PA) in the semifinals Sunday morning. Cathey posted his second shutout of the tournament, all five defensemen were outstanding, and the top line of Bowery-Price-Studley combined for four goals in the 5-0 win.
The Westies scored 4:35 into the game when Bowery kept in the puck and Studley grabbed it. He slid it to Price for a one-timer. Thirty seconds later Walsh banged home his own bouncing rebound to make it 2-0.
In the second period, Price worked the puck off the boards and found Studley streaking down the slot for a one-timer and a 3-0 lead. Studley opened the third by burying a wrist shot and Bowery capped the scoring when he followed up his initial shot a minute later.
The Blue Devils earned the No. 4 seed by going 2-1-0 in pool play. On Friday afternoon, West Haven opened the tournament with a 6-0 win over North Jersey Avalanche, then trounced Weymouth (MA), 8-1, later Friday night. On Saturday the Westies lost a tight game, 2-1, to Greater New Haven.
In the win over the Avalanche on Friday, Cathey was sharp in goal in posting the team's first shutout of the season. Page and Price each scored a pair of goals, while Studley added a goal and assist. Bowery and Walsh chipped in with two assists apiece.
In the nightcap on Friday, Price led the offense with a hat trick and an assist. Studley had three assists and a goal. Ferrucci, Page, Molnar and Walsh added goals.
John Kennedy was sharp in between the pipes. In Saturday's loss, Page scored an unassisted goal while Kennedy was excellent in goal and Cathey solid in relief.
(November 2, 2021) - The West Haven Mite A hockey team was back in action this weekend, fresh off winning the championship at the Haunted Shootout the weekend of October 23.
The Westies hosted the Southern Connecticut Stars Saturday morning. The Mite A's found themselves down 3-0 in the first period, despite the attacking prowess of Jameson Eid, Caden Minio, and Henry Seslar. The Westies started to claw their way back after a fabulous glove save by Jameson Schempp. The save spurred his teammates on, and Logan Minio got a goal back before the end of the first period.
The Blue Devils came out strong in the second period, with Cooper Owens and Ben Trenchard anchoring the defense. Jax Guarino scored to bring the score to 3-3, but then the Westies again found themselves down 4-3.
Brady Salkins finally had a puck bounce his way and he put it in the back of the net to level the score once again.
As the game wound down, the Westies scored again and were able to hold on for the 5-4 win in the tough match-up.
The West Haven Mite C hockey team took on the CT Chiefs Saturday. Two goals were scored by JP Beebe and Jackson Ford played well in goal for the Westies. Shots on goal from the Blue Devils included Landon Alling, Sarah Mastroni, Caleb Ford, Emmett Hemming and Kiera Harrison.
Playing defense alongside Caleb Ford for the Blue Devils was Abby Hemming, who helped block several shots. Jackson Ford made many great saves during the matchup.
The West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA team returned to state play with two wins this weekend.
On Saturday, the Westies traveled to Newington and left with a 4-1 win over the Central Squirt AA.
Andrew Lacasse started the scoring and Cody Young’s wrist shot found the back of net from the point to make it 2-0. After Central climbed within a goal, Sophie Digioia buried a pass from Charlie Gunning to stretch the lead. Colby Cushing’s pass set up a streaking Jaxon Troyer to close out the scoring. Quinn Smith finished with nine saves on the day for the win.
On Sunday, the Westies returned home and rallied in the third period to down Mid-Fairfield 2-1. After a scoreless first, Mid-Fairfield buried a loose puck to take the lead.
The equalizer came a few minutes into the third off the stick of Peyton Berlepsch as he buried one from the high slot. Andrew Lacasse notched the game winner as he broke free and buried a back hand.
Quinn Smith was again stellar in net, turning away 13 shots. Smith was helped by the strong defensive play in front of him by Stella Porto, AJ Farrell, Gunning and Owen Santos.
Halloween weekend saw the WH Peewee A travel hockey team take on Yale A, looking to avenge a 10-1 drubbing from early in the season. The Westies battled but fell 3-2.
Kai Lupa played well in goal and was tested early with a breakaway save. The Westie defense showed its toughness throughout, with Kyle Guarino’s deft ability from the back and Gavin Coady’s shot blocking thwarting the Yale pressure.
