The Branford boys’ ice hockey program underwent quite the turnaround the last two seasons, and throughout that ride, Dante DiLegge has learned a lot about himself, his abilities, and his heart and courage between the pipes for Branford.

The Hornets’ sophomore goalie, who also plays second base and shortstop for the baseball squad in the spring, stuck with the diamond and the ice growing up and had a seemingly inevitable task of being a lone netminder last winter as a freshman.

After he and the Hornets endured a 4-16 campaign his rookie slate, Branford put the past behind itself and ascended well past that low point this season, as Dante helped the Hornets to a 13-7 regular season, which was capped off by an incredible run to the Division II State Tournament semifinals. When the dust settled, Dante emerged from this season with a 15-9 record and 3.79 goals-against average, while he posted three shutouts.

“Hockey developed as a second home for me with going to the rink every day and being around my friends,” says Dante. “Success has come from the support I’ve had, because there were times where I questioned playing. I was nervous as a freshman as the only goalie, yet my family and coaches were on my side. To go from 4-16 last year to a state semis run was great.”

Dante discusses that he might have had a smaller stature than some of his opponents possessing the puck, though he certainly stood tall thanks to his convictions and motivations of his family, friends, teammates, and coaches.

“I knew being goalie would be hard, and I knew for a smaller person like me, it would be challenging,” Dante says. “My teammates and coaches helped me adjust. I looked at last year as a time to warm up to do better things this year. There are times when you can get down on yourself, but I kept things in my head, such as when my grandfather told me, ‘What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.’”

From an even more technical standpoint with his training to tracking down the puck for the stops in the crease, Dante worked on viewing the ice from different vantage points to improve upon a position he has played for as long as he could remember.

“With my height as a goalie, it does bring some challenges, but I just have to work around them,” says Dante. “I have worked with my coaches more on outside the box drills and working on different angles I have to take in order to make saves. I have been a goalie, though, ever since I played Mites and I have loved it ever since.”

When it comes to postseason hockey, the game slows down a little bit while the defense clamps down–making every goal and puck stop that much more paramount. With this knowledge in his hockey IQ, Dante dug deep and gave his Hornets any and all opportunities they needed in order to prevail.

“I knew I had to give my team the chance to win, and I feel I did that for the most part,” says Dante on the state semifinals run this past March. “We had some losses during the season to teams like Woodstock Academy and East Haven, but those were games that gave us the push to go this far. We kept doing the little things each game, such as less penalties, and we were able to be a threat in the state tournament.”

Hornets’ Head Coach Jim DiNapoli details that while others may have strayed off following a first-year experience like Dante’s, he showed his full-on commitment to the sport and team and helped spur the Branford turnaround.

“Dante is a young player who was thrown right into the fire and, as the maturation process has played out, he has only gotten better,” says DiNapoli. “He went 9-2 in our last 11 games this year, and that is when he really turned the corner. He is fully engaged in everything both on and off the ice. He’s a wonderful kid and good competitor. He was in a tough spot his freshman year, and to rebound the way he did, it is a testament to both him and our team.”

With a little more than the back half of his academic and athletic tenure to go at Branford, Dante is laser-focused on the books and bettering himself for the future. Yet he is also honed in on creating even more impactful moments at Branford for both of his squads.

“I would like to go to a very good college and give myself a good future and life. I strive to have a good grade-point average and know my hard work will pay off,” Dante says. “For hockey, winning a state title would be great and also a SCC title. I also want to make more connections with my friends in both sports and make more memories.”