Roundup
Centaur girls off to 5-0 start

The third quarter has been the friend of the Woodstock Academy girls’ basketball team the past two games.
The Centaurs trailed at halftime in both of their games — against Waterford early in the week and on Friday against East Lyme. But in both of those instances, Woodstock rallied to win as it posted a 47-36 victory over the Lancers and followed that up with a 49-35 decision over the Vikings.
The Centaurs are now 5-0 overall and 1-0 in Div. I of the ECC.
“Headed into the New Year undefeated is unbelievable to a degree because of our competition. These have all, with the exception of one, been league games. That’s why I say unbelievable but it’s a great spot to be in,” said coach Will Fleeton.
A couple of players provided the third quarter spark necessary in the two wins. On Friday against East Lyme, it was junior guard Kaylee Saucier who stepped up.
The Centaurs led, 10-6, after the first quarter but encountered some second quarter difficulty as the Vikings went on a 17-6 run to take the halftime lead.
But Saucier came out of the locker room and poured in 11 of her team-high 23 points to help the Centaurs regain the advantage. The defense also stepped up as it held East Lyme to just four third-quarter points.
“We definitely focus on defense because we always say defense translates to offense. We want to run in transition and the only way to do that is to play defense. That’s especially true with our lineup because we’re pretty small. I have to guard bigs but we just have to work hard and know that our teammates have got our backs,” Saucier said.
Elise Coyle added nine points in the win while Vivian Bibeau added six points and six steals.
The Centaurs were in a very similar position earlier in the week.
The Lancers rallied from a 15-12 deficit to take a 23-18 halftime lead.
It was the first game the Centaurs had played in 10 days as they had the entire holiday week off.
“The 10 days might have been a factor but I think the bigger thing is that no one in the ECC is a slouch. Every game out is a battle. Waterford came to play and we were a little lethargic to start. The time off may have been a part of that. I just felt like we were rushing up shots that they were forcing us to take, so (Waterford) had a lot to do with it,” Fleeton said.
The Centaurs, as Saucier aptly pointed out, are also not large and the Lancers do have a solid frontcourt with Lucy Walker, Jennie Macca-Barnes and Serafina Weymouth occupying a lot of space.
Walker and Weymouth also finished with 12 points apiece.
“They’re tough inside,” Fleeton said. “They have three big, strong girls to deal with. They are all a threat. We had to focus to deal with that because we were a lot smaller and that was the key. We played small ball in the third quarter and we were able to hold our own in rebounding and our quickness made the difference on the offensive end.”
After Waterford scored the first basket of the third quarter, it wouldn’t get another until just 35 seconds were left in the eight minutes between, the Centaurs reeled off 21 straight points including six in a 2 ½ minute span by Coyle who finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals.
“The sixth man is really important and she comes up from junior varsity last year, is very quick, very talented, knows the game, is friends with all of us so we already have chemistry. She is going to be a huge help,” Saucier said of the sophomore.
Coyle does come off the bench but that’s a strategy Fleeton likes to employ.
“That’s the role that we put her in. I’ve always liked that high-caliber sixth man, that’s who I am and through all of the years that I have been around, I feel it’s a go-to for me to have a kid that could easily start, be able to come in and bring some type of energy. Elise fits that bill. She is going to give us something whether it’s rebounding, or we get quicker defensively, or out in transition better. She brings a lot and as long as she injects herself into the game, we’re going to be a better team,” Fleeton said.
Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain led the Centaurs in scoring with 14 points while Saucier added 13, both Saucier and Bibeau added three assists.