Yale got on the board just over six minutes in with a power play goal. Sophia Locklear, Alessandra Picard and Ty Silva quickly countered with their relentless energy and the three were a force throughout the game. Yale’s defense finally broke when Cameron Lipford took a pass from Kyle Guarino and dangled his way to a backhand goal, levelling the game at 1.
The Westies once again picked up the pace behind Michael and David D’Aiuto’s and strong play from the defense of Aeden Guarino and Andrew Grillo. Momentum turned the Westie way after another series of defensive stops, including a diving breakup by Ayden Troyer and multiple stops by Raymond Weston. The Westies came close to the tying goal, but Dhruva Guarani’s drive from the slot was blocked and Locklear rang one off the post.
An unfortunate series of bounces put Yale up 3-1 in the third, spirited play from Ryan Walsh, Brooklynn Maher and Rush Jaworski, kept the Westies alive. A Lipford laser lit the lamp with 3:41 left, assisted by Michael D’Aiuto, and despite a furious final rally, West Haven came up short in the end, losing 3-2. Lupa finished his night in net with 27 saves.
Sunday’s game with Central A saw an incredible comeback by the Blue Devils in a 4-4 tie. Mason LaCroix started between the pipes. West Haven trailed 2-0 before dominating play in the second.
The trio of Lipford and the dynamic D’Aiuto brothers peppered the Central goalie to no avail. The defense was fueled by Troyer and Aeden Guarino, Grillo and Coady pushed the puck up with ease, and Weston led the offense.
Central took a 4-0 lead, before Ty Silva played got West Haven on the board with assists from Locklear and Walsh.
The third period brought plenty of action from the Westie as they rallied to even the game. Kai Lupa flashed his glove on a 2-on-1 and the Devils responded with a power play goal from David D’Aiuto, assisted by brother Michael D’Aiuto and Lipford.
Kyle Guarino then brought the Devils within one. A barrage of shots from the D’Aiuto duo, Lipford, Jaworski and Grillo followed with Michael D’Aiuto finishing with the tying goal from Aeden Guarino.
A late rally by Central was squashed and a last-ditch West Haven flurry saw six shots fall short.
The West Haven Bantam A hockey team defetated ECHO A, 6-3, on Saturday afternoon at Edward L. Bennett Rink in its only game of the weekend. The Blue Devils are now 13-3-2 overall and 10-1-2 in CHC league play.
The ECHO Stars went up 1-0 with a power play goal early in the first period before the Westies tied the contest. Skating 4-on-4, Tanner Walsh won a faceoff back to Joey DiGioia. DiGioia whipped a pass to Brody Elam, who hit the back of the net.
The Stars went up 2-1 in the second period, before the Westies took control of the game. Cam Levy fed Alex Bowery for a shot and the rebound came into the slot where Sean Studley drilled it home.
Just over two minutes later, Walsh spun and fired the puck on net where Gio Ferrucci deflected it in. Studley then hustled to the puck and tapped it ahead to Bowery for a breakaway that he converted.
With 39 seconds left in the period, DiGioia kept the puck in and slid it in front where Studley tipped it through the goalie's five hole.
Early in the third period, Brady Price fed Elam for another blast from just inside the blue line. The Stars scored a late goal to make the final score 6-3. Johnny Kennedy was solid in between the pipes for the Westies, making 13 saves.
(November 9, 2021) - The West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA hockey team won two of three games this weekend.
On Saturday, the Westies travelled to Ridgefield and came away with a 7-1 win over the Ridgefield Squirt AA. Peyton Berlepsch started the scoring and Sophie Digioia banged home a loose puck to make it 2-0. Owen Santos and Jeremiah McGrath also hammered home goals for the Westies.
Rocco Kelly set up with a goal with a cross-ice pass to Colby Cushing for the final goal. Dylan Spreyer played well defensively, and Quinn Smith finished with 12 saves on the day for the win.
On Sunday, the short-handed Westies returned home and rallied in the third period to down Yale 2011 team 2-1.
Trailing 1-0, Jeremiah McGrath hustled to knock home a loose puck to knot the score. With four minutes left, Sophie Digioia notched the game-winner as she broke free and buried a back-hand.
