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Ines Goryanova. Photo by Trent Peters.



Ines Goryanova doesn’t typically get nervous before games. She didn’t think Friday’s season-opener for the Putnam Science Academy girls’ Prep Black team was any different.
“But a lot of people were telling me I looked like I was,” said Goryanova, a first-year player at PSA who hails from London. “Maybe there were some nerves but I thought things went all right.”
That they did. Goryanova led the Mustangs to an 84-47 thumping of CCRI, finishing with a team-high 17 points plus four assists and seven steals. Her first bucket came after her first steal, deep in the backcourt, a lefty layup right around three minutes in. And it set the defensive tone for PSA, which harassed and pressured CCRI into turnovers, contested shots, and bad shots.
“I think it’s because on defense we’re a loud and energetic team and communication helps,” Goryanova said. “We’re just a strong team on defense. We like getting stops and steals and then running the floor. Defense is one of our biggest strengths for sure.
“As a team for our first game, we played well. There are obviously things that we need to sort out, like boxing out and rebounding, but for our first game, I thought we did really well. We ran well, we took shots we normally shoot, we defended. Overall, I thought it was good.”
Goryanova is a player whom PSA coach Devin Hill was excited to land a commitment from over the summer. As a member of the Class of 2024, Hill can build some culture and consistency with her for two more seasons beyond this one. And she is someone who has plenty of experience playing in high-pressure games. In fact, she led her British national U16 team to a national championship in February 2020 at the age of 14, a memory that is forever burned into her memory. The experience is something that can help her at PSA as well, particularly in terms of playing styles.
“Just playing with a lot of different people and meeting people at camps, it just helps you understand that everyone has a different playing style,” she said. “And learning to play with those different styles just makes you such a better player. For me, it was just developing new skills. So here at PSA, when we’re on the fast break, I know Janeya Grant) is a shooter, I know she’s going to be in the corner, so if I can drive it in a few more meters, and kick it to her, I know she’s there.”
Goryanova was one of, if not the best player on the team throughout the preseason, then carried it into Game 1. She could also end up being the team’s leading scorer this year with her well-rounded offensive game. Goryanova knocked down three 3-pointers, hit a couple of free throws, and then scored on drives and mid-range jumpers Friday. PSA was in control of CCRI throughout, leading 51-28 at halftime. Any time CCRI made a little run to get itself back in the game, Goryanova, Genevive Wedemeyer, Paris Kirk and others were there to answer back with a larger run of their own to balloon the lead some more.
Grant and Kirk both finished with 13 points, while Wedemeyer added 10 points and four steals. The Mustangs next game is November 11 against Vision Academy.
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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Woodstock Academy coach Dennis Snelling and his girls’ soccer team had one goal in their match against Killingly Oct. 30 — don’t get eliminated. The Centaurs had to either defeat or tie Killingly to qualify for postseason play. They tied at 2-2.
 “It’s hard to play for a tie so you play to win and take a tie as a result,” Snelling said.
Woodstock (5-8-3) did not qualify for the ECC tournament but will play in the Class L state tournament which could begin for the Centaurs as early Nov. 6.
The Centaurs were the aggressors early. They took 10 shots at Killingly keeper Aryn Nisbet in the first 40 minutes of play while Killingly was only able to get one shot off in the direction of the Woodstock net.
The Centaurs finally found the net 10 minutes into the second half when freshman Juliet Allard scored her eighth goal of the season.
Nisbet came out to a get a ball but could not hold on to its slippery surface and when it popped loose, Allard saw her opportunity and popped it into the net.
Killingly, however, wasn’t about to go quietly. Mikala Dube tied the match when she took a corner from Illyana Malarkey and re-directed it into the Woodstock net just 3 minutes, 20 seconds after the Allard tally.
Gelhaus had been peppering the net all night. The junior would finish with 10 shots at Nisbet but only one found its way through with 21:24 left in regulation as the Centaurs were awarded a free kick to the right of the net from just outside the area.
Gelhaus sailed it in, over the top of a leaping Nisbet, just under the crossbar and it settled just inside the far post for her 12th goal of the season to put Woodstock on top, 2-1. Unfortunately, there was still a half of soccer and more still to play.
Killingly (8-6-2) tied the match again when Casey Beauregard tallied with 19:59 to play in regulation. Killingly had a couple of shots in the first 10-minute overtime and the Centaurs had a couple in the second including a hard shot off the crossbar by Gelhaus. But the extra-long match ended in a tie and, the Centaurs have, at least, one more game to play.
Earlier in the week the team was tested when they went down to the E. Lyme Vikings, 6-0. It was the final ECC Div. I match of the season for the Centaurs who finished 2-3-1 in the division. The two held each other scoreless for the first 37 minutes, but the momentum swung in the Vikings (13-2, 6-0) favor when they scored two goals in the final three minutes of the first half. E. Lyme then chipped away in the second half, getting four goals, including two in the final four minutes to account for the final.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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Ellen M. Ashton
PUTNAM — Ellen M. Ashton, 72, of Putnam, entered into eternal rest Oct. 17, 2021, at Bickford Healthcare. She was born Feb. 7, 1949, in Webster, daughter of the late Thomas Sterczala and Gladys Ashton. She changed her last name to Ashton in 1993.
She was a graduate of Bartlett High School, Class of 1967 and was captain of her softball team.
Ellen attended Atlantic Union College for a year, and later graduated cum laude from Worcester State College with a degree in elementary education in 1979.
She later attended David Hale Fanning Trade School as a nursing student and graduated in 1988.
Ellen was employed as a Licensed Practical Nurse for more than 26 years at Webster Manor and Webster House nursing homes.
 In her free time, she enjoyed activities at the local senior center and YMCA, watching the Hallmark channel, and spending time with her canine and feline companions.
She also loved traveling and made trips to Florida, Washington, D.C.; Lancaster, Penn.; South Korea, Ireland, the British Isles, and the Caribbean.
Ellen was a faithful member of Quinebaug Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
She leaves two daughters, Christine Ashton and Deborah Wiik (David), all of Putnam; her brothers, James Maynard of Sturbridge, Mass., and William Sterczala of Worcester; and her nephew and four nieces. In addition to her parents, Ellen was predeceased by her brothers, Thomas Sterczala and Arthur Maynard, and her sister, Charlotte Sterczala. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away—Revelation 21:4. Services will be private, at the convenience of the family. Windsor Locks Funeral Home.

