The Woodstock Academy Centaurs boys’ ice hockey team spent last Friday’s practice working on one specific skill; causing havoc in front of the opponent’s net.
“Every drill we did, every connotation of anything was net front, net front, net front. We made the goalie’s life easy (last) Wednesday and we told the boys when you give a good goalie the ability to see the shot, he’s going to make the save every time,” said Woodstock Academy coach Kevin Bisson.
That’s what happened in a 3-0 loss to the East Haven/Old Lyme/Old Saybrook/East Hampton/Morgan/Valley Regional cooperative program on the road Dec. 19.
Bisson and the Centaurs were not about to let that happen against the Northeastern Shamrocks cooperative Dec. 22 at the Jahn Ice Rink in Pomfret.
The Centaurs corrected the flaw and posted a 3-1 victory.
“The biggest difference was the net front presence; our physicality in and around the net, being hungry in front of the net and clearing out in front of ours,” Bisson said.
Bisson said there was one instance that he thought was particularly noteworthy even though it didn’t result in a goal.
Jake Starr “dug his heels in on the edge of the crease,” according to Bisson, and Doug Newton took a shot on goal.
The Northeastern goalie, Derek Leshak, never saw it coming, but the puck hit him and failed to find the back of the net.
“The whole bench reacted to it to because they knew what the message was and what we were trying to achieve. The players on the bench were like ‘Wow, look at that, that’s what he’s talking about,’” Bisson said. “You actually saw the frustration boil over. The (Northeastern) goalie finally got tired of us being in and around his crease, he caused a little scrum, and took a penalty. It was just pure frustration. We made his life difficult all game and he, finally, had enough.”
The Centaurs (2-1) needed a bounce back after being shut out by East Haven keeper, Logan Hamilton, who made 39 saves against them.
Newton ended the scoreless streak early when he scored 5 minutes into the game against Northeastern.
“We talked before the game about how we started on Wednesday and how important it was to get the momentum and ride it, put them away early,” Bisson said.
Kyle Brennan took the initial shot which hit the goalie low in his pads and forced him to go down. Newton skated in, got the rebound, and flipped it into the net.
The junior celebrated his birthday in style as he also scored the second goal of the game for the Centaurs in the second period.
He and Sonny Nielsen broke through the Northeastern defense with a 2-on-1 opportunity. Newton took the pass from Nielsen, saw the opening and took the shot, again finding the back of the net with at the 2:29 mark of the period.
Austen LeDonne finished up the scoring for the Centaurs about four minutes later with a power-play goal.
The defense also played well as it yielded the Northeastern’s lone goal to Sean Power with only 3:40 left in the game.
“We were playing solid, keeping the shots at the perimeter, and (goalie) Dylan (Shea) was making the saves we needed him to make,” Bisson said.
The Centaurs, unlike some teams, will not get much of a break for Christmas.
Woodstock Academy plays at 5 p.m. Dec. 26 against the Redhawks cooperative at the Norwich Ice Rink.
The Centaurs come home Dec. 29 for a game against the Hall-Southington cooperative at 3 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Jahn Ice Rink.
The Dec. 29 game will be broadcast on both woodstockacademy.org/live and the Woodstock Academy Athletics Facebook page.
“One of the hardest things about the winter sports season is the way the breaks and holidays show up. A lot of programs start the season, take a break, and start the season again. In the spring and fall, they just go, no breaks. I actually like that we have these games and just keep going. The last thing I want to do is lose the excitement and momentum from Saturday. I just want to keep this thing rolling the way we got it,” Bisson said.
So far, in his first year at the helm, Bisson is happy.
“I have a team that I really want to shape and mold into what I want it to be. The first game wasn’t too bad. I think they got some false confidence with the overtime win. I let them know, after the fact, that it could have easily been a loss since we had to pull the goalie. Wednesday’s game, it felt like our style went away and on Saturday, we got it back,” the Woodstock Academy coach said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
The Woodstock Academy Centaurs boys’ basketball team had a chance to win its game against Ledyard Dec. 21 in regulation.
But a turnover resulted in four more minutes being placed on the clock and it was too much for the Centaurs who fell to the Colonels, 74-62, in overtime.
The loss dropped Woodstock Academy to 1-1 on the season.
The turnover came with about 20 seconds left in regulation and the score tied. The Centaurs had to stop the Colonels from scoring and were successful in doing so as Ledyard missed three shots.
But playing tenacious defense even for that short a period of time can wear on a team.
