Non-stop hustle on both ends of the ice and a keen awareness of how to handle the puck are typical hallmarks of a strong hockey squad. The Guilford boys’ ice hockey team is adhering to these principles in hopes of bringing home some championship trophies this season.

Head Coach Ralph Russo and the Indians entered last week with momentum after posting a 5-1 win over rival Hand on the Tigers’ Senior Night on Feb. 11. This past week, Guilford recorded a 9-2 rout of Trinity Catholic on Feb. 13 and then improved to 14-3 following a 6-2 victory over North Haven two days later. Russo said that quality play on defense has played a huge part in his team’s success this winter, but knows that there’s always room for improvement, and is looking for the Indians to hit their stride as the postseason approaches.

“We have an athletic team that skates up and down the ice. [Senior goalie Kyle Dwyer] has a lot of experience and has played in every game since his sophomore year. Joe Neleber and Tom Cattaneo are experienced defensemen, plus Cam Bagnall and Jack Kane are good puck handlers. Cam is agile and a good utility player, along with EJ Vickerman. James Petritz is playing much better as a fifth defenseman,” Coach Russo said. “We have a good combination of things on defense with moving the puck well, working hard, and playing smart. I’d like for us to improve on team defense. The losses we’ve experienced this year should remind us of how to play good defense because those teams are the same quality ones we’ll see in the playoffs.”

Against Trinity Catholic, Rick Sandella had a monster game by netting four goals for the Indians. Guilford’s other goals came from sophomore John Delucia, Vickerman, sophomore Jack Ring, Petritz, and Kane. Dwyer made 12 saves and freshman Kieran Dall had four as Guilford doubled up the opposition’s shots on goal, 36-18. Ring (3), Delucia (3), Bagnall (2), Sandella (2), Cattaneo, and junior Lucas Napolitano all contributed assists in the 9-2 victory.

For the North Haven win, Ring netted a hat trick for Guilford, while Sandella, Delucia, and sophomore also Jake Watrous scored goals. Delucia (3), Sandella (2), Ring, Bagnall, and Dacey had the Indians’ assists. Dwyer made 22 saves and Dall added eight. Ring also recorded a hat trick versus Hand in the previous week’s action.

Along with complimenting his club’s stout defense, Coach Russo praised Guilford’s special teams play in its matchup versus Hand. The Indians thwarted a few solid power play opportunities from the Tigers on their way to the win.

“Kyle had a nice performance. He stopped the shots he had to stop and was sharp. We got a big performance from Jack Ring. Overall, we had good team effort and energy throughout the game,” Russo said. “We did a nice job on the penalty kill in fighting off their power plays. John Delucia started the game with a nice goal, a big first goal in a rivalry game. Hand was dangerous with trying to stretch out the ice, but we held strong on the penalty kills.”

Not to be outdone, the Indians’ offense has provided plenty of sparks this winter behind the prolific first line of senior Sandella, who has 15 goals with 30 assists and reached the 100-point milestone for his career against North Haven; along with sophomore Delucia, who has 21 goals and 24 assists and hit 100 career points against Trinity Catholic; plus fellow sophomore Jack Ring, who has 24 goals with 24 assists. The Indians’ second line features sophomore Watrous (5 goals, 7 assists), freshman Jack Dacey (4 goals, 5 assists), and senior Austin Booth. Guilford also has an up-and-coming third line on which junior Napolitano and sophomores Mike Letourneau, Xander Mason-Mann, and Greg Litvyn all see time.

“Rick, John, and Jack had an instant chemistry right from the beginning of the year. They’ve had very few goals that didn’t happen without passes from the other two. They have the ability and control play. It’s fun to watch,” said Coach Russo. “Our second line has been steady for us. Jake is starting to develop as a forward with Jack Dacey and Austin. They have good athleticism on the ice. Jack isn’t afraid to compete with anyone. Jake is a crafty player and elusive skater that works hard with his face-offs. EJ Vickerman also subbed for Austin and he’s a good skater as a freshman. He’s learning the game and will be a nice player. The third line hasn’t played as much as the others, but they are working hard in practice. It’s nice to have reserves that are eager to get in a game.”

Another characteristic of a championship-caliber team is the ability to learn from defeats. Fortunately for the Indians, they’ve only seen three losses this year, but have learned lessons from each one of them.

“Against Watertown-Pomperaug, we learned that close games can go either way. We had plenty of offensive opportunities, yet we didn’t come out well, and fell behind 2-0 before we tied it. The winning goal was scored off a deflection from a shot at the blue line, so the bounce of a puck can decide a game. We learned we have to be smart and work hard every minute,” said Russo. “Against East Haven, that loss taught us about being smart with the puck in our own zone. We tried to make long passes through the zone. Against Westfield, Massachusetts, we found out we had to play intensely and play our positions the whole game. Versus very good goaltenders, we can’t look for the perfect pass and just have to try to get it into the net.”

Now in the home stretch of the regular season, the Indians are aiming to sharpen their skills heading into March by continuing to do the things they’ve been doing well all year, while also working diligently to eliminate the negatives.

“They just need to keep working hard and having fun. They are having a nice year this season. This time of the year is special for the seniors because they realize their time as a player is ending, so you want to play your best for them,” said Coach Russo. “We want to play well down the stretch and set a precedent of goals for the other classes going forward. We have to do the things that have been working well and also be mindful of turnovers, puck control, team defense, and being aggressive on offense.”

From the Sidelines

Guilford’s defensemen have posted their fair share of points this season. Junior Neleber has five goals with four assists, sophomore Cam Bagnall has four goals and seven assists, and freshman Jack Kane has scored three goals and handed out five assists.

Guilford has averaged 5.93 goals a game in its 14 victories this year.

Guilford currently sits in the No. 2 spot in thee SWC/SCC Division II standings at 8-2. The top four squads qualify for the conference tournament. The semifinals are on Thursday, March 2 and the final takes place on Saturday, March 4 with both at West Haven’s Bennett Rink. The Indians are also second in the Division II State Tournament rankings. That tourney begins on Tuesday, March 7 with the top 16 teams participating.