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Centaurs now
7-0 with
shutout
victory
The good times continued for the Woodstock Academy boys’ hockey team over the weekend.
The team made the long trek out to Northwest Connecticut to the South Kent School for a Nutmeg Conference game against the Housatonic Regional Co-Op on Saturday.
The Centaurs brought back another shutout victory as they blanked the Mountaineers 10-0.
The win improved Woodstock’s record to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Conference.
The first line of Noah Sampson, Donnie Sousa and Maxx Corradi did much of the damage on the road as they combined for eight of the 10 goals.
The long bus ride clearly was not a hindrance as Sampson, as is his wont, scored just 46 seconds into the contest off assists from his two linemates.
Sousa followed just 2 ½ minutes later with a goal of his own with help from Sampson and Keegan Covello, who had his first three assists of the season.
Sampson finished off the first period tallies with an unassisted effort with 6:46 left to play.
Sampson would add another goal in the second period and would assist on another Sousa goal in the third to give the junior 14 goals and 11 assists on the season.
Sousa had a breakout game as he doubled the number of goals he has scored this season with four against the Mountaineers, two coming in a four-goal third period.
Corradi added a goal and three assists while Jared Nielsen added a pair of tallies.
The Centaurs were challenged a bit by their opponents from Burrillville.
The Broncos had just reduced Woodstock’s lead to just one goal with 9 minutes, 33 seconds left in regulation.
But 31 seconds later, Sampson got to the puck on the side of the Broncos net.
The Centaurs added another later to lwin 5-2.
Coach Mark Smolak said, “This was a huge game for us, nine points in the standings. That’s what we wanted, to secure these nine points.”
The Centaurs didn’t waste any time getting on the board against the Broncos (4-5).
Sampson scored just 21 seconds into the game.
Just 1 minute, 16 seconds later, the Centaurs would tally again.
Sampson gained possession of the puck behind the net, sent it back into the front where Corradi was coming in unmarked and the winger beat Mansolf to the right to give Woodstock a 2-0 advantage.
But Burrillville was quick to answer.
The Broncos, missing five of their top players, four to injury, cut the deficit in half when Patrick Poisson scored his second goal of the season just 42 seconds after Corradi scored.
As things often do in games, things settled down after that as both goalies settled in and did not allow another goal in the first period.
Woodstock re-established the two-goal advantage when a Burrillville defender lost control of the puck right in front of the net.
Sousa was in the right place at the right time as he found himself in front of the net, one-on-one against Mansolf.
Sousa put it in the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.
The Broncos did get back within one on a tally by Ryan Frenette.
“When they scored, my message to the guys was that, ‘Look, we’re not done here. Look, they got one. We still have the lead, let’s get it back,’” Smolak said.
Sampson did just that. “It was anti-climactic because no one knew it went in,” Smolak said.
The Centaurs finished things off when freshman defensive player Jack Larkin sent one in from the point that just found its way over Mansolf’s left shoulder.
It was his first career goal and was assisted by his brother, Max Larkin.
“We executed the plan that we wanted to coming into the game; to be able to maintain possession of the puck, dominate in the neutral, offensive and defensive zones, was really positive to see. We were making smart plays with the puck,” Smolak said.
Girls’ Basketball
The Woodstock girls’ basketball team has reached the halfway point of the regular season.
And it already has attained one of its primary goals.
A 39-28 win over Plainfield Saturday afternoon qualified the Centaurs for the Class L state tournament, something it missed out on a year ago.
Woodstock is now 8-2 and is currently ranked seventh in Class L.
The Centaurs used five points from freshman Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain and classmate Sidney Anderson added a 3-pointer in the first quarter to help the hosts build a 14-2 lead.
Back came Plainfield. The Panthers (3-4) went on a 13-2 run to close within a point.
Fortunately, the Centaurs scored the last five points of the half to hold a six-point advantage, 21-15, going into the locker room.