“We expended a lot of energy to get to overtime and it was on their court and they came out on fire in overtime, a really quick early run and we tried to extend the game by fouling,” said Centaurs coach Marty Hart.
Unfortunately for the Centaurs, the Colonels made 7-of-12 from the charity stripe in the extra period, outscored Woodstock Academy 18-4 in the four minutes, and posted the victory.
Senior Chase Anderson, for the second game in a row, had a big night.
He opened with a 33-point effort in a 70-62 win over Bacon Academy Dec. 18 and finished with 26 in the loss to the Colonels.
“He helps us out in a lot of different ways,” Hart said. “He’s taking his shot in rhythm instead of forcing it so it’s happening in the normal course of the offense. It’s fantastic. His scoring has been timely and even, but the bigger story is how much he is rebounding. It’s just amazing how many rebounds he is getting,” Hart said.
The senior had 16 boards in the win over the Bobcats and was in double digits again against Ledyard.
Part of the reason for that is that Hart is putting Anderson up front on defense in the three-spot for the most part although he has been put into the four and five spots this season.
The Centaurs needed Anderson more in the middle Dec. 21 as 6-foot-8 senior center Andrew Roy was not available for the game.
The game with the Colonels was close throughout.
Ledyard led, 12-10, after the first quarter and 23-21 at the half. It went into the final quarter with a six-point lead, 43-37, before the Centaurs tied it up.
Cole Hackett, who along with Luke Mathewson, added 10 points in the game, had six of those in the fourth quarter.
Woodstock Academy was helped by the return of Avery Beausoleil who was injured in a scrimmage and missed the opener.
“The reserves came in and did a nice job. We were able to press and mix up our defense and kind of use our depth, but they have some physicality which was difficult for us to overcome,” Hart said.
While their defense played well, the offense could have been better.
“We had a hard time shooting in Ledyard. From (beyond the 3-point arc), it seemed like we were two for a million, but it was well over 20. We didn’t shoot well, neither did Ledyard,” Hart said.
Hackett also added 10 in the win over Bacon Academy.
The victory was important for the Centaurs for a number of reasons including that it was the season opener, on the road and an Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II game.
The Centaurs were up-and-down against the Bobcats.
Woodstock Academy mustered only 13 points in the first quarter, but held Bacon to just seven points.
The two teams then both ignited in the second quarter.
Anderson scored 15 points, half the team’s total, as it outscored the Bobcats 30-25 to take the 43-32 lead into the break.
The rocky road continued in the third quarter where the Centaurs put up only five points, only to rally in the fourth with a 22-point effort.
Woodstock Academy now gets a holiday break.
The Centaurs don’t play again until their home opener at 2 p.m. Dec. 29 against Rockville in a non-league game.
“I think it’s good for us,” said Hart of the break. “It would feel better 2-0, but we will take the split. We’re going to give them a little rest. We only have five days off, an optional open gym and then two days of practice before Rockville. We will want to be back in the gym by then. The preseason was tough. We had to condition, get in shape, so the legs are a little beat up. Hopefully, they rest and stay healthy and once we get back to it, there are really no days off.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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By Shawn Bates
The Lady Clippers came out shooting against cross town rival Tourtellotte Dec. 21, with Kayleigh Lyons leading the way with 27 points. Putnam jumped out to a 13 to 1 lead in the first and controlled the tempo the whole game. Lauren Blackmar and Abby St. Martin both would ne 8 points for the Clippers and Ashley Morin tallied 5 points for the Tigers for the 57-18 Clinic.
Dec. 22 the Ladies once again came out with the W to claim the back-to-back championship in the Hometown Clipper Classic. Kayleigh Lyons would stay hot, netting 19 baskets and Abby St. Martin would record 10 more points for the Lady Clippers. Parish Hill would lead the first quarter 7-4, but Putnam would fire back a 21-point second quarter powered by Lyons hitting for 11 of her 19 points to go into the locker room leading 25 to 14. Then they came back out in the second half to outscore the Pirates 16 to 7 for the 41-21 victory. Morgan Blackmar would receive the All-Academic award for the ladies Lauren Blackmar and Abby St. Martin would both make the All-Tournament team. Kayleigh Lyons would take home the Outstanding Player Award for the Clippers.
Boys
Dec. 21 the Clippers would jump out to a first-half 23 to 18 lead on the Tigers and wouldn’t take their foot off the gas for the first round win 67 to 42 win over the Tourtellotte Tigers. Colby Livingston would lead the Clippers with 18 buckets and Ezaviar Key netted 11 and Tyion Harris had 12 points for the Clippers first win of the season. Anthony Ferraro would lead all Tigers with 12 points.
