Penguins Trip Up Wildcat’s Late-Game Surge; Williston Garners First Win Versus ASL; Highlanders Keep Wildcats in the Lowlands 

 

The Cushing Penguins continued to have Wililston’s number, defeating the Wildcats 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon.  Williston pulled out all the stops in the second and much of the third period but could not secure a win or tie on the day.

Cushing jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period that led the Williston coaching staff shaking its collective heads.  Williston had a game plan and stuck to it quite well but Cushing took advantage of its chances, while Williston just couldn’t find the back of the net, even after a hitting-from-behind penalty that cost a Cushing player some time—five minutes.  Still, the Williston team felt like they had some jam and could get things going in the second.

After the break, Williston entered the period on a mission.  There was an energy and power that had been lacking from the club and they got right to work by methodically putting pressure on the Cushing defense, hemming them into their own zone for much of the period.  At around the ten-minute mark, Williston went on its second 5-minute power play and capitalized early.  The first goal was scored when Shaul Mitton (Charlottetown, PEI) worked a puck to Jake Sacratini in the left corner of the Cushing zone.  Sacratini fired a pass across the low slot to a wide-open David Novotny who buried the puck past Cushing freshman goalie, Jackson Irving.

Before the echoes from the cheers could die down, and still nursing the five-minute power play, sophomore Connor Hagness (Guilford, CT)drove down the right lane into the Cushing zone and let a shot ride that was saved by Irving but that was buried by new sophomore Ryan Deschamps (Burriville, RI).  With a fire on the mountain, the Wildcats continued working to even the score.  Yet even with the momentum in their favor, they still trailed at the end of the period.

Cushing was able to take a two-goal lead in the third period on a two-on-one just 1:48 into the period.  Williston continued to battle and with the goalie pulled, heavy pressure, and just under two minutes remaining in the game, Sacratini buried a puck on the near side to pull within one; however the fourth goal would never come to fruition and Williston took the loss, 4-3.

Williston outshot Cushing, 42-34.

 

On Friday night, Academie St-Louis rolled into town to take on Williston.  Williston got out to a 2-0 lead in the first and never looked back.

The Wildcats got on the board just 1:52 into the game when Shaul Mitton took a shot from the slot that missed the net sending a puck curtailing into the corner and up the boards to a down-charging Hunter Wilson who, from the right hash marks, let a wrister go that landed on the stick of Ryan Deschamps two feet above the crease; Deschamps buried the pass past Sameul Clausiau.  Williston got its second in the period when Alex Latkovski worked a pass in the neutral zone back to defenseman Roscoe Eade (Catonsville, MD) who skied a puck over center ice to a streaking Rich Stefanik (Whitehouse Station, NJ).  Stefanik broke into the zone on a break-away and made a nifty backhand to forehand move that beat Clausiau.

In the second, ASL got its first goal of the period on a 3-1.  However, every silver lining has a touch of gray, and any hopes to draw even were dashed when David Novotny intercepted a pass in the offensive zone and found Captain Tommy Harty (Billerica, MA) streaking to the net.  His initial shot didn’t go but his quick stick on the rebound slid the puck between the legs of the ASL goalie. David Novotny put the Wildcats up two goals when Will Gaca (Durham, NC) made a textbook regroup pass to Assistant Captain Tyler Varin (Smithfield, RI) who then hit number ten splitting the ASL d.  Novotny broke in and beat Clausiau with some silky moves.

Connor Hagness got his first goal of the year when, off a face-off, he took a cross-ice feed from Mitchell Hansen that was initially stopped. However, he kept after his rebound, circled behind the net and wrapped it in past Clausiau.  This would be the final goal of the game giving Williston a 5-1 win.  Trevor Corsello was excellent in the game making 24 saves.  Williston had 52 shots on net.

 

The following evening, Williston traveled to Washington, CT to take on Gunnery.  Williston got on the board about midway into the second when William Tripp (Lakeville, MA) collected an errant puck at the blue line as Gunnery was looking to break out and made a pass to Tommy Harty.  Number eight drove to the net and put a pass to the far post that was tipped by Alex Latkovski and saved by Gunnery goalie, Carmine Andranovich, however Tripp attacked the net and batted the rebound in.

Gunnery tied the game at the 12:27 mark.  In the third, they scored three unanswered goals and the Wildcats lost, 4-1.  The ‘Cats boarded the bus and headed down the road feelin’ bad.  Nothing else to say.

 

The Wildcats are off this Wednesday afternoon as they prepare to head to the St. Sebastian’s Holiday Tournament in Needham, MA.  Williston gets the 8 o’clock game on Friday as they take on Lake Placid, NY’s Northwood School.

Three-Peat Not in the Cards for Wildcats

The Williston boy’s hockey team kicked off its 2019-2020 season on Wednesday against the Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers.  The Wildcats looked to take their third straight opener from Avon but it was not to be as the boys from Connecticut took the game, 4-2.

Things looked like they were going to get off to a great start as Williston buried its first shot on net when junior David Novotny of Boca Raton, Florida made a pass to a wide-open Jake Sacratini—a senior from Montreal, Quebec—beating Connor Callaghan over the blocker.  Avon  tied it up five minutes later and then took the lead at the 17:01 mark of the first period, first beating senior goalie, Trevor Corsello (Selden, NY) off a rebound and then on a hard wrist shot across the grain on a one-on-one.  Truth be told, Williston was caught in slow motion in a dash for the door and Avon took it to them in the first period. It was Corsello who pulled out as many stops as he could making nineteen saves including a diving, cross-crease save that brought the fans of Lossone Arena to its feet.

Avon would get two goals in the second period but were met by a much grittier Williston team who had many opportunities but couldn’t finish.  The period ended, 4-1.

Williston began to find its ways even more in the third and finally got on the board for their second of the game when junior Alex Latkovski from Westmount, Quebec made a pass to senior Matt Pimental (East Providence, Rhode Island) who stepped over the blue line and let a low rocket go beating Callaghan again.  Williston would get a few power plays in the third, including a 5×3 and a 6×5 at the end of the game but could not finish.  When the horn sounded after fifty-four minutes, Avon had taken the game, 4-2.

Shots in the game were 34 for Avon and 18 for Williston.

Williston heads to northwestern Connecticut on Saturday evening for a foray with the NEPSAC Open Division runners-up, the Salisbury Scarlet Knights at 5:00 in Salisbury, Connecticut.