On Saturday, Feb. 25, Masuk Boys Hockey faced North Branford for their senior night at the Shelton Rinks, and recognized seniors Austin Braiewa, Colin Deering, Alex May, AJ Michetti, Drew Scalia and Kyle Sutfin. With a score of 6-2, the Masuk Panthers took the victory, bringing their current record to 17-1-2.
In the first period, Masuk was able to put three goals in the back of the net, leaving North Branford fighting for a comeback.
At 1:48, Junior Nick Kondub scored with an assist by senior Drew Scalia. While North Branford attempted to find their way into the goal, Masuk’s goalie, freshman Maddex LaFontaine made consecutive saves.
With no points on the board for North Branford, the Panthers found twine, with Scalia scoring unassisted with 8:25 left in the first. Senior AJ Michetti, assisted by senior Colin Deering, widened the lead, scoring the third goal at 15:32.
With three goals in the first period, the Panthers kept their foot on the gas and scored another three in the second. Senior Kyle Sutfin assisted by senior Alex May was the first to find the back of the net, at 3:55. Then came Scalia again, scoring his second goal of the game at 6:33, unassisted and with ease. Along with these two Panther goals, North Branford was able to stick their first goal at 8:10, bringing the score to 5-1.
The sixth Masuk goal of the game caused a showdown on the ice. Michetti scored, which sparked a full-blown fight between North Branford and Masuk, starting when number #5 on N. Branford shoved senior Michetti to the ground.
“I mean you can’t do anything about it,” said senior captain Scalia referring to the rough play by North Branford, “They’re gonna do it, they’re gonna try and get under our skin but you just got to stay out of our heads and keep going.”
“They did very well keeping their composure and did not let their emotions get the best of them,” agreed Mr. Townsend.
In the third period, North Branford scored their second goal at 9:36, bringing the score to 6-2, concluding all scoring of the game.
Coach Andrew Townsend was extremely proud of his team tonight, stating “I thought they worked very well today. They could maybe make a couple more passes instead of just trying to shoot themselves, but overall really good.”
The crowd also did not disappoint, as the student section and the parents decorated “The Barn” with decorations and fatheads of the senior players.
“It was great, they went all out and it was just a great environment to be around,” said Scalia, “it’s just awesome.”
“I thought today’s crowd was tremendous, they gave the seniors a lot of support, they’ve been great all year, and we’re gonna need them come playoff time,” said Coach Townsend.
After continuing their win streak tonight, the boys are hosting SWC round one next Wednesday against Shepaug.
Masuk Free Press 