Dec. 22 with momentum from Friday night the Clippers would jump out to a 12 to 10 lead over the Windham Tech Tigers. But they would fall behind at halftime going in behind 22 to 28 in Tech‘s favor.
In the second half Putnam would press and score three quick baskets to get within striking distance but Abram Rosario would steal the show scoring 22 points scoring 12 of his team leading 22 points. William Ruiz would net 12 and Cole Paquin would score 10 to round out the top three scorers for Windham Tech. Tech would take home the championship with a 66-42 victory. Tyion Harris would score 14 for Putnam and Colby Livingston would add 10 points. Senior Michael DiColella would receive the all-academic award for Putnam. Tyion Harris and Colby Livingston would both make the All-Tournament Team.
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Matthew P. Benoit
DERRY, N.H. — Matthew P. Benoit, 43, of Olesen Rd, died Dec. 19, 2018, peacefully at home. He was the husband of Catherine (Quist) Benoit. Born in 1975 in Putnam, he was the son of Peter E. and Christine A. (Smalarz) Benoit.
Matthew was a graduate of UConn School of Business.
Mr. Benoit worked as a systems engineer for Green Pages Technology Solutions and was an avid lover of animals especially his many cats and dogs.
He leaves his wife, Catherine Benoit of Derry; parents, Peter E. and Christine A. Benoit of Putnam; a brother Scott M. Benoit (Beth) of N. Grosvenordale and their three children, and aunts, uncles, and cousins.
The Funeral was private. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Mary I. Hopkins
WOODSTOCK — Mary I. (Cunningham) Hopkins, 66, of Stonehill Rd., died Dec. 19, 2018, at home. She was the wife of Alan W. Hopkins. Born in 1952 in Boston, she was the daughter of the late John J. and Irene (Norris) Cunningham.
Mrs. Hopkins worked for more than 20 years as a graphic arts designer for Stevens Linen.
She was a member of Most Holy Trinity Church in Pomfret and enjoyed sewing, crocheting, and doing art work.
She leaves her husband; a son, Benjamin P. Hopkins of Thornton, Colo.; a daughter, Julie A. Hopkins of Woodstock; and a brother John T. Cunningham of Derry, N.H.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Jan. 5 in Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret Rd., Pomfret. Donations: American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Ronald H. Joly Sr.
BROOKLYN — Ronald H. Joly Sr., 72, of Brooklyn died Dec. 16, 2018 at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
He was born Jan. 12, 1946, son of the late Victor and Anita (Billington) Joly. He was the husband of Lynda (Dean) Joly for 40 years.
Ronald was a lifetime member of the Danielson Elks Lodge #1706. He was a co-founder of the Killingly/Brooklyn Midget Football Program. Ronald loved coaching for the NECONN Youth Soccer Program and his passion for coaching led the NECONN Hurricanes to several State Championships victories. He spent many years as a volunteer firefighter with the Danielson Fire Department. Ronald was a leader for the Cub Scouts and a Troop Leader for the Boy Scouts, Troop 44 in Brooklyn. He was an avid hunter and enjoyed fishing. Ronald also loved to go camping and to travel.
In addition to his wife Lynda, he leaves his children Maria Raszka (Scott) of Woodstock, Ronald Joly Jr. (Kathy) of Wentzville, Mo.; Wendy Goff (James) of Bradenton, Fla.; Patricia Washington (Glen) of Ellenton, Fla.; Michael Joly (Mary Ann Ponti) of Boston, and Kevin Joly of Bradenton; his brother Richard Joly of Plainfield; grandchildren David Raszka, Aaron Raszka, Aleisha Tutterow, Joshua Joly, Trinity Goff, Bellarae Goff, James Goff, Jr., Delia Goff, Victor Goff, Glen Washington Jr., Caleb Washington, Ramik Washington, Jaiden Washington, 11 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
Visitation is from 10 to 11 a.m. Dec. 29 with a Funeral Service to follow at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson. . Donations: American Red Cross, 209 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT 06032.
George Thompson Jr.
GROSVENORDALE — George S. Thompson Jr., 60, of Mason Terrace, died Dec. 23, 2018, at Day Kimball Hospital. Born in 1958 in Putnam, he was the son of the late George S. and Rena (Bonneville) Thompson. George was a graduate of the Putnam High School, Class of 1977.
