caption:
Goalie
Woodstock Academy's ice hockey senior, goalie Baylee Johns. Courtesy photo.
POMFRET — Zach Burnham’s goal in overtime lifted the Centaurs (6-7) to the victory.
It took the Woodstock Academy Centaurs (6-7) more than the 36 minutes of regulation to get the job done, but they managed to come away with a 6-5 overtime victory against the Joel Barlow Falcons (4-13) on Saturday afternoon in Pomfret. Sophomore Center Zach Burnham had the game-winner with 36 seconds left in the overtime period on a put back in the middle of a pile of players in front of the net.
Burnham’s goal capped a back-and-forth game that saw the visiting Falcons come back from 1-0, 4-2 and 5-4 deficits to force overtime. Penalties against the Centaurs resulted in two Falcon power play goals. There were a total of 5 goals scored in the first period two by the Falcons and three by the Centaurs. Freshman wing Zach Gagnon got Woodstock on the board with a nice backhander, his first goal of the year. Later in the period it was senior captain defenseman Will Smith with his first of two goals assisted by Nathan DeLuca and Will Liscomb. Nathan DeLuca got in on the scoring with the first of his two goals assisted by Jon-Luc Cournoyer and Jordan Lamothe’ to end the first period up 3-2 over the visitors. The Centaurs were outscored 2 goals to 1 in the second with Senior Captain Will Johns netting his second goal of the game assisted by Nathan Deluca to end the second period tied 4 – 4. Both goaltenders Baylee Johns and Thierry Jean put on a show with several fine saves. Freshman sensation Nathan DeLuca put on a fine display of his own finishing with two goals and two assists for a four point night. Nathan is now in fifth place in overall points scored in the Division 3 conference.
DeLuca opened the scoring early in the third period with a goal :09 seconds into the frame. He was assisted by Will Liscomb and Tyler Huhtanen. The thin one goal lead looked like it would hold up until Joel Barlow’s Billy Berry finished his five point performance with the tying goal under a minute left in regulation.
In overtime, the referee’s put their whistles away and let the boys play with Woodstock seemingly dominating the Falcons but unable to score. Both defenses played aggressively keeping the puck away from the goaltenders. Everyone was expecting a tie as the overtime period wound down to 30 seconds but lightning struck for the Centaurs in the form of a loose puck trickling over the downed goalie for a hard fought overtime victory that electrified the home crowd. Woodstock is now 1 – 1 in overtime appearances this year. Baylee Johns had 30 saves as Woodstock was outshot, 35-25. Come out and support your Woodstock Centaurs as they close out their season this week against league leaders Sheehan High School at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and Housatonic at 6 p.m. Feb. 27, both are home games at Jahn Rink.
..
By Ron P. Coderre
Most high school girls’ teams concluded their regular seasons last week. The fortunate few, Tourtellotte, Plainfield and Putnam, have conference and State tournament play to look forward to in the weeks ahead. The unfortunate few concluded play with Woodstock Academy going out on a high note with a season ending victory. Killingly and Ellis Tech can only look forward to next season.
The preps are also approaching tourney time with Marianapolis, Pomfret School and Hyde-Woodstock appearing to be headed to NEPSAC and SENE postseason play.
Tourtellotte and Plainfield in ECC 1st Round
Tourtellotte under coach Carla Faucher concluded its most successful regular season in many years, closing out the campaign 15-5 with a win over the East Hampton Bell Ringers 34-28. The Lady Tigers put on a defensive clinic in the first half, holding the hosts to a mere three points as they went to the locker room at intermission on top 12-3.
Ali Ablondi, Tourtellotte’s top offensive threat all season, finished with 11 points, while her teammate Nicole Dion captured game high honors with 13 points.
The Lady Tigers entered the play-in round of the ECC Tournament seeded 11th and were pitted against sixth -seeded East Lyme. The Lady Vikings easily dispatched Tourtellotte 49-29 as they ran away with the win from the opening tipoff. Ablond, with 12 points, was the lone bright spot in the 15-6 Tourtellotte offense.
Plainfield closed the books on the regular season with a pair of solid victories to end the season at 12-8. The Lady Panthers took the measure of Killingly 58-41 and followed that win with a 62-58 victory over East Lyme.