Smith was again stellar in net, turning away 11 shots. Smith was helped by the strong defensive play in front of him by Spreyer and Cody Young.
The Westies dropped the final game of the weekend by losing to top-ranked CT Whalers 6-3. Smith kept the game close by notching 26 saves including a few spectacular ones. Kelly scored twice for the Westies and Digioia added the other.
The West Haven Peewee A travel hockey team split a pair of games this weekend. On Saturday, the West Haven Peewee A team came up short, losing 8-3 to a speedy Avon A squad. Kai Lupa stood on his head, denying 46 shots, some in spectacular fashion.
Aeden and Kyle Guarino broke up multiple scoring attempts, Gavin Coady and Andrew Grillo used their bodies to block a barrage of chances and Raymond Weston worked hard from the back.
Offensive opportunities were few and far between, but Sophia Locklear and Alessandra Picard put together some pretty passing plays and Ayden Troyer sprung himself for a partial breakaway after a blocked shot. The Blue Devils were down 3-0 at the end of two.
Both teams combined for seven more goals in the third.
The Westies threw all they had at the net early, with chances by Michael D’Aiuto, Cameren Lipford, Ty Silva and Locklear turned away. Avon countered with two quick goals, putting the Westies in a 5-0 hole, but Michael D’Aiuto won the ensuing faceoff and sent David D’Aiuto on a solo rush to make it 5-1.
Lipford kept the Westies hopes alive with a breakaway goal just 40 seconds later, but two more Avon goals in just over a minute squashed the Westie’s comeback. Lipford potted his second of the game off a rebound with just 38 seconds left after Rush Jaworski’s forecheck led to a Grillo shot from the point.
The Westies played on the road Sunday against the Wallingford Hawks A team and posted a 5-4 victory.
Mason LaCroix played well in goal, leading the Westies in the first two periods of play as the Blue Devils rolled to a 4-0 lead. West Haven’s passing was on point all game, with Alessandra Picard and Sophia Locklear, and the trio of Cameren Lipford, and Michael and David D’Aiuto.
The defense was dynamic as well, with Aeden Guarino and brother Kyle Guarino, Andrew Grillo, Gavin Coady, Raymond Weston and Ayden Troyer.
Brooklynn Maher further frustrated the Hawks with strong puck battles and Dhruva Guarani played well with excellent shot blocking.
Michael D’Aiuto started the scoring with an unassisted goal in the first. A slick finish by Locklear, from Picard and Ty Silva, started the second, and Lipford put the Westies up 4-0 with two goals.
The Hawks battled back in the third. Ahead 4-1, West Haven’s Ryan Walsh used his resilient play to record the eventual game-winner from Locklear and Troyer.
The Hawks did not go away and quickly responded with two goals in 19 seconds, then added another power play marker with just 1:06 to go. Facing pressure and an extra attacker, the Westies held on for the 5-4 win.
LaCroix finished with 26 saves for the win.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team looked sharp in two victories this weekend. The Blue Devils defeated Yale Jr. Bulldogs 2007 A, 6-1, and skated past Wallingford A, 5-1. The Westies are now 15-3-2 overall and 12-1-2 in CHC league play.
On Saturday at the Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies hosted the Junior Bulldogs and won 6-1. Looking to avenge an earlier season thumping to Yale, the Blue Devils’ defense was sharp. Despite yielding a goal after just 19 seconds, John Kennedy was strong in net in the back-and-forth first period.
Dylan Bosworth tied the game just over a minute later with a laser from the blue line with Tanner Walsh and Matt Molnar assisting. Brady Price then gave West Haven a 2-1 lead midway through the period with assists to Alex Bowery and Cam Levy. Price then picked off a pass and deposited the breakaway for a 3-1 lead after one period.
Kennedy remained strong into the second period and Trevor Cathey picked up where he left off in goal once he entered the game halfway through the period. Price earned a hat trick and made the score 4-1 with a goal from Mike Page.
Bowery then fed Gio Ferrucci late in the second for a 5-1 advantage. In the third, the defense of Bosworth, Levy, Leo Mazuroski, Joey DiGioia and Brody Elam remained stout. Bowery capped the scoring with assists to Price and Sean Studley.