Both teams struggled a bit to find the basket in the second half.
The Centaurs only got four baskets in the third quarter, but their defense stood up and held the Panthers to just two to extend their lead to 10 points, 29-19, at the end of the third quarter.
Plainfield closed to within seven, but a 7-1 run for Woodstock closed out the win.
Sophomore forward Eva Monahan scored 11 points to lead the Centaurs.
It also came on the heels of a 41-25 setback to Killingly at home just two days before.
Killingly went on a 9-0 run to end the first quarter of that game on Thursday and the Centaurs would never get closer than seven points the remainder of the way.
Take away a 2-for-14 second quarter effort and Killingly had the hot hands from the floor as it made 15-of-27 from the field in the first, third and fourth quarters.
Monahan paced the Centaurs with nine points.
Earlier in the week, Woodstock made it seven in a row in the win column with a 49-36 win over Waterford.
It was a nice come-from-behind effort against the Lancers.
The Centaurs trailed 25-21 at the half but were able to hold the host Lancers to just five points in the third quarter and led by a point going into the fourth.
That defensive effort translated to a good offensive performance in the final quarter when the Centaurs outscored the Lancers, 18-6.
Monahan erupted for 10 of her team-high 16 points in the fourth. Sophomore Sophia Sarkis was the only other Centaur in double figures with 13 points.
Indoor Track
Woodstock indoor track coach Josh Welch had the opportunity to go with his ECC friends to a league developmental meet in Providence.
Or he could elect to just take his indoor track teams to the Bethel Invitational across the state. He chose the latter.
And the Centaurs experienced success as well as the girls brought home five 1st-place finishes, the boys finished best in four events and a host of athletes qualified for state championship competition.
Boys’ results: Sophomore Christian Menounos had a pretty nice day. “Welch said, “His 1000m time shows he’s capable of doing some big things in the postseason.”
Menounos finished first in 2 minutes, 42.72 seconds in the 1000. That was just about five seconds off the Woodstock record. A record, ironically, still held by Welch when he competed for the Academy.
It’s the last record that Welch’s name is next to on the track history board.
Menounos also finished first in the 3200m race later in the competition.
Senior Vincente Bastura also had a strong day as he finished with a decisive first in the 1600m and was also a member of two relay teams that had strong finishes.
He joined Charles Caggiano, Joel Koleszar and Colton Sallum for a first-place finish in the 4x800m in 9:18. He was also a part of the sprint medley team alongside Rocco Corrado, Owen Tracy and Sallum which finished second.
The sprint medley team improved its time by 10 seconds with a 4:08 finish and is now just eight seconds away from qualifying for state championship competition.
The boys’ 4x200m relay team of Jeff Phongsa, Corrado, Carter Saracina and Braedon Emerson did qualify for the States with a second-place finish.
Liam Wilcox, a jack-of-all trades for the Centaurs, finished fifth in the pole vault as he cleared 9-feet.
Girls’ results: The girls’ indoor track team had a host of fine individual and team performances.
On the individual side, Bella Sorrentino hit a personal best with a 34-foot throw in the shotput to bring home a first-place finish.
Fellow senior Magdalena Myslenski also had a first-place performance as she cleared the bar in the pole vault at 7-feet, 6-inches.
Sorrentino was also third in the 55m hurdles, qualifying for state championship competition in the process, and was a member of the 4x200m relay team with Kaelyn and Talia Tremblay and Juliet Allard that finished in second place.
Allard also qualified for the States with a second-place finish in the 55m hurdles.
Julia Coyle was best in the 1600m, finishing just ahead of freshman teammate Olivia Tracy who placed third.
Senior Lauren Brule was second in the 1000m with a strong 3:43 effort.
Brule was also a member of the 4x800m relay which brought home a first-place finish. Brule was joined by Tessa Brown, Tracy and Sydney Lord.