Alicia Cournoyer and Morganne Collins with a dozen points apiece paced the team in the win over the Redgals. In the East Lyme win Plainfield placed four players in double figures. Madeline Lorange with 16 points was high scorer followed by her sister Adrienne Lorange with 14, while Julie Jordan (13) and Cournoyer (11) were the other double-digit scorers.
Plainfield, seeded 12th in the ECC Tournament, was eliminated in the play-in round 42-31 by 5th seeded Waterford. The Lady Panthers who didn’t have a player in double figures fell behind 18-5 after one quarter and never recovered. Plainfield is 12-9 as it awaits the seedings for the CIAC State tourney.
Killingly lost its final game of the season to Woodstock Academy 43-33. The season ended at 2-18 for the Redgals, while the Acads closed the books at 3-17. The “Bousqueteers” of coach Willie Bousquet received a superb performance from Rebecca Messier who captured game-high honors with 19 points. Killingly’s high scorer was Morgan Harriot with 13 points.
Putnam took it on the nose from Capital Prep 76-23 but got up off the canvas to beat Cheney Tech 29-28, moving to 9-10 on the season. Putnam’s one-two punch of Makenzie Kaylor (9) and Cynthia Briere (8) were coach Mandi Hogan’s top point producers.
Ellis Tech ran out the string at 0-20 losing to Windham Tech 64-26 and Prince Tech 63-15.
Light Schedule for Preps
Pomfret School raised its record to 14-5 with a pair of victories in a perfect week. The Lady Griffins opened the week with a 61-49 win over St. George’s School. Mary Redmond was the game-high scorer with 22 points, while her teammate Juliette Lawless chipped in 19 points.
Pomfret then hosted Westminster School and weren’t very cordial as they took the Westies to school 48-25. Lawless with 17 points was the top scorer for Pomfret, which built a halftime advantage of 26-9 allowing coach Rebecca Brooks to substitute freely in the second half.
Hyde-Woodstock split a pair of contests on the week. The Wolfpack beat Marianapolis II 32-31 in a game that went down to the wire. Cossou Ndiaye hit both ends of a one-on-one situation in the waning seconds of the game to ice the victory and drop Marianapolis II to 5-10 on the season.
In the quarterfinals of the SENE Tournament, the Wolfpack was beaten by the Wheeler School 47-29. Janicha Diaz with 16 points was the lone bright spot for Hyde-Woodstock, which now stands at 5-11 on the season. Marianapolis I lost its only game of the week to Tabor Academy 61-53 to go to 14-6 on the year, despite double-double performances by Madison Springfield and Rachel Aho. Springfield posted 24 points and 14 boards, while Aho had 14 and 14.
Scoring Leaders: Janicha Diaz – Hyde-Woodstock – 15.5; Meagan Bianchi – Killingly – 14.9; Alyzae Davis – Pomfret School – 14.5; Ali Ablondi – Tourtellotte – 13.8; Juliette Lawless – Pomfret School – 13.6.
Three-point Leaders: Ali Ablondi – Tourtellotte – 33; Mary Redmond – Pomfret School – 30; Adrienne Lorange – Plainfield – 24.
RPC’s Super Standings: Tourtellotte – 15-5; Marianapolis I – 14-5; Pomfret School – 13-5; Plainfield – 11-8; Putnam – 9 - 10; Marianapolis II – 5-10; Hyde-Woodstock – 5-11; Woodstock Academy – 3-17; Killingly – 2-18; Ellis Tech – 0-20.
..
By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent along to Putnam Atty. Nick Longo. A little known fact, Longo was a star hoopster at Putnam High School and went on to a four-year college career at Clark University in Worcester. Atty. Longo blew out another candle on the cake on Feb. 26.
The Putnam Science Academy Mustangs recently went on the road for a rugged four-game road trip and came home holding their heads high after winning three and dropping one for only their third loss of the season. Along the way they beat a very good South Kent School, avenged an earlier season loss to Notre Dame Prep and took the final game of the sojourn at Bridgton Academy in Maine.
The lone loss of the trip came at the hands of the nation’s #1 ranked team Brewster Academy in a game that was called with eight minutes remaining to be played. Here’s how the outcome of that contest came out as related by Putnam Science Academy coach Tom Espinosa.
“Everything started when PSA standout Kyle Menard was called for a hard but clean foul on a Brewster player with both players going down to the floor. On the way up, words were exchanged but no punches were thrown. Seeing their teammate in a verbal confrontation, the Mustang players on the bench ran out on to the court to support him.