On Sunday evening at Choate, the Westies topped Wallingford. The home team opened the scoring 1:09 into the second, before the West Haven offense responded 23 seconds later when Price took the puck off the boards and snapped in a wrister from the slot.
Price then fed ahead to Page who pushed the puck through a defender's legs, then grabbed it and poked it home. Page then scored again when he came off the boards and roofed a shot into the upper corner to make it 3-1 after two periods.
The Westies continued to dominate into the third period. Price passed to Studley, who one-timed a pass to Bowery for a 4-1 lead. Page then earned a hat trick when he sniped a shot with Ferrucci assisting for the 5-1 final. Kennedy and Cathey again combined for the win in between the pipes.
(November 23, 2021) - The West Haven Mite C hockey team took on the CT Northern Nights on Sunday. Abby Hemming was in goal for West Haven and she had an excellence performance during the game. Caleb and Jackson Ford each contributed a goal for the Blue Devils.
Additionally, multiple goals were scored by Carter Liston, Emmett Hemming, JP Beebe and Landon Alling. Shots on goal were made by Sarah Mastroni and Kiera Harrison, who also played great defense.
The West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA hockey team played only one game this weekend. The Westies got payback from an earlier loss as Quinn Smith had 16 saves in West Haven’s shutout of the Connecticut Chiefs 7-0.
Jeremiah McGrath and Sophie Digioia each netted two goals, while Colby Cushing, Rocco Kelly and Owen Santos tallied the other goals for the Westies.
The Westies received strong defensive games in front of Smith by Santos, Jaxon Troyer, AJ Farrell, Stella Porto and Cody Young.
The West Haven Peewee A travel hockey team posted a pair of victories this weekend, before losing in the finale
The first game of the weekend saw the Westies face off in a heated rivalry rematch against the Hamden Dragons A team at Quinnipiac University and take home a 4-2 victory.
Mason LaCroix nabbed the start in net and flashed the leather gloves and pads early, preserving the scoreless start. The Westie defense was led by Kyle Guarino.
David D’Aiuto set up Cameren Lipford for a 1-0 lead in the middle of the first period. Despite the hard work up and down the lineup, including the solid all-around efforts of Brooklynn Maher, Ryan Walsh and Dhruva Garani, that would be all the Westies could muster in the early going.
After LaCroix stopped all seven shots he faced, Kai Lupa took over in goal.
With the game even at one in the third, Kyle Guarino, Lipford and Jaworski had a flurry of chances and Alessandra Picard was all over the ice, before Michael D’Aiuto swiped a puck with help from Lipford and scored on a breakaway, putting the Devils up 2-1.
Lupa came up big with a tip-of-the-toe save and diving rebound stop, keeping the Westies in control. Just one minute later, Michael D’Aiuto’s wraparound attempt was kicked out to Lipford, who buried his second of the night and put the Westies up 3-1 with 4:17 to go.
Ahead 3-2, Lipford finished his third straight hat trick, taking a Michael D’Aiuto faceoff win and scoring.
LaCroix and Lupa combined for 28 saves for the victory.
The Blue Devils then blitzed the visiting New Canaan B team 9-0 on Saturday. LaCroix was phenomenal in net, stopping 19 New Canaan attempts, including a breakaway in the final seconds for his first peewee shutout.
The defense continued its dominance behind Gavin Coady. Aedan Guarino’s goal scoring and Ayden Troyer dishing out assists led the offense. Andrew Grillo, Raymond Weston and Kyle Guarino rounded out the defensive play.
Coady got the goal-scoring started less than two minutes in, firing off a goal from Grillo. Dhruva Garani almost added another after his blocked shot sent him off to the races on a breakaway. The D’Aiuto brothers then combined on the power play as David scored from Michael, sending the Devils into the intermission up 2-0
Aedan Guarino gave the Westies a 3-0 lead off assists from Alessandra Picard and Sophia Locklear. Ayden Troyer sparked the first of three consecutive assisted goals, setting up Lipford all alone with a stretch pass. Lipford tallied his second with a backhand one minute later from Michael D’Aiuto and Troyer for a 5-0 lead.