George R. Axtell
N. GROSVENORDALE — George Axtell, 74, of North Grosvenordale, died Oct. 23, 2021, in Hartford Hospital. Born in 1947 in New London, he was the husband of Joan (Worrell) Axtell. George previously worked at Kaman Aerospace and Laframboise Well Drilling. He loved watching the Red Sox and camping in New Hampshire.  He was always on the go and enjoyed visiting friends and family, offering laughs and support. He had a great sense of humor.
He leaves two sons, Phillip (Amber)Axtell of Thompson and George (Tracy) Axtell of Webster; his two daughters, Lena (Gary) Fredericks of Dayville and Annie (Toby) Ciukaj of N. Grosvenordale; three siblings, Jerry, Jim, and Rita; and 14 grandchildren, George, Ryan, Evan, Dylan, Mathew, Sybella, Amya, Jase, Ophelia, Margaret, Louis, Bennett, Liliana, and Henry; and his dog, Charlie. George is predeceased by his sister, Joanne. The Funeral Service was Oct. 29 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church Street, Putnam.

Jason J. Becker
PUTNAM — Jason Becker, 21, an avid animal lover and life-long resident of Putnam, died Oct. 28, 2021, at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester. Jason was born Oct. 12, 2000, in Putnam and was a lifelong area resident. A student at the Putnam Public School system, Jason graduated third of his class in 2018. After graduation he was accepted into UConn Storrs to study computer science where he completed one year before switching over to Quinebaug Valley Community College due to the pandemic. He loved math, science, and physics, pretty much anything with numbers and a complex problem.  Jason was an animal lover and always prioritized his pets over his love of video games. Jason aspired to a profession in the IT industry focusing on Network Administration and was always interested in how the internet worked.
He leaves his parents, Michael and Gloria (Roman) Becker; his brothers Danilo Rodriguez and Shaun Becker; his sister Laura (Rodriguez) Caouette; his mémère Frances Becker; his aunts Kathy Becker, and Sandy (Becker) Ouellette; and nieces Emmy and Mia. Jason also leaves behind his two faithful companions who he raised and cared for: guinea pig, Venus, and Chihuahua, Nova.
Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at Gillman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: S.P.C.A of Connecticut, 359 Spring Hill Rd., Monroe, CT 06468.

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