“After things were calmed down by the coaches and officials, the Brewster Athletic Director made the decision to terminate the contest. His decision gave the victory to host Brewster Academy. The coaches, players and officials wanted to continue the contest; however, based on a similar experience last year with another team, the AD made his decision and stuck by it.
“Our kids should have stayed on the bench. That’s the rule and I understand we we’re wrong for leaving the bench area. It’s difficult to swallow but it was the correct call,” said coach Espinosa.
So now you have the rest of the story as a noted radio personality was known to say on his daily commentary.
As a result of the trip, the Mustangs are 25-3 but the loss dropped them one spot in the Next Up Recruits National Post Grad Rankings. Brewster Academy remains #1 with St. Thomas More of Oakdale, a team the Scientists have beaten this season, moving into the #2 slot. Putnam Science Academy is ranked #3.
The remainder of the Top Ten is as follows: #4 Fishburne (VA); #5 Hargrave (VA); #6 New Hampton (NH); #7 Northfield Mt. Hermon (MA); #8 Massanutten (VA); #9 IMG Academy (FL); #10 Fork Union (VA).
Save The Date
Putnam Rotarian Willie Bousquet, organizer of the Raymond Brousseau High School Senior Basketball Shootout, reminds readers to mark their calendars for the 2014 event. Sponsored by the Putnam Rotary Club the basketball game, featuring senior male and female players from high schools and prep schools throughout the region is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25 at Putnam High School. The girls’ contest is scheduled to tipoff at 6 p.m., followed by the boys’ game at 7:30.
This is the final time that local fans will have an opportunity to see their favorite players in action. The evening is fast paced, fun-filled and packed with action. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for senior citizens and students.
Working with Bousquet on the organizing committee are Club President Brad Favreau, Peter Benoit, Doug Valentine, Bob Halloran, Deb Hoft and Charlie Puffer.
Woodstock Matmen Fare Well
Woodstock Academy produced three wrestlers who medaled in the recent Eastern Connecticut Conference Wrestling Champions. In the 14 weight classes that were competed the Centaurs produced a pair of Silver medalists and a Bronze.
Senior Nick Listro took home a second place Silver in the 145 pound weight class, while fellow senior Nick Davis captured a pair of matches on the final day to take home a Bronze Medal in the Heavyweight class. Junior Graysen DeLuca took home a Silver Medal in the 152 pound weight class.
Good News from Quinnipiac
The former Marianapolis pair of senior Ike Azotam and junior Ousmane Drame combined for a 17-for-30 shooting performance from the floor to lead Quinnipiac University to its fifth straight win in the MAAC, a 74-64 victory over St. Peter’s on Senior Day. Azotam, who is coming to the end of his college career, had 16 points and 11 rebounds. It was his 41st career double-double, tying him with Jonte Rutty for the most in Quinnipiac history. His performance also pushed him over the 1500-points career mark.
Drame matched a career-high as he posted 23 points and grabbed 12 boards for his 10th double-double of the season.
From The Annals of Putnam Sports History…
November 1912: Putnam High School defeated Woodstock Academy in basketball 70-3, Woodstock making only three foul shots. (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)
RPC’s Closing thought For The Day: The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.
If you have sports items worthy of publication please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
..
captions:
Centaur from Another Era
Bruce Johnson, above left, today and front right, kneeling in the front row second from left, with the Woodstock Academy Centaurs, circa 1954. Courtesy photo.
By Ron P. Coderre
The Woodstock Academy basketball team, winner of the 2013 Class L Championship, has the people of Woodstock and surrounding communities talking. Names such as Ian and Adam Converse, Chris Lowry, John McGinn, Will Bourgeois and others are headliners. Despite their high-powered offense where anyone of these players can score more than 20 points on any given night, there’s a Woodstock story of a high-scoring Centaur that’s been totally forgotten in the Academy’s history.
During the years 1951 to 1955 Woodstock Academy produced a player by the name of Bruce Johnson who consistently scored 20 points and even 30-plus points on many occasions for the Centaurs. A sampling of the headlines in the scanty newspaper reports of the era often read “Johnson Sparks Woodstock to Win,” “Johnson Hits 39 in Woodstock Win,” “Johnson Fires 29 Markers For Beaten WA Array,” and “Johnson Sparks Woodstock Cagers.”