Troyer then completed the playmaking early in the third, tipping the puck to Lipford who set up Michael D’Aiuto for his third point of the contest. The defense continued to be bolstered by Coady’s stops and Aedan Guarino’s offensive drives, as Guarino subsequently potted his second. Picard piled more points onto the Blue Devil offensive surge, scoring from Locklear and aided by Ty Silva’s play. Lipford capped off his fourth consecutive hat trick from David D’Aiuto to close out the scoring.
On Sunday the Blue Devils went to Stamford to face off against a powerful Darien A1 squad and lost a tough game, 8-0. Lupa had 32 saves and Mason made four more in relief.
The West Haven Bantam A hockey team overcame third period deficits in both games this weekend to earn two gritty ties in come-from-behind fashion. The Blue Devils are now 17-4-4 overall on the season and 14-2-4 in CHC play.
On Saturday afternoon at Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies took a 1-0 lead over Southeastern when Alex Bowery skated the puck into the zone. He slid it to Brady Price who roofed it. The Seahawks tied it at 1-1 later in the period.
The visitors then took over the game with a flurry of goals to begin the second period. They scored four times in a span of 2:31 and led 5-1 heading to the third period.
Price stopped the bleeding just 14 seconds in when he weaved through the zone and ripped a rising wrist shot to make it 5-2. With seven minutes remaining in the game Sean Studley pounced on a rebound to make it 5-3.
Two minutes later, Cam Levy fired from the blue line and Price neatly redirected it in to cut it to 5-4. Finally, with 2:27 left, Price dropped a pass to Studley, who came down the slot and buried it to give the Westies a 5-5 tie.
On Sunday evening at the Northford Ice Pavilion, the Blue Devils faced Yale 2008 AA, playing to a 3-3 tie.
After Yale scored early in the second the Westies finally got on the board for a 2-0 lead. Bowery got a shot off, before Price swooped in and jammed in the rebound.
Yale made it 3-1 in the third with another power play goal, but midway through the period the Westies seized the momentum. Studley took the puck behind the net and tried a wraparound. It trickled out front where Bowery tapped it through the five-hole. With 3:36 left in the game, Mike Page carried the puck into the zone and split two defensemen. He fed it back to Parker Guarnieri flying down the slot, who rammed it home to tie the game at three.
Kennedy and Cathey split the game in goal and both were solid.
(November 30, 2021) - The West Haven Bantam A hockey team dropped its only game of the weekend in a 4-1 loss to Junior Bulldogs 2008 AA on Saturday at Edward L. Bennett Rink. The Blue Devils are now 17-5-4 overall and 14-3-4 in CHC play.
Gio Ferrucci gave the Westies a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. On a power play, he won the faceoff and zipped a shot through traffic that found the net. Trevor Cathey and Johnny Kennedy split the game between the pipes for West Haven.
(December 7, 2021) - The West Haven Mite A hockey team continued its streak of strong play on the first Saturday of December, getting revenge and overcoming a strong Riverhawks team.
The Riverhawks jumped to an early lead, but then the Westies leveled the game from a Jax Guarino goal, after Logan Minio set him up. The Westies never looked back, with Brady Salkins scoring the next three goals, as Ben Trenchard and Henry Seslar picked up assists on two of them.
Seslar and Minio both completed their hat tricks later in the game, and Jameson Eid rounded out the scoring.
On Sunday, the Blue Devils traveled to Newburgh, New York to play the Polar Bears. The Polar Bears proved to be a strong opponent, and the Westies were unable to grind out the win.
Caden Minio worked hard on the wing and was scrappy in his back-checking. Cooper Owens played hard on defense, breaking up several plays and skating the puck forward when he had open ice. Jameson Schempp gave his team a fighting chance, as he turned shot after shot away. Trenchard also played well defensively, blocking shots and poking the puck away as the Polar Bears threatened the goal. Salkins and Guarino did their best to threaten the Polar Bears goal, but the strong defense of the home team stifled their efforts.
The West Haven Mite C hockey team played the Milford Mudhounds on Saturday. Landon Alling served as goalie for the Blue Devils, and had a great performance, making many great saves.
