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Roundup
Centaurs get
1st individual
wins on
wrestling mat
It has been a while between individual victories on the wrestling mat for the Woodstock Academy Centaurs. About five years to be exact.
It happened, however, last Wednesday as the Centaurs traveled to Putnam, a trip they are more than familiar with and while they lost to the Clippers, 48-29, there was some individual success.
That made coach Cahan Quinn a bit happier.
“Just week-by-week, seeing everyone get better and more comfortable on the mat. We’re all still really nervous but that’s understandable in any sport. They are starting to feel a lot more comfortable and we’re starting to look like a real wrestling team,” Quinn said.
Ayden Angel-Ouimette will go down as the first Centaur wrestler to record a pin in the rebirth of the program.
The junior got it in the final second of his match.
“He threw in a half (nelson) toward the edge of the mat. He settled his chest down nice, lifted the head up, settled back and it was something he had been working the whole match and he was finally able to get it,” Quinn said.
Senior Lucas Theriaque also posted a win on his own merits, 16-1, over his Putnam opponent.
“He really just got the takedowns and was working the near fall points the entire match. He was nice and smooth, was running tilt most of the time. He’s a real technical wrestler and he just executed. The rust is finally starting to come off and I’m excited to see how he progresses,” Quinn said of Theriaque.
Senior Jacob Lizotte and sophomores Andrew Landreville and Jacob Say all posted forfeit victories to account for the remainder of the Woodstock Academy points.
The season started off tough as the Centaurs had to battle against the likes of Lyman/Windham Tech and Killingly.
“Those are two really tough opponents but the kids are starting to get the hang of it. They’re understanding the sport. They understand what it means, for example, that they have a free move if their opponent locks hands. They really are responding well and it’s become a little more muscle memory at this point,” the Woodstock Academy coach added.
The most recent match against the Clippers was comfortable for another reason for the Centaurs.
The two teams practiced together for much of the early season as Woodstock awaited the arrival of its new wrestling mats.
Those mats finally arrived on Dec. 21 and the Centaurs have been practicing on them in the Alumni Fieldhouse ever since.
“We’ve been practicing by ourselves which has been really nice,” Quinn said. “It’s let us slow down a bit, get a bit more technical, in terms of the basics, which gives them a better understanding and allows them to wrestle better.”
It has also made it seem a bit more real.
Wrestling is back at Woodstock Academy.
“We’ve been coming up with practice plans every day and just looking at what we need to improve at,” Quinn said.
For example, after the Putnam match, the Centaurs want to concentrate both on working from the bottom and the top.
“Working to get out between our switches and stand ups, our tripods and on top, we have to work on our breakdowns, that way we can work to pin a little better,” Quinn said.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
Maxx Corradi scored his 100th career point last week.
The Woodstock boys’ hockey team knew it wasn’t going to be easy playing Div. I-type Connecticut teams, and one from in-state, at the Mt. St. Charles Tournament in Woonsocket, R.I.
The Centaurs found that to be the case as they came away from the three games in three days with only one victory.
“I think it was a good experience,” said coach Mark Smolak. “We played a lot of extremely good teams. I think part of the reason why we front-loaded the schedule was to give the kids the time to adjust to going against D-I schools and what do we have to work on to match or exceed that pressure and style of play.”
For Smolak, it showed him some things that the team needs to work on. Specifically, how to handle the constant speed that D-I teams present.
On the D-II level, the Centaurs generally face one really competitive line on the opponent’s side that has to be neutralized.
Teams at the D-I level, go three and four lines deep.
“We’re trying to adjust to that kind of speed in our own end and we also noted that we have to work on our intensity. Every single player on the ice for D-I teams are physical, intense, and we have to adjust to that physicality,” Smolak said.
The Centaurs didn’t know exactly what they would be facing in Woonsocket, only the reputations of their opponents
It was just like the proverbial box of chocolates, the Centaurs never knew what they would get.
The first one out of the box, however, was pretty tasty.
The Centaurs had never played a Div. I-type program from New York and their first experience was not bad as they produced a 5-2 win over St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute.
In addition to the win, there was also a personal highlight.
With just 31 seconds left in regulation, junior Corradi passed the puck to senior teammate Noah Sampson.
Sampson completed his own hat trick, scoring into an empty net, but it was also a moment to remember for Corradi as the assist was his 100th career point.
He had already scored a goal and had two assists on the night.
