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Co-captains
Junior Eliza Dutson, left, and senior Marie Gravier are serving as co-captains for the Woodstock Academy girls’ hockey team. PHoto by Marc Allard.
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Girls' hockey
team shows
good effort
It was a loss.
But there were few frowns coming off the ice Dec. 20 at the Jahn Ice Rink at the Pomfret School.
The Woodstock Academy girls’ hockey team put together a good effort, but fell to the Avon-Southington-Wethersfield-Newington-RHAM-Lewis Mills cooperative program, 2-0.
“I think that’s the key word, effort, and so our theme this year is that we’re climbing a mountain,” said Woodstock Academy coach Jeff Boshka. “We’re in a league, playing a varsity schedule; it’s going to be hard. I just ask them to work hard every shift and they do.”
Junior captain Eliza Dutson also liked what she saw.
“This team has such good chemistry,” Dutson said. “We’ve come so far since last year. We’re working together great. There is so much improvement. It’s fantastic.”
The Centaurs played well defensively.
Senior goalie Marie Gravier, who made 36 saves in a 5-0 season-opening loss to East Catholic the week before, was tested again.
But she was up to the task.
Gravier finished with 25 saves.
“Marie gets a lot of shots at her, but she saves the majority of them. She’s good,” Dutson said.
Boshka said he thinks the team is starting to understand the defensive concepts and, as such, are moving and covering better for one another.
“Creating more open ice situations will be very helpful,” Boshka said.
The Centaurs and Nighthawks played to a scoreless first period with neither team getting much in the way of offense rolling.
The Avon Co-Op took only five shots, the Centaurs had only one.
The Nighthawks put a lot more pressure on in the second period and one of their 15 shots eluded Gravier.
Avon athlete Adele Oprica skated to just inside the blue line and found an open alley, sending it over Gravier’s left shoulder into the net 6:09 into the period.
The Nighthawks added an insurance goal 3:49 into the final period when Morgan Carrera from Southington and Meghan Cahill of Lewis Mills assisted Newington’s Jordan Hopping.
The Centaurs had their chances. But for a second straight game, couldn’t find the net.
“But we had more shots and more good opportunities in that second and third period. Some good shots. It hasn’t happened yet, but we’re going to keep trying and it’s going to happen,” Boshka said.
Dutson had one of those chances, making a great backhand to avoid the stick of a Nighthawk defender, but seeing her shot gobbled up by goalie Logan Lada in the second period.
Jade Hill and Chelsea Willis also had good opportunities in the second period with Hill and Dutson getting good looks in the third.
“They were so close,” Dutson said of some of the shots taken by the Centaurs. “We’re happy with what we’re seeing. We just need to connect our passes. Most of the girls we have are still new and are still figuring out where they need to be and how to hold their stick, but it’s a work in progress. We’re doing great. I’m really proud of us.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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