Brown, Isabella Selmecki, Gianna Smith and Mia Sorrentino had a 1st-place finish in the sprint medley and the 4x400m team of the two Tremblays, Coyle and Tracy finished second overall in 4:49.
Girls’ Hockey
The girls’ hockey team had some chances against the Mercy cooperative team on Saturday. They just weren’t challenging enough.
“We were putting the puck on net, but nothing really dangerous,” said coach Eric Roy. “The shots are there, the danger areas will come after that.”
The puck never found the back of the net for the Centaurs while the Tigers managed to sneak just a couple past senior goalie Elizabeth Morgis for the 2-0 victory.
The loss dropped the Centaurs to 3-6-1 overall and 3-4 against Connecticut teams.
The Woodstock Academy cooperative, in its first season in the Connecticut Girls High School Hockey Association, would like to finish in the top 12 to qualify for the state playoffs.
A win over the Tigers would have helped in that endeavor.
Mercy peppered the Woodstock goal in the first period, taking 16 shots at Morgis, but only one got through.
Senior center Gianna Low took a rebound off a shot from Alex Martin and stuffed it past Morgis to give the Tigers the lead 5 minutes, 54 seconds into the game.
The Centaurs did rebound a bit in the second period when they took 11 shots at Mercy goalie Alexa Laing (16 saves). Martin, off an assist from Leilani Duong-Vasquez, added an insurance goal for Mercy with 4:32 to play in the game.
Morgis who just learned hours before that she was the ECC girls’ Athlete of the Week, made 26 saves in net for the Centaurs.
The Centaurs played a game earlier in the week and only found the net once in Rhode Island. Burrillville handed the Centaurs a 5-1 defeat.
Woodstock freshman Maci Corradi scored her ninth goal of the season. Mia Williamson and Caitlyn Flynn assisted on the goal for the Centaurs.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
Vincente Bastura – Woodstock Academy senior Vincente Bastura owns a large lead in the 1600m which he went on to win at the Bethel indoor track Invitational on Saturday.
Julia Coyle and Olivia Tracy – Woodstock Academy junior Julia Coyle was running behind freshman teammate Olivia Tracy early in the 1600m race at the bethel indoor track Invitational but eventually overtook her to win the event while Tracy placed third.
Bella for web – Woodstock Academy senior Bella Sorrentino readies to throw the shotput at the Bethel indoor track Invitational. She would reach a personal best 34-feet and finish first in the event.
(Photos by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy)
Girls Basketball photos
Reynolds-Danis: Woodstock Academy juniors Reegan Reynolds (5, right) and Leah Danis (44, left0 sandwich Plainfield’s Morgan Yonush in a 39-28 win for the Centaurs Saturday at the Alumni Fieldhouse.
Saucier- Woodstock Academy freshman Kaylee Saucier (with ball) gets past Plainfield’s Emily Smith in a 39-28 win for the Centaurs Saturday at the Alumni Fieldhouse.
Bochain- Woodstock Academy freshman Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain dribbles through the Plainfield tandem of Hannah Irons (14, left) and Julianna Gallow (11, right) in a 39-28 win for the Centaurs Saturday at the Alumni Fieldhouse.
(Girls basketball photos by Marc Allard)
Girls Hockey photos
Morgis 1: It was the story of the day as Woodstock Academy goalie Elizabeth Morgis has to cover up the puck against multiple players from Mercy to make one of her 26 saves in a 2-0 loss to the Tigers at the Jahn Ice Rink at Pomfret School.
Morgis 2: Woodstock Academy senior goalie Elizabeth Morgis comes out of the net to re-direct the puck in a 2-0 loss to the Tigers at the Jahn Ice Rink at Pomfret School.
Hochard – Woodstock Academy senior co-captain Keynila Hochard is the last line of defense between Mercy’s Gianna Low and Woodstock Academy goalie Elizabeth Morgis in a 2-0 loss to the Tigers at the Jahn Ice Rink at Pomfret School.
(Girls hockey photos by Marc Allard
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