Regardless of the opponent, and there were some very good ones, Johnson had a knack of being Woodstock’s top scorer, the guy who scored the winning basket or the man on the charity stripe when the game was on the line. Johnson competed against some fabled local opponents such as Stafford Springs’ Art Andreoli, who went on to a great career at Holy Cross, Tourtellotte’s Ted Vriga, who was drafted out of high school by the Red Sox but was equally good on the basketball hardwood, and Putnam’s Paul Phaneuf, who went on to Springfield College.
Although the undated clippings are frayed and fading and in no particular order, it’s difficult to discern what year of his high school fou- year varsity career they’re from, they are impressive. A sampling of the games include Johnson scoring 26 in an overtime loss to Putnam, 34 in a big win against Plainfield, 29 and 39 in a romps over Putnam Tech, 30 against Lyman, another 30 point performance in a loss to Putnam, a pair of 29 point games in losses to Stafford Springs, a couple of 32 point games against Marianapolis, and 35 in a season opener against the Academy alumni.
All these high scoring performances came in an era long before the addition of the three-point circle. And at a time when most teams usually played 18 game seasons.
“I believe if I were in high school today I’d be very competitive. No question, the three-point shot would really have helped me. I wish we’d had the three-pointer back then,” said Johnson.
And if you think Johnson was a ball hog, think again. He was surrounded by the likes of Rollie Sheldon, who played basketball and baseball at Texas A&M and UConn and went on to a great baseball career with the New York Yankees. There were also very good athletes like Kenny Smith, Ken Sherman, Donald Walker, Dwight Norman, Glenn Peterson and David Ask. Though surrounded by these talented players, Johnson was the go-to guy.
When asked about what game he remembered most, it was difficult for Johnson to select a single contest. There was a 53-46 victory over Putnam in which he led Woodstock with 16 points and although it wasn’t his greatest offensive showing it was the first Woodstock win over the Clippers going back to the 1938-1939 season according to an article by columnist Al Todd.
Here’s the way Todd describes what happened, “Bruce Johnson hooked a pair for Woodstock, and Don Parkin dropped one in from the outside to insure the victory for the Blue and Gold. The Academy team carried their coach to the shower room, where he was introduced to the cold water. Woodstock became very excited following the game as victory had been long coming in their neighborly rivalry.”
During his years as a Centaur, Johnson played for coaches Walter Schmidt and Ed Craver. In September 1994, on the 40th anniversary of the team, Johnson received some clippings and miscellaneous material from coach Schmidt with the following note, “I thought you’d get pleasure out of some materials I had in my files. You can now spend the winter by the fireplace studying the data and indicating to your grandchildren that you were young and athletic at the same time.”
Some of the clippings indicate that at some points in his career he had accumulated 477 points in a season, while another notes 461 points. Whether these are two different seasons or not, it’s difficult to detect. Other clippings refer to Johnson averaging 27.3 points a game in an 18 game season.
Despite the lack of records, in the 20 games that were reviewed from newspaper clippings, Johnson tallied 520 points an average of 26 points per game. As a four-year varsity performer with the pace that he scored it’s possible he could be a 1000-point scorer for the Academy.
Johnson went on to the Boston Art Institute for four years and graduated with a degree in advertising and design. He enjoyed a career in art design as an art director in the Providence area. He’s been married to his second wife Sue for 40 years and has two adult children from his previous marriage. Johnson and his wife returned to Woodstock 10 years ago following his retirement. Today he enjoys hunting and skiing, though he admits it’s limited today.
Asked if he had any misgivings about not playing basketball competitively beyond his four years at Woodstock Academy he said, “I sometimes regret that no one ever pushed me to go and play in college. I think I could have easily played at some level.”
The records of the 1951-1955 Centaur basketball teams are probably lost in the Woodstock archives. One thing is certain, Bruce Johnson was one of the most prolific scorers in the more than 200 year history of the Academy. One question remains, “Is it possible that he was a 1000 point scorer?”
Those who remember Bruce Johnson will attest to his offensive scoring prowess in an era of what might be referred to as the “dead ball basketball era.” Another question that should be pondered seriously is, “Does Bruce Johnson merit admission in the Woodstock Academy Athletic Hall of Fame?”
...