Girls’ Hockey
Most in the rink thought it was over.
With 1 minute, 2 seconds left in regulation, Woodstock co-op center Zi Qing Biondo took a pass from Ireland Wilford and from about 20 feet away, zipped one into the back of the net to give the Centaurs a one-goal advantage.
“I thought it was over,” said coach Eric Roy. “But they had a good rush at the end, poking sticks, and that’s what happens. There was a lot of traffic in front of the net and we didn’t have a way to clear the traffic jam.”
The Cardinals used that traffic to their advantage to not only get the game-tying goal but also the game winner in overtime to record the 4-3 win over the Centaurs.
“It was a good hockey game, competitive the whole way, just didn’t finish our way at the end,” Roy said.
Sophomore Sasha Yeterian was the Woodstock nemesis as she found herself in the right place at the right time not once but twice for Greenwich.
With just five seconds left in regulation, senior captain Aubrey Roth took the puck off the boards behind the net and back-handed a pass to Yeterian right in front, there was nothing that Centaurs goalie Gen Nash could do as Yeterian re-directed the puck into the net to send the game into an eight-minute, sudden death overtime.
Two and a half minutes into the extra period, a face off to the right side of Nash resulted in a crowd in front of the net where the Woodstock goalie rejected one shot but the rebound found its way to Yeterian’s stick and she poked it in from the side for the game winner.
Despite Greenwich making the lengthy two hour-plus ride up from almost New York City, it was the Cardinals who owned the 2-0 first period advantage.
Roth scored the first goal for Greenwich (3-5) with 6:33 left in the first period and 2 ½ minutes later, Lily Bittman made it a 2-0 lead for the visitors.
There was a reason for the early troubles.
Just before the contest, Roy found that he had a couple of scratches from the lineup due to health issues which meant he had to shuffle his lineup.
Ellary Sampson and Mia Auger had to be shifted to the back line to help shore up the defense which hurt the offensive flow.
But the Centaurs found it in the second period when Auger scored her second goal of the season from the point on a power play with 6:29 left in the period.
“We’re a pressure team and we started to put the pressure on in that first power play and it kept coming. If we’re going on full cylinders, we’re going to be in your face and tough to get around,” Roy said.
Biondo followed with an unassisted goal with 2:40 left to play in the second, her two goals in the game gave her four on the year.
The Centaurs recently moved the sophomore to the center position.
The Centaurs dominated the third period, taking nine shots before the Cardinals got their first but could not find the back of the net until the final minute.
The loss dropped the Centaurs to 4-3 on the season.
“We’re going to spin this as a positive. We fought. We were down 2-0, down bodies, everything was against us but we still battled hard,” Roy said.

Gymnastics
Woodstock coach Kasey Tocchio had an inkling that the new entry into the ECC Conference this season, the Ledyard/Waterford/St. Bernard Co-Op was going to be something that the Centaurs would have to contend with.
The two met for a first time on Saturday at Deary’s Gymnastics in Danielson with the Colonels coming out on top, 142.15 – 135.25.
The Centaurs did improve to 3-1 overall and in the Eastern Connecticut Conference with a 135.25- 125.5 win over Stonington.
Woodstock senior Olivia Aleman posted a second individually in the All-Around competition with a 36.8 total. Aleman was first overall in the vault (9.6) and floor (9.4) and third in bars (9.2).
“It’s awesome to have her back and healthy; she is such a great competitor,” Tocchio said of Aleman who missed the majority of last season due to injury. “Knowing that she is at the end of our lineup as someone we can count on is amazing.”
Aleman trailed only Ellis Tech senior Jordyn Murray (37.25) in the All-Around on Saturday.
She was battling a bit of a cold the weekend before when the Centaurs matched up against Norwich Free Academy and scored a 136.55-132.8 win over the Wildcats.
Despite being a little under the weather, Aleman posted a 37.6 All-Around score for a first-place finish against the Wildcats.
The seniors finished with a 9.5 score in both the vault and bars, a 9.4 on beam and a 9.2 in the floor exercise.
“I didn’t do my best but still putting up that score was pretty good,” Aleman said. “I’m just so happy to be back especially for my senior year. I’m just really glad to be out on the floor with everyone competing this year.”
Tocchio is hopeful that Aleman will be able to hit a 38 score this year and the key to that happening is just staying healthy.
“Skill-wise she has come such a long way from being injured last year. It’s just keeping her healthy and doing everything that she is doing right now,” Tocchio said.
The Centaurs also got a second-place finish from Anyah Oatley who totaled a 34.7.
Tocchio agreed about Oatley and added there is still a little work to be done with the freshman.
“She has so much talent to work with, it’s just building her confidence and get her to know that she is as good as she is. When she learns that, I think she will be awesome this year,” Tocchio said.
Emma Long added some good scores to the proceedings as she posted an 8.65 vault, an 8.7 beam routine and an 8.1 floor exercise against NFA.
“It’s been a great start,” Tocchio said as the win against the Wildcats came on the heels of a win over Killingly the week before. “There were some little hiccups but not everyone is feeling great with coughs and everything. We just have to stay healthy in that sense.”