Mr. Thompson worked for many years as a truck driver for M&M Transportation.
George enjoyed fantasy football and playing poker and scrabble.
He leaves son, George S. Thompson III (Chrissy) of Putnam; a daughter, Christina Rettig of Colchester; two brothers, Michael Thompson Sr. of E. Killingly and Bruce Thompson of Connellys Springs, N.C.; and three grandchildren Alishia, Alexis, and Autumn. He was predeceased by a brother David Thompson.
Funeral arrangements are private. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Tyler W. Nelson
PUTNAM — Tyler W. Nelson, 23, of Providence St., died unexpectedly Dec. 20, 2018. Born in 1995 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Gary Nelson and Brenda (Sutter) Hooper.
Tyler was employed as a line cook at Moe’s Southwest Grill Restaurant. Tyler was a truly positive person who always had on a smile. Tyler had a contagiously silly personality. He was a member of Rude Dog Boxing in Brooklyn, loved Rap music, fishing, and was an avid reader.
He leaves his brother Dwayne Hildreth of Rogers; two sisters, Cindy Dixon (David) of Putnam, Dawn Dubois of Sterling; two uncles, Bill Nelson of California, and Scott Sutter of Florida; five aunts Kathie Hess of Pomfret, Lori Giambattista of Brooklyn, Amy Chagnot of Brooklyn and Nancy Rollinson of Wisconsin; two nephews, Kyle Dixon, Ryan Dixon; two nieces, Brandy Dixon, Zoey Dubois; a great-nephew, Aiden Dixon, and a great-niece Reyia Dixon. Tyler was predeceased by his aunt Lynn Sutter.
Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 27 in Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 28 at Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret. Guests are invited to meet directly at the Church. Burial will take place in the Spring. Donations: Daily Bread, 53 Grove St., Putnam, CT 06260.
Patricia M. Scott
PUTNAM — Patricia Miller Scott, 86, made her peaceful transition Dec. 17, 2018, at Matulaitis Rehab and Skilled Care.
She was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, the only child of Carey Miller, DDS, and his wife, Edythe. She was a 1954 graduate of Moravian College for Women in Bethlehem, Penn., with a degree in English, and was active in the dramatic arts, performing in many plays at university and in summer stock on Cape Cod. In her early married life, she sang professionally and continued with her love of music throughout her entire adult life, participating with her husband in Albuquerque Civic Choir as well as other choral endeavors.
In all ways spiritually-minded, she was an active member in each church where her husband’s work took the family, First Congregational Church in Albuquerque, N.M., Easton Congregational Church in Easton, Abington Presbyterian Church in Abington, Penn., Greenwood Presbyterian Church in Warwick, Wilton Presbyterian Church in Wilton, and Jesse Lee Memorial Methodist Church in Ridgefield. She regularly participated in handbell and choral choirs, often performing solos. She participated in book study groups and was instrumental in developing a collection of varying resources for the Jesse Lee church library. Participating in performances of Handel’s Messiah was a holiday tradition. As a musical family, she and her husband Ian passed this life-long love of music on to their children. Of special significance, they all found it extraordinarily comforting that as she was leaving Matulaitis for the last time, the “Hallelujah Chorus” began to play through the speakers above.
Another natural gift of Patricia’s was in the realm of caretaking.
In addition to raising her family, she ran a home day care for almost 20 years providing a nurturing environment for the children of many working families.
She also provided varying levels of daily care to aging family members for many years. Her love and care of others was endless.
She leaves her husband of 62 years, Ian Macdonald Scott; four daughters, Keri S Patterson (Scott) of New Hampshire, Sue Scott Weber of Connecticut and grandson Donald A Weber Jr. of Connecticut, Alison Scott Cloutier (Paul) of Connecticut and his children Quinton and Victoria, Kimberly S Nadreau (David) of Rhode Island and his children Michael, Jonathon, and Jacob.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 5 at First Congregational Church of Woodstock.
Donations: Matulaitis Nursing Home, 10 Thurber Road, Putnam, CT 06260; or the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
James V. Misak Jr.
WILLIMANTIC — James V. Misak Jr., 63, died Dec. 18, 2018.
He was born in Willimantic, son of the late James Misak and Betty (Kelly) Misak and lived there all his life. Jim was a heavy equipment operator until he became disabled. His joys were working on cars and gardening.
He leaves a brother Jeff Misak of Putnam; a sister Jamie Slotnick of Burlington, Mass. He was predeceased by a brother, Jed Misak.
Services were private. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
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