“It was just a great effort by Maxx (Wednesday),” coach Mark Smolak said. “He is just such a gifted goal scorer and a great player overall. He came in his freshman year and the expectations were low, he was a little small, we weren’t sure how he would handle the physicality of the game but he had a great freshman year.”
He finished as third-leading scorer on the team as a freshman with 28 points and followed that up with a 66-point sophomore campaign, tops on the team.
“Last year was just other-worldly, he exploded,” Smolak said. “His shot, his release, his ability to find net from any angle on the ice is extremely impressive. It’s a joy to watch. We expected him to get a little stronger, work on his skating, get a little faster and he worked really hard in the offseason. He’s leading his own line now when he is separated from Noah and Don (Sousa) and he has accepted the challenge.”
Sampson put the Centaurs up late in the first period.
But his goal with 3 minutes, 36 seconds left started a flurry of activity as St. Joseph’s tied it 23 seconds later only to see the Centaurs go back up with two minutes to play on Sampson’s second goal.
Sousa made it 3-1 in the second period with his fourth goal of the season.
Corradi gave the Centaurs the three-goal lead early in the third period and, after a St. Joe’s goal with 3:35 to play, Sampson wrapped up his hat trick and the scoring.
Smolak thought the team put together a solid effort from end-to-end. That is especially big on the defensive side which was hit hard by graduation and transfers following last season’s run at the Div. II state championship.
“We’re starting to tighten things up defensively. We’re not leaving as many opportunities in front of our net. We’re closing in and protecting (freshman goalie) Brady (Hebert) as much as humanly possible. We’re getting better each and every game, each and every shift in each period,” Smolak said after the win.
It was a big win for the Centaurs as it meant nine points toward their CIAC Div. II playoff points.
However, Woodstock saw that defense break down a bit under constant pressure from its next two opponents.
Smolak knew that Fairfield Prep, despite its 1-4 record coming into the game, was going to be difficult.
He was right.
The Centaurs played the Jesuits in their second outing of the tournament late last week and finished on the wrong side of a 5-1 score.
Corradi had the only goal of the night for Woodstock.
His tally came in the second period and was assisted by Sousa and Sam Lescault.
Sousa will be the next to reach 100 as he is just four points away after the assist against Fairfield Prep.
“Fairfield Prep has the reputation of being the premier D-I school in the state and they showed that intensity. We are no longer playing Bishop Hendricken once a year, we’re now playing teams equal to them, and Fairfield Prep is a prime example of being equal to that high level,” Smolak said.
The result was the same in the tournament finale for the Centaurs who lost to Bishop Guerin from New Hampshire, 5-1, on Friday.
“Bishop Guerin played a heck of a game. They capitalized on all of our mistakes, got a lead, and held us back,” Smolak said.
The opponents broke out to a 3-0 lead in the first period.
The Centaurs cut it to two points early in the second period when Jayden Fuller scored just 2:49 in off an assist from Maxx Corradi.
“It’s not easy to come back from 3-0. It gave us a lot of life when Jayden scored but, unfortunately, we didn’t have enough in us,” Smolak said.
Bishop Guerin pulled away late in the third period with a pair of goals.
The loss dropped the Centaurs to 2-3 on the season.
The Centaurs, finally, played a home game on Tuesday (the game ended too late for this edition) as they hosted Xavier at the Jahn Ice Rink at Pomfret School.
“It’s going to be great,” Smolak said prior to the game. “We’re kind of excited that we will have half our away games over by next week but, after three weeks of starting the season on the road, it will be great to have fans behind us and supporting us.”
Boys’ Basketball
This time Centaurs prosper in extra period
The memory of their first overtime game this season was more than fresh in the minds of the Woodstock boys’ basketball team.
The Centaurs were coming off a two-point loss in OT to New London the Friday before when it happened again.
This time, it was Old Lyme’s Eddie Fiske who spotted up an open 3-pointer and buried it with two seconds left in regulation to force the extra period.
But unlike Friday, the Centaurs were ready for this one as they scored the first 12 points in OT and rolled to a 67-58 win over the Wildcats last week.
“That means we’re only getting tougher,” coach Donte Adams said. “Last time against New London, it didn’t fall in our favor (a 47-45 loss) but this time we saw the growth, scored the first (12) points in overtime, that was great. The guys are getting better, mentally stronger.”
