ev pg 4 9-8-22
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caption, page 5:
Ribbon Cutting
Archambault Insurance Associates, Titan Energy and the Northeastern Chamber of Commerce took part in cutting the ribbon for the new EV charging station at Archambault. From left: Sheila Frost, executive director of the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce; Emily Barnes from Archambault; Tom Archambault; Marc Archambault; Denise Archambault, Donna Carpenter from Archambault; Anya Foley from Archambault; and Elaine Lind from Titan Energy. Linda Lemmon photo.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- The span of years was striking. Just across Ballou Street, where the Ella Grasso senior housing sits, a Putnam business pushed into the future with the installation of an EV charging station.
Archambault Insurance Associates signed on to a special Eversource program through Titan Energy and the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.
Marc Archambault said that the program covers the cost of the infrastructure and Archambault bought the unit. "It was cost effective."
It is capable of charging two cars at once.
He added that Archambault Insurance Associates is the first in town to purchase an EV charging station through Titan.
Elaine Lind from Titan Energy was on hand for the ribbon cutting last week. She said the unit, which sits in the Archambault back parking lot at 23 Ballou St., is a Level 2 unit. It charges faster than a Level 1 but not as fast as a Level 3.
Archambault said it's open to the public and when the time comes, to employees and neighboring employees as well.
Tom Archambault said the unit uses the Amp Up app or it will work with a credit card. The Amp Up app even makes reservations.
Sheila Frost, executive director of the chamber, said "I think this is a great start. It's beneficial to the entire community. It's progress."
She added, "The chamber is happy to see progress coming from two outstanding chamber members (Archambault and Titan)."
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Expectations pg 4 9-8-22
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Football Captains
The Woodstock football team senior tri-captains, from left: Carter Saracina, Braiden Saucier and Evan Roy. Photo by Marc Allard.
Football Preview
Expectations are
high for Centaurs
The Woodstock football team is in a good place.
It’s coming off a 7-3 season in which it captured its first ECC divisional title.
“From the momentum side of things, it makes things easier. Coming off a successful season helps with the numbers and the morale so in that way, it’s easier,” said head football coach and athletic director Sean Saucier.
But, with success, comes expectations. “Those expectations have changed and that’s a good thing but I’m really happy with where we are at right now. We’ve had a successful preseason and seem to be trending in the right direction,” he added.
Senior Carter Saracina agreed with his coach.
“I think we feel it,” the receiver/defensive back said. “After having a great season, everyone is coming for us. We’re not the underdogs anymore. People are coming for us and we have to be ready.”
From all early indications, they will be. The Centaurs lost 20 seniors but have 16 back on the roster. It lost the majority of its offensive line in that departed group. Lo and behold, that concern is not such a big deal.
Senior Jared Eaton - “a big, long dude who has been a real bright spot in camp this summer,” Saucier said – will be at left tackle with fellow senior Evan LaBounty of the right side. Jacob Lizotte, one of the most consistent weightlifters in camp this past summer, will be the left guard and Kenneth Brown will start on the right side. Trevor Kosta, a senior transfer from Stonington, will start at center.
“They looked fantastic in the first scrimmage (against West Warwick on Aug. 28), provided a great pocket for (quarterback) Braiden (Saucier) and created some nice holes for our running backs. We threw for three scores and ran for two more and a lot of that was due to the offensive line so that’s awesome,” Sean Saucier said.
Braiden Saucier will take over as a senior at quarterback. It’s a role that his father and coach is confident he can handle.
“He is so ready for the moment. He looked tremendous in that scrimmage, threw the ball all the way around the field and was very poised in the pocket. He understands what’s going on and has prepared himself physically and mentally for it,” Sean Saucier said.
Senior Trevor Savoie, who rushed for 148 yards last season, will be one of the top running backs and will be paired with the likes of junior David Bunning and senior Austin Amlaw.
“It’s a little by committee and the three have different styles, but between the three of them we will get the job done,” Saucier said.
Saracina was on the receiving end of 39 passes last season and turned that into 695 yards and seven touchdowns.
His coach considers him one of the best in the ECC, but he will have to make a little adjustment with Braiden Saucier behind center instead of Ethan Davis.
“We have chemistry,” Saracina said of the relationship between him and his quarterback. “We’ve been playing together since we were 7-years-old. It’s a little weird because Ethan was a lefty and Braiden is a righty but I love it.”
