With a new head coach on the bench in its first year as a co-op program, the Hand-Coginchaug-Old Lyme (HCOL) girls’ ice hockey squad has been going through a big transition this winter. Even with so many new faces in the program, the Tigers’ athletes have meshed quite nicely to help the team secure a pair of postseason berths.

HCOL recently completed its regular season with a record of 10-9-1 after dropping a pair of close contests last week. The Tigers took a 5-3 loss to Amity-North Haven-Cheshire (ANHC) on Feb. 13 and then dropped a 2-1 overtime decision against Simsbury on Feb. 16.

The Tigers now prepare for the SCC South Division Tournament, which begins on Monday, Feb. 19, when No. 6 seed HCOL will again face No. 3 ANHC in the first round at The Rinks at Shelton at 5 p.m. The winner travels to No. 2 seed Hamden in the semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 21, and the final takes place at Bennett Rink in West Haven at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Coach Lilley said there was an adjustment period for his team this season, but he feels that the Tigers have played some quality hockey since pushing past that point.

“They had to get to know me at first, but I could tell they were a close-knit group...No one person ever blames someone else for a loss. They keep looking how to get better,” said Lilley. “They jell so well that I can put anyone on any line. I am a big fan of the mental game, so I like to see how they react to different situations and how they do with their backs against the wall.”

The Tigers feature senior captains at both ends of the ice this season. The team’s captains are defenseman Sam Rodham, plus forwards Bridget Dwyer and Nicole Lemieux, who have scored four and two goals, respectively, on the year.

“Sam is our most reliable defenseman. She is steady, smart, and has been brought up from a good coaching background and hockey family. She means so much to this team. She sends out messages to the team and is a pillar that holds this team up,” said Coach Lilley. “Bridget is an Energizer bunny. She is always going. She’s had scrappy goals this year and is the best around the net and in corners. The younger girls look up to her. Nicole is a role player and flexible in that we can put wherever we need her in the lineup. She is smart and makes the right passes.”

The Tigers also have several key underclass athletes on their roster, including forward Jacqui Sandor and defender Ciara Halloran. Sandor has five goals, including two game-winners, and leads the team in shots on goal this year. Junior center Grace Lavin is a speedster on the ice, while sophomore goalie Carina Mancini has had a strong season by posting a 1.82 goals-against average in 11 games in net.

“Ciara is a shutdown defender and has a knack for offense, too. Jacqui is always flying around out there. She wins face-offs and is our best penalty killer,” said Lilley. “Grace is all over the place. She goes 1,000 miles per hour and leaves everything on the ice. She is the most underrated player because of how she plays. Carina is in the running for SCC Player of the Year, and I’ve had a few coaches tell me she is, if not, one of the best goalies in the state.”

Against ANHC last week, the Tigers gave up two goals to the Blades early in the first period, but Sandor scored a goal late in the frame to make it 2-1. The teams traded goals in the second as junior Anna Sather found the back of the net for the Tigers. The Blades scored just 30 seconds into the third to stretch the lead to 4-2, but HCOL wasn’t done. After drawing a penalty with just less than four minutes left, the Tigers pulled senior goalie Kylie Gargiulo from the net for a for a two-person advantage. However, a turnover just inside the blue line gave ANHC the puck, and Megan Spring fired it the length of the ice and into the empty net for a 5-2 advantage. Sandor found a loose puck with 47 seconds left and netted a goal for the final goal of the game in a SCC South Division matchup that turned out to be a playoff preview.

“We knew what we were in for coming into this game. [The Blades] are a tough, physical, skilled team with no holes in their lineup...We carried most of the play and kept their top players in check.” Coach Lilley said.

Later in the week, HCOL faced off against Simsbury in an outdoor game at Simsbury Farms. With a scoreless game in the third period, the Tigers took a hooking call with 3:50 left in the stanza. Just 23 seconds into the power play, Simsbury’s Claire Bettor took the puck from behind the net and got multiple shots at the goal, before finally putting the puck just inside the far post to put Simsbury on top 1-0. Halloran tied the game with a goal less than a minute later as the Tigers started getting the puck to the net with some urgency. The game remained tied 1-1 and so it went to overtime. The OT period was evenly played and went back and forth until Simsbury got a 2-on-1 break, and Elise Hildebrandt put home the game-winning score.

“Even with the loss, I hope the girls can see that they can not only play with anyone, but beat anyone in the state,” said Lilley. “It’s playoff time now, so we need to forget about this game quickly and get to work on winning a championship or two.”

From the Sidelines

The Tigers’ assistant coaches this year are Caitlyn Bernick and Marisa McCann.

The team’s 10 regular-season wins came against East Catholic-Glastonbury-South Windsor (2-1 in overtime), Masuk-Barlow-Newtown-Oxford-Bethel (9-0 and 6-1), Guilford (2-1), Lauralton Hall (11-0 and 5-0), Fairfield Ludlowe-Warde (1-0), Stamford-Westhill-Staples-Trinity Catholic (4-1), Avon-Southington-East Granby-RHAM (3-2), and Northwest Catholic-Mercy (3-2 in overtime).

The Tigers finished 3-4-1 in games counting in the SCC South Division standings to earn the No. 6 seed for that postseason tournament. Following SCCs, the Tigers will compete in the State Tournament.