Senior T.J. Osborne got things started as he scored just 16 seconds into the extra period to give Woodstock a lead it would not relinquish.
But Osborne was hardly done. After a basket by Hunter Larson (13 points, 5 assists), Osborne added two more from the free throw line to put the Centaurs up by six.
“I was just playing. Hunter and Brady (Ericson) were getting into the paint and were able to find me. It was a team effort, honestly. Everybody started hitting shots, making layups, crashing boards. We were all contributing and we just kept fighting,” Osborne said.
And after Ericson made a free throw, Osborne unleashed one from beyond the 3-point line to put the Centaurs up by double digits.
“It felt good. I was missing a lot and to finally hit one felt great,” the senior guard added.
Osborne finished with 11 points.
“T.J. came ready to play. He missed a few early ones but as a shooter, you have to keep shooting. If you’re open, shoot it. Everyone is on this team for a reason. We were in foul trouble early in the game so T.J. definitely stepped up and it paid off for us at the end,” Adams said.
After Woodstock took a five-point first quarter lead, the game was essentially dead even. The Wildcats (4-1) tied the game at the half at 25. It was tied at 37 at the end of three and at 54 at the end of regulation on Fiske’s shot.
“Things happen and the crazy thing is everybody makes their best shots against Woodstock. But the guys were ready to play in overtime and we got the ‘W’,” Adams said.
Ericson finished with a team-best 21 points and added seven rebounds.
“Brady played great,” Adams said. ‘He is one of those guys where (the defense) will focus on him on the offensive end but the thing about him is, he is so versatile. He can get (points) off the rebound, points off pick-and-rolls (he also had a 3-pointer). He came up big for us in this win.”
Ericson also played well on Thursday afternoon as the Centaurs traveled to Ellington.
Unfortunately, even the junior’s efforts would not be enough in a 64-47 loss to the Purple Knights.
The Centaurs slipped to 3-3 with the loss.
Ellington kept its perfect record intact at 4-0 as it put forth a balanced effort, getting 32 points in each of the halves.
The hosts held a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter, raised it to nine by half and 10 at the end of the third before outscoring the Centaurs by seven again in the fourth.
Ericson finished with 26 points including four 3-pointers while Larson added nine, all of his points came by way of the trey.
No one else had more than three points.
Ellington had three players in double figures led by senior guard Darren Zahner who finished with 21 points. Fellow senior Caden Branon added 16 and freshman Jack Curtis tossed in 13.
Woodstock had the remainder of the holiday week off as they don’t return to the home court until Wednesday when they host Windham at 7 p.m.
Girls’ Hockey
Centaurs fall short twice. It’s not easy playing half of a season’s games in the first month.
But it was the task the Centaurs Co-Op had to deal with.
They played the ninth game of their 20-game season last Friday, traveling to the Winter Garden Rink in Ridgefield where they lost to the Wilton/Norwalk/Brien McMahon Co-Op, 5-2.
It was, however, a much better effort than their 11-2 loss to Simsbury earlier in the week.
“(Friday) was definitely a good rebound game,” coach Eric Roy said. “That game against Simsbury was a fluke, that just was not our team. (Friday) we showed grit and played to the last whistle.”
Co-Captain Juliette Hammer scored a second period goal and then added a second in the third off an assist from Maci Corradi.
It was the first two goals of the season for the junior.
“She had a great game. It was her best game of the season. She showed that she has the capability to be a gamebreaker and that was nice to see,” Roy said.
Roy guessed prior to the game against Simsbury that the Trojans were none too happy with their 3-2 loss to the Centaurs in the season opener for the Woodstock Academy Co-Op. He was right.
The Trojans scored four goals in the first period, five more in the second and skated away with the easy win.
Corradi scored her fourth goal of the season for the Centaurs in the first period and Sophia Gouveia had her fourth tally of the year in the second.
Riley Faber had two assists for the Woodstock Academy Co-Op.
Ellary Sampson added an assist as well for the Centaurs.
Charlotte Peltz had the hat trick for Simsbury (1-5) while Alexandra Berger added a pair of goals and three assists.
The Centaurs are now 2-7 overall on the season, 2-6 in the Connecticut High School Girls Hockey Association.
But there is a little caveat to having played so many games so early.
The Centaurs don’t have another game until Jan. 12.
“The bounces haven’t gone our way but, eventually, they will and these battles will turn in our favor. We have two weeks of consistent practices now to hammer everything home,” Roy said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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