Boys’ Basketball
The holidays have come and gone and Santa Claus did not put a win in the stockings of the Woodstock boys’ basketball team.
The Centaurs saw their record dip to 0-5 overall and 0-1 in Div. II of the ECC after a loss to Killingly, 75-51, on Friday.
“We need a win,” said coach Donte Adams. “I feel like, with this team, once we get a win on the board, we will be fine and will go from there. The hardest part is to get one. I’m not letting up on these guys. I’m bringing my all every day to practice, get them ready for games, prepare for the moment. As soon as we get one, get that monkey off the back, we will be ready to go from there.”
The Centaurs opened last week with their best opportunity for a win to date, traveling to Coventry losing a heartbreaker to the Patriots, 42-39.
It wasn’t a good start for the Centaurs who trailed Coventry, 9-2, just five minutes into the contest and 17-6 early in the second quarter. But things gradually got better. Thanks to seven second-quarter points from center Brady Ericson and five from forward Cam Nason, the Centaurs rallied to close within four, 22-18, by the half.
It was even nicer in the third quarter where Woodstock outscored its hosts, 15-2, to take a 33-24 lead into the fourth.
But the Patriots unleashed some full-court pressure which bothered the Centaurs in the final eight minutes.
“We had problems breaking the press down the stretch. I feel like we panicked in the moment. If we had taken our time, like we did throughout the game to that point, we would have been fine but we let them speed us up and created some turnovers that really hurt us,” Adams said.
Coventry got back to within four in the first four minutes of the final quarter, were down by two with 1:33 left and took the lead- in the closing minute for the win.
Ericson led the Centaurs with 18 points while Nason, coming off a finger injury, added 14.
“Cam started for us at the beginning of the season and was a great addition for us after missing a few games. He’s a competitor and that nature and what he could bring to this team showed (against Coventry),” Adams said.
Unfortunately, only three other players had points in the loss.
Killingly came out strong against the Centaurs early on Friday as Ioannis Kazantzis scored 10 of his game-high 24 points in the first quarter to propel Killingly to the 19-10 lead on its home floor.
That lead extended to 38-25 at the half and the Centaurs could not catch up.
Ericson and Lucas Quercia both scored 12 points to lead Woodstock while Quin Crowley added 19 for Killingly in the win and Ashton Goodwin chipped in with 17.
There was some good news over the holiday break for the Centaurs boys’ basketball program as it hosted its annual holiday youth basketball clinic on the weekend between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Some 40 fourth-to-eighth graders were in attendance to receive instruction from Woodstock coaches and players.
“It was great and good for the community. I am all about kids, all about the young generation, and I want my guys in the basketball program to see that – it’s about the next generation. I always tell them, don’t be selfish, be selfless, and it was great to see them interacting with the kids and the kids having smiles on their faces,” Adams said.

Indoor Track
The Woodstock indoor track teams took advantage of the time between the holidays to get in some training work.
The Centaurs took part in a second ECC developmental meet designed to give athletes a chance to not only improve on their performances but to also qualify for league and state competitions come February.
Senior Juliet Allard picked up a first-place finish in the high hurdles. Allard paced the field in 9.17 seconds while Emma Weitknecht was third.
Kira Greene won the 1000m in 3 minutes, 33 seconds and Lilly Morgis was first in the weight throw (31-feet, 6-inches) and second in the shotput.
The 4x800m relay team of Olivia Tracy, Greene, Nova Almquist and Bella Amlaw brought home a second-place finish.
On the boys’ side, Christian Menounos, Colton Sallum, Sam Greene and Bronson Eddy comprised the boys’ 4x800m team that produced a first-place finish. That quartet also qualified for states in the event as did Sallum individually in the 600m which he placed first in 1 minute, 30 seconds.
Greene was second and Lucas Hecker third in the 1600m while Chandler Folkerts was third in the weight throw; Owen Williamson was third in the hurdles and the boys 4x400m team of Hecker, Sallum, Menounos and Collin Teal also brought home a third-place finish and qualified for state competition.

