WALLINGFORD — Two overtime victories on home ice, a solid victory on the road: Life was good this weekend in SCC/SWC Division II hockey for area squads.
Sheehan let a lead get away Sunday afternoon against JBWA, but got it back in the end, 4-3, at Choate. Cheshire, which also went to overtime, rallied