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Senior Jackson Goetz (11, right) tries to make a move against St. Bernard guard Amyre Gray. Photo by Trent Peters.


Freshman Maxx Corradi scored a pair of goals and added an assist to lead the Woodstock Academy boys’ hockey team to a 4-0 win over the Rocky Hill/Middletown/Plainville/Haddam-Killingworth cooperative team Jan. 23. Corradi now has four goals and four assists for the Centaurs this season.
Coach Kevin Bisson said “Maxx and Noah (Sampson) have played their entire life together and not just together but on the same line together so there is a chemistry that exists between the two of them that didn’t just get thrown together from out of nowhere. It was a very easy decision to make them linemates.”
The third member of that line for the Centaurs, Don Sousa, also played with Corradi and Sampson in the youth levels.
The Centaurs (4-4), who had played the night before against Glastonbury, started well against the Terriers.
Senior Kyle Brennan scored his first goal of the season halfway through the first period off an assist from Sousa. Corradi followed with his first tally.
Brendan Hill scored his second goal of the season, a power play tally, with 38 seconds left in the second period off assists from both Sousa and Corradi to make it 3-0. Corradi then put the finishing touches with a power-play goal of his own just 2:11 into the third period. Goalie Kaiden Keddy posted his first varsity shutout in the net.
Woodstock began the week with a win over Moses Brown, 3-2. Sousa scored a pair of goals. Ryan Wallace had the other goal for Woodstock Academy, the first career goal for the sophomore defenseman, and he also added an assist. Ryan Wallace’s brother, senior Shawn, also had an assist as did Jacob Jurnovoy and freshman Dante Sousa was stellar in net.
The Centaurs Jan. 22 were nipped by Glastonbury, 2-1. Girard scored the only goal for the Centaurs in the first period off an assist from Brennan.
Girls’ Hockey: Woodstock waited for a long time, but got the goal it needed. Alex Lee scored with 1 minute, 8 seconds left in regulation for the Centaurs who finished in a 1-1 tie with Leominster.
It took a gamble by coach Eric Roy to pull Woodstock even against the Blue Devils. The Centaurs made a move that seldom works as they pulled goalie Mia Dang to get the extra attacker. Bella Chaves and Sydney Haskins had the assists on the Lee goal.
The two teams played a 4-on-4 overtime period but neither team scored.
Roy credited defensive players, Riley Faber, Courtney Dowd, Lee, Bryn Miller, Ellary Sampson, Brigid McNerney and Mia Auger for their efforts.
Woodstock fell 3-2 against another Central Massachusetts League team, Oakmont Regional, Jan. 23.
The Centaurs finished the week with a 0-4-2 overall record and a 0-3-2 mark in the Central Mass. League.
Grace Pokorny scored the first goal for Woodstock off assists from Haskins and Caroline Harris. Haskins got a second goal for the Centaurs off assists from Keynila Hochard and Sampson.
Gymnastics: The gymnastics team came out of hibernation Jan. 21, winning against Old Lyme/East Lyme, 132.35 – 109.85. It was the Centaurs’ third consecutive win of the season.
The Centaurs’ last previous meet was Dec. 30 and, with the exception of one postponement, this was a scheduled break.
“It was weird to realize how long we had been off since the season started so it was nice to get back and the girls picked up where we left off and had a good day,” said coach Kasey Tocchio.
The Centaurs (3-0, 3-0 ECC) won with a host of efforts. Taylor Markley finished with a 9.2 total in both the vault and bars competitions, good for second in both events. Lindsey Gillies finished third in the vault with a 9.0 score and Maddie Martinez was third in the floor exercise with an 8.7.
One hopeful aspect was the debut of freshman Olivia Aleman. The youngster has been battling an injury suffered prior to the season, but returned to score an 8.7 in the bars.
Tocchio said, “She will probably not be totally cleared until about the end of February. It will be really great if, come States, that she is in our lineup.”
The ECC championship meet will move to Thames Valley Gymnastics in Norwich.
The ECC championship is at 6 p.m. Feb. 12.
Boys’ Basketball: It has not been the easiest of seasons for the Centaurs boys’ basketball team. Losses to graduation have been followed by injuries and a bout with COVID.
 “Our seniors are still demonstrating great leadership and are working hard and we know that some of the younger guys are going to step up and get more minutes too,” said coach Marty Hart.
Woodstock led by as many as 12 points in the first half on their home floor but the Windham Whippets rallied in the second half, and posted a 43-41 win.
Windham began its comeback in the second quarter when it rallied to close within three, 21-18, at the half. The Centaurs answered by scoring six of the first eight points in the second half.
Senior Hamilton Barnes had four of his team-high nine points in that brief run that gave Woodstock a seven-point lead.
Windham scored the next nine points but the pendulum continued to swing as the Centaurs held the 34-32 lead at the end of three quarters thanks to a three-point play from Brandon Nagle. Woodstock extended that lead to 41-36, with 3 minutes, 10 seconds to play but Windham’s Travis Mangual (24 points) hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes to put the Whippets ahead and Zach Robinson-Smey hit a free throw with 33 seconds left to account for the final.
Parker Anderson added eight in the loss for the Centaurs.
Woodstock gave Waterford a tussle before falling to the Lancers Jan. 21, 55-44.
Junior Brandon Nagle broke out for a season-high 23 points including four 3-pointers for the Centaurs who fell just short in the ECC Div. II game. Barnes added eight points.
The Centaurs finished up the week losing to St. Bernard, 79-52. The Saints dominated from the outside. Woodstock’s senior center Huck Flanagan finished with a double-double, 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Prep Basketball: Travonne Jackson stood at the free throw line with 2.5 seconds to play Jan. 19 the Centaurs trailing Prise Academy by a point. “I knew I was going to make them,” Jackson said. And he did. The Centaurs won, 76-75.
“Three (wins) in a row. We just have to keep building on this,” Jackson said.
The Centaurs, behind 11 of the 19 points that Dominic Strother put down, opened as much as a 13-point lead in the first half and were up 43-35 at the half.
Prise Academy tied the game at 72 with 50 seconds to play and went ahead on a steal and layup. The advantage became three when they hit one of two free throws with 21 seconds left.
But Strother pulled the Centaurs within one with a basket with five seconds left. He was fouled on the play, missed the free throw, but Jackson (18 points) grabbed the rebound and was fouled, setting up the game-winning free throws. Jalen Bradberry scored 12 points and Corey Jones added 11 for the Centaurs in the win.
Unfortunately, the Centaurs got some bad news just prior to what was supposed to be a busy weekend — COVID struck the team.
Woodstock played shorthanded to Northfield-Mt. Hermon School. The Gold prep team put together a gutty performance against Vermont Academy Jan. 22 but fell short, 98-88.
Simon Hildebrant scored 29 points with 10 rebounds. Jones added 14 points and Promise Opurum had 11 boards.
Those three were also key factors in the Jan. 23 game against Bridgton Academy, losing 71-78 and falling to 12-10 on the season.
Opurum had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds while Hildebrandt finished with 16 points and nine boards and Jones contributed 10 points and three assists.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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