Boys’ Hockey
The boys’ hockey team knew that this season would be a challenge. It had lost all but three goals from last year to graduation or transfer. It had lost its starting defense. Nothing was going to come easy. So far, that has been the case.
It was not an enjoyable weekend following the New Year’s holiday as the Centaurs lost to Smithfield, R.I., on the road on Friday, 8-2. Before that even became a memory, the Centaurs were back on the ice on Saturday at noon and suffered another tough, 6-1, loss to Greenwich.
The two losses dropped the Centaurs to 1-4 on the season.
“We knew we had lost a lot of talent, a lot of skill and (Saturday) we lose Carlos (Rodriguez Camacho) two or three shifts into the game to an injury he sustained (Friday),” said coach Mark Smolak.
It reduced the Centaurs to a dump the puck into the zone, chase it and hope something good happens, type of club. It didn’t.
“We’re not willing to skate harder in the offensive zone to generate offensive opportunities, which means a lot of our offense is one and done. That’s if we get into the zone. We’re turning the puck over at the red line, turning it over at the blue line, and that causes more stress on our defense to play in our own end,” Smolak added.
As has been the case for much of the season, the Centaurs opened the 1-0 lead when Cameron Perrault came streaking in down the left side of the ice and powered an unassisted goal past Greenwich goalie Luka Priatka 9 minutes and 10 seconds into the contest.
“We lost the faceoff but Perrault got on his horse, got up to the point man, poke checked it free and created a 2-on-1. It’s getting to that point as quick as you can, but doing so without giving up a spot in the middle of the ice,” Smolak said.
The momentum, unfortunately, did not last long.
The Cardinals (2-2-1) got the equalizer on a goal by Teddy Johnson just 25 seconds later.
The warning signs, however, were even more apparent.
Greenwich took 16 shots to the Centaurs four in the first period.
They outshot the Centaurs, 35-2, in the second.
Three of those, one each by Hayden Odelfelt, John Oliver and Theo Foles, found the back of the net.
“Three on the board, that’s tough to swallow especially when two of them were bad angle shots that weren’t in position but just dribbled through. It’s kind of a mental thing that we have battled all year to stay in the zone for a full game – we’re not doing that,” Smolak said. “(Greenwich) executed and are doing what we’re asking our boys to do.”
The Cardinals added two more third period goals to make the two-hour plus bus ride home much more enjoyable.
The Centaurs scored the first goal against Smithfield as well over the state line.
Just 7:08 into the game, Jayden Fuller passed the puck to Seamus Coleman who converted to give Woodstock the early advantage.
Smithfield, however, scored two goals before the end of the first period and added two more to take a 4-1 lead before the Centaurs answered.
Sam Desmond took a pass from Rodriguez Camacho to cut the deficit to two early in the second period.
Smithfield added another before the end of the period for a 5-2 lead and added three unanswered goals in the third for the one-sided win.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

captions:

2024 Gymnastics Emma Long:  Emma Long performs her floor exercise against Norwich Free Academy. The junior finished with an 8.1 score for the Centaurs in the win over the Wildcats.

2024 gymnastics Olivia Aleman beam: Senior Olivia Aleman is healthy and Woodstock Academy is happy. She finished with a 9.4 performance in her beam routine against NFA at Deary’s Gymnastics.

2024 girls’ basketball Kaylee Saucier 1: Woodstock Academy junior Kaylee Saucier negotiates her way around Waterford guard Breanna McNeil last week in a 47-36 win for the Centaurs at the Alumni Fieldhouse.

 2024 boys’ basketball: Woodstock Academy junior guard Caleb Simoneau takes on East Lyme’s Michael Timpano (1) in a game won by the Vikings on the Centaurs home floor.

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