After a four month, 30-game long season, the 2017-2018 Boys Varsity Hockey season came to a close. Hard work, leadership, speed and dedication are only a few words that describe this year’s season, led by Captains Quentin Silverio’ 18, Connor Amsley ’18 and Connor Snowdy’ 18. The team made it to the quarter-final playoffs of their division with a record of 10 wins, 15 losses and 2 ties.
During the season the team developed friendships that they say will last a lifetime, and created a bond that seemed to be a bit different from previous years. Senior Yoon Shin’ 18 said, “Something changed… we were definitely a lot closer and everyone had a role in leadership. We were really well balanced.”
Newcomer Jericho Petkovich ‘18 said, “I came into the season thinking that it might be just one of those average seasons, but it wasn’t. I think the entire team were shocked at how great we actually were.”
The nine returning players and 16 newcomers skated into this season with a few scrimmages here and there before playing their first real game, away, against Millbrook. It resulted in a 4-2 win for the Saints. From that game on, Coach McCarthy and Coach Polsonetti knew what the team had to do to make this season one for the books. The solution was one word, execution. The team was able to use their speed and offense to their advantage while also discovering other useful tactics.
Lucas Williams ‘19 stated, “Coach stressed it everyday. You need to execute. Execution can lead to great things, and it did.”
The team had daily practices which allowed them to narrow down the skills it needed to develop. Practices included a variety of drills and game-like scenarios to prepare them for their upcoming games. When it came time to compete, Connor Cherry ‘19 stated, “We all played with a chip on our soldier. Every time we stepped on the ice we went out there to prove something.”
The team continued its regular season with a few tournaments mixed in. Jordan Perez ‘18, Quentin Silverio’ 18 and Raif Harris ‘20 all agreed that beating Westy 2-0, on home ice, was the highlight of their season, especially since goalie Anthony Cusano ‘18 had a shutout.
Diehard Silverio ‘18 said, “We started to work better with each other as the year went on, from our first game at Millbrook to our last game at Gunnery, we definitely were much faster, more physical, well rounded, and we made smarter plays. By the end of the season, a lot of kids were way more comfortable in this tempo. Everyone settled in after the third or fourth game.”
The team was able to use their speed and offense to their advantage while also discovering other useful tactics.
Ask any player what he thought the highlight of the season was and most likely the response will be beating Gunnery on our home ice, 7-1. It was a huge win, not just for the team, but for the entire Canterbury community.
Senior Connor Amsley ‘18 believes that there are a few factors that played into success at home. “At home, we have a much smaller ice surface than any other rink in New England and we know how to use our rink to our advantage. We know how to be a better transition team through the neutral zone. If we take advantage of our small ice, we throw those teams for a loop. And, of course, having the fans there.” The team receives a lot of support from the Saints community; the rink is always packed on game days.
Many wonder what the team will be like next year. The hope is that the existing players will continue to improve while bringing in a few new players. Some of the seniors hope to continue their hockey careers and play at a collegiate level, while others might make the choice to say goodbye to the sport they love and put their skates and pads away.
The Saints look forward to next year’s season and wish all the graduating seniors good luck; they will be greatly missed.
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