JP Beebe, Emmett Hemming, Carter Liston, and Sarah Mastroni all scored multiple goals during the matchup. Abby Hemming and Kiera Harrison also each had a goal for the Blue Devils.
The West Haven Bantam A hockey team split a pair of games this weekend. The Westies dropped a 1-0 decision to Holy Name A of Springfield, Mass. and then rebounded to post a 5-1 win over Northwestern A1. The Blue Devils are now 18-6-4 overall and 15-3-4 in CHC play.
On Saturday at the Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies hosted the Stars of Holy Name from Springfield. The Westies outshot the visitors, but could not find the net in the 1-0 loss. It was the first time the Westies were shut out this season.
On Sunday morning, the Blue Devils headed to South Kent to face the Icehawks of Northwestern at Stockdale Arena. The Westies broke their scoring drought with a power play goal with 12.8 seconds left in the first period as Gio Ferrucci flicked the puck out from behind the net and Sean Studley banged in a one-timer.
The Westies made it 2-0 6:11 into the second when Tanner Walsh started a breakout and found Alex Bowery. Bowery fed Theo Diakomis who fired it in off the far post. The Icehawks made it 2-1 on a power play later in the period.
The West Haven defense held strong throughout the third and allowed the offense to take over. A defenseman started the rally when Joey DiGioia grabbed the puck at the red line, flew into the zone and backhanded it under the goalie's arm to make it 3-1.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Parker Guarnieri fed Ferrucci who zipped in a riser from the slot. Studley capped the scoring when he picked off a pass and buried the biscuit in the top corner for the 5-1 final score. Trevor Cathey was stout all weekend and earned the win between the pipes.
(December 14, 2021) - The West Haven Mite C hockey team faced Watertown at Bennet Rink. Abby Hemming was in net for the Blue Devils and she made many great saves.
During the match up, multiple goals were scored by Landon Alling and Carter Liston. Additionally, JP Beebe, Caleb Ford and Sarah Mastroni each had a goal during the game.
Other shots on net were contributed by Emmet Hemming and Kiera Harrison. Jackson Ford played excellent defense for the Blue Devils.
The West Haven Squirt AA travel hockey team returned to play last weekend and posted two wins.
The Westies travelled to Northford and Quinn Smith had 9 saves as the Westies shut out the Yale 2011 Squirt AA 13-0. The Westies received team wide contributions.
Sophie Digioia netted four goals and Rocco Kelly posted a hat trick and five assists. Charlie Gunning and Andrew Lacasse each had two goals, Colby Cushing and Owen Santos each contributed one goal, and Jaxon Troyer had three assists in the win.
The Westies returned home Sunday and notched a hard fought 2-1 win over Ridgefield AA. Digioia buried both goals, while Jeremiah McGrath and Peyton Burlepsch created many chances in the offensive zone.
Smith had 15 saves in the win. The Westies received strong defensive games in front of Smith by AJ Farrell, Stella Porto, and Cody Young.
The West Haven Bantam A travel hockey team shut out Simsbury A1, 5-0, on Saturday at the Edward L. Bennett Rink. Trevor Cathey led the way by making 21 saves in net for the Westies. The Blue Devils are now 19-6-4 overall and 16-3-4 in CHC play.
The Westies opened the scoring with a power play goal in the first period. Parker Guarnieri flipped a breakout pass to Theo Diakomis, who sped in and ripped a low shot. Sean Studley banged in the rebound for a 1-0 lead. The Blue Devils killed off a 5-on-3 at the end of the period.
Gio Ferrucci won a faceoff back to Brody Elam who zipped in a rising one-timer, making it 2-0 1:11 into the second. Leo Mazuroski then flipped in a shot over the goalie from the top of the left circle in the final minute of the period.
Alex Bowery scored a pair of goals in the third period. The first came on a power play when Zach Melchiore slid a pass out from behind the net for a one-timer. The final tally came when Bowery cashed in a breakaway with a sweet deke of the goalie with just over a minute to play.
(December 21, 2021) - The West Haven Mite A travel hockey team is going into the holiday break with three straight wins.
The first win came in an away game at Newington against the Chiefs. Jax Guarino led the scoring, with Brady Salkins and Logan Minio putting the puck into the back of the net as well. Cooper Owens played a strong game on defense in the win.