Senior Brandon Nagle and junior Teddy Richardson will both be deep threats for the Centaurs this year and Sean Saucier also likes the progression of Lucas Theriaque.
On the other side of the ball, the guys in trenches are getting the job done. “The defensive line is going to be a handful,” Saucier said.
Two of the three down linemen will be one-way starters with seniors Marcus McGregor and Evan Roy surrounding Brown and Kosta who will rotate in the middle.
“Those guys will be a problem (for opposing offenses). They, generally, require a double team,” Saucier said.
Seamus McDermott and Cashel Noel start in the middle at linebacker with senior Wyatt Thienel on the outside along with a sophomore, Sam Clark, who is battling for a starting spot.
Amlaw will be the anchor for the defensive back field at strong safety with Saracina and Nagle at the corners. Theriaque and senior Ethan Brierly will spell them and Richardson will start at free safety.
“We have some big guys. Some of the sophomores and freshmen got really big. We’re looking good defensively,” Saracina said.
The Centaurs open against two unknown quantities on the road in the first two weeks of the season.
They play at Enfield in a non-league contest Sept. 9 and then have a game at Weaver High School in Hartford Sept. 16.
“(Centaurs assistant coach) Chris LaPointe played for Weaver so he has some familiarity with the town, the team and the coaches but we will scout them. We will get a scrimmage film from Enfield but, in a lot of ways, it’s like college where you play an opponent out-of-conference from across the country and you have no idea but I think it’s kind of cool. I’m really excited to go to Enfield,” Saucier said.
Weaver is a league game as it has replaced Plainfield, which is independent in football this year, in Div. III of the ECC.
Saucier also likes playing Friday nights in September as a Saturday afternoon game at the Bentley Athletic Complex in summer-like heat can quickly become a “suffer-fest.”
There is still some work to do.
“We have to continue to build our offense. We have the base in but that still has to continue to develop. The offensive line has - I break it down like in college – O-Line 101 installed and everyone has passed the class and is doing well. O-Line 201 is next and that gets a little more complicated. Our fitness could take one more step and we have to continue to develop the 2’s (the backups) so we have more depth,” Saucier said.
Every coach wants to win all 10 games in a football season.
Schedule: Fri., Sept. 9: at Enfield, 6 p.m.; Fri., Sept. 16: at Weaver, 6; Sat., Sept. 24: vs. Windham, noon; Sat., Oct. 1: vs. E. Lyme, noon; Sat., Oct. 15: at Bacon, noon; Fri., Oct. 21: at Montville, 6; Sat., Oct. 29: vs. Guilford, noon; Sat., Nov. 5:vs. Fitch, noon; Fri., Nov. 11: at NFA, 6:30; Thurs., Nov. 24: vs. Killingly at Nichols College, 10:30.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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this pg 4 9-8-22
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Ribbon Cutting
The Painted Baker Cafe had its official ribbon cutting last week. Maldonado is holding the bow and her husband Carlos is to her right. Additional photos Wednesday night on our Facebook page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photos.
Delpha Very
From left: Leigh Dalton, Monique Maldonado and PBA President Gary Osbrey.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- It was a dream. Now it's open for breakfast and lunch in downtown Putnam.
At the official ribbon cutting of the Painted Baker Cafe, Monique Maldonado said she always wanted to open a restaurant and when the Main Street Grill space went up for sale she said "Let's do it."
She said she wanted the cafe to be "like a destination place". She wanted something special that would appeal to all demographics. That translated into a "Jetson-y" look that Maldonado said would appeal to all three age groups: children, adults and seniors. She said most restaurants in the area have a bar. She wanted a family destination. That called for "retro with atomic with space age," she said.
A destination with retro, mid century and modern looks.
"There's nothing like this around," she said. And where did the Painted Baker moniker come from? Maldonado said she asked her friend, baker and general manager Leigh Dalton if she could use her Instagram name. Dalton said yes and that became the name of the bakery and cafe. Maldonado called Dalton "the mastermind behind the menu and behind all the bakery items."
And the decor is "absolutely stunning. It's over the top," said Delpha Very, the town's Economic and Community Development executive director. "I just love ribbon cuttings," she said. "We get to keep bragging and bragging" about our town. Deputy Mayor Roy Simmons (standing in for the mayor) said "We're glad you chose Putnam for your business." Gary Osbrey, president of the Putnam Business Association, said "Visitors come here and say 'Wow, this is a cool town'. It's very compelling."
It was nine months of renovations and hard work. Barry Brandriff was just one of many friends who helped make Maldonado's dream real. He cut out the wood for the unique artwork on the walls, came in one day and presented Maldonado with a handmade '50s clock. He even helped install the POS system.
Maldonado said "It's another world. I come in here and feel like I'm not in Putnam anymore."
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volleyball pg 7 9-8-22
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Team Leaders
Seniors from left: Ellie Nunes, Jade Desmond, Morgan Bonin, and Leila MacKinnon will lead the Woodstock Academy volleyball team this season. Photo by Adam Bottone.
During a preseason drill, Woodstock Academy volleyball coach Adam Bottone had an epiphany.
“It dawned on me that I have depth at every position that I have never had before,” Bottone said.
Take, for example, the outside hitters. Bottone can choose from his daughter, Liliana, who had 109 kills last year, Leila MacKinnon, Morgan Bonin and Reegan Reynolds. Three of those players, MacKinnon, Reynolds and Bonin, can also play middle hitter.
On the opposite side, senior Jade Desmond will be helped by sophomore Destiny LaMarre and freshman Vivian Bibeau.
“We definitely have the depth. We have a lot of people who can hit from multiple positions. We’re working on serve/receive and, as long as we put in the work at practice, I think we can accomplish our goals,” MacKinnon said.
That’s one of the reasons why Bottone expects improvement this year. The club battled through a five-win season last year.
“I’m more optimistic about what we will be able to achieve this year. We had three freshmen who started (varsity) and getting them that experience last year was huge. We played some tough teams. We had those COVID years, you didn’t really get the competition that we had before so last year was kind of back to normal but we had a lot of people get sick and that really impacted our season. I’m expecting much better this year,” Bottone said.
The Centaurs did lose some key players including outside hitter Aurissa Boardman who led the team with 215 kills and 188 service points and setter Annarose Avery who had 274 assists.
The setter position will fall, for the most part, to sophomores Sophie Gronski and Cassie Chabot and junior Mia Pannone.
Gronski was one of those freshmen who saw a lot of varsity action a year ago, finishing with 90 assists.
“She played club in the offseason and played a lot of tough competition including down in Orlando (Fla.) when she went down for an AAU tournament. When you are playing against competition like that, you can only do what your teammates can do because the ball is being hit so hard,” Bottone said. “She didn’t start a ton last season for us but got experience against some good teams. So I think she has seen enough to make better decisions than she did last year. She can set anywhere from most any position that she ends up receiving the ball, so I’m optimistic about her.”
The work behind the service line will also be key.
Liliana Bottone (143 service points) and Reynolds (126) return but the Centaurs also had Boardman and Avery (155) to count on.
“The girls that I have all serve the ball really hard. We’re really working on the float serve and jump floats. That’s not a huge concern of mine. What is will be can we keep it in (play) as much as we would like to,” Adam Bottone said. “I’m trying to get them away from the top spin because it’s such an easy ball to pass whereas a float serve drops out from underneath. Most girls can float which is awesome and now it’s just getting that contact point and the trajectory they need to make it that much more effective.”
The Centaurs also have the defensive play of Ellie Nunes (166 digs), Chabot (162) and Liliana Bottone (143). Other varsity players include junior Emma Kerr and sophomore Mia Sorrentino.
Another big plus, the team will not have to play in masks this season.
Schedule: Thurs., Sept. 8: vs. Ledyard, 5:30 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 10: vs. S. Windsor, 11:30 a.m.; Wed., Sept. 14: vs. Bacon Academy, 5:30; Fri., Sept. 16: at Ledyard, 5:30; Mon, Sept. 19: at Killingly, 6; Wed., Sept. 21: at Coventry, 5:30; Fri., Sept. 23: at NFA, 5:30; Mon., Sept. 26: vs. E. Lyme, 5:30; Wed., Sept. 28: vs. Fitch, 5:30; Fri., Sept. 30: vs. Griswold, 5:30; Mon., Oct. 3: at Waterford, 5:30; Wed., Oct. 5: vs. New London, 5:30; Sat., Oct. 8: vs. Newtown, 12:30; Mon., Oct. 10: at SMSA; 5:30; Wed., Oct. 12: vs. NFA, 5:30; Fri., Oct. 14: at E. Lyme; 5:30; Mon., Oct. 17: at Fitch, 5:30; Wed., Oct. 19: at Lyman, 5:30; Mon., Oct. 24: vs. Waterford, 5:30; Wed., Oct. 26: at Conard, 5:30.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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