The win against the Chiefs gave the Westies confidence going into their next game against a strong Southern Stars squad. The Stars jumped to an early lead, but the Westies soon equalized behind a Jameson Eid goal. Minio picked up the hat trick, and Salkins added two goals of his own.
The Blue Devils went ahead on a beautiful team goal when Ben Trenchard won the puck on defense and passed it up the boards to Eid, who then made a quick pass to Salkins in the center. Salkins beat two defenders, and then made a beautiful pass to Henry Seslar in front of the net. Seslar hit a well-timed shot to put the Westies up, and they were able to hold on to the lead after a flurry in front of their goal in which Jameson Schempp made several key stops to preserve the win.
The last game in the trio of wins came away to Northwest at South Kent last Sunday. Salkins and Logan Minio again led the scoring, with Jax Guarino and Seslar both netting goals as well. Caden Minio played great on the wing, working up and down the ice, and Eid picked up an assist. Cooper Owens and Trenchard were once again solid on defense, and Jameson Schempp picked up the win, allowing only one goal in the process.
The West Haven Mite C team had two away games this weekend. Saturday, the Mite C’s traveled to Newington to take on the Chiefs Mini Mites.
During this match up, multiple goals were scored by JP Beebe and Carter Liston. Landon Alling, Caleb Ford, Kiera Harrison and Emmet Hemming also each contributed a goal for the Blue Devils. Sarah Mastroni and Abby Hemming also had shots on net and Jackson Ford played as goalie.
On Sunday, the Mite C’s headed to Milford to play Southern CT. Beebe had two goals during the game, with Carter Liston and Abby Hemming also scoring for the Blue Devils.Other shots on goal were made by Emmet Hemming, Alling, Ford and Mastroni, while blocked shots and great defense was also played by Ford and Kiera Harrison. Jackson Ford played goalie again for the Blue Devils, making many excellent saves.
The West Haven Youth Hockey Squirt AA split a part of games last weekend.
The Westies traveled to Bridgeport and dropped a 3-1 contest to the Wonderland Wizard AA. Sophie Digioia accounted for the lone West Haven goal. Quinn Smith had 14 saves in net for the Westies. The Westies received solid defensive play from AJ Farrell and Cody Young.
The Westies bounced back Sunday as Andrew Lacasse and Charlie Gunning each posted hat tricks to lead the team to an 11-3 win over Central AA. Digioia netted two goals, including one bar-down snipe. Rocco Kelly, Colby Cushing and Jaxon Troyer each added a goal. Peyton Burlepsch had an assist for the Westies. Smith notched 11 saves for the win.
The West Haven Bantam A hockey team split a weekend home-and-home with Wonderland A1. Both teams posted 3-1 victories on their home ice. The Blue Devils are now 20-7-4 overall and 17-4-4 in CHC play going into the holiday break.
On Saturday afternoon at the Edward L. Bennett Rink, the Westies took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Brody Elam started a breakout. He found Theo Diakomis, who carried the puck into the offensive zone and slid it to Sean Studley for a one-timer. The Wizards tied the game later in the period.
Westies' goaltender Trevor Cathey made back-to-back pad saves on a Wonderland power play to keep the score tied early in the second period. Joey DiGioia kept the puck in the zone a short time later and circled down deep. He slid a pass through the crease and Zach Melchiore jammed it into the back of the net. Later in the period, Elam kept the puck in, chipped it to Gio Ferrucci, and he snapped in a wrist shot for a 3-1 lead.
Cathey stoned a breakaway with a glove save with 2:45 to play in the game to preserve the two-goal lead. The Westies' defense held the lead and secured the 3-1 win.
On Sunday at the Wonderland of Ice, the Blue Devils skated with a short bench due to injuries. The Wizards took a 1-0 lead in the opening period. In the second the Westies tied the game when DiGioia skated down the right side and fired toward the net. Studley neatly redirected the puck to the top corner to make it 1-1.
The team's battled throughout the second period and deep into the third. Cathey was solid in net and made several clutch saves. The home team broke through with a power play goal with 3:38 to play and added the last goal with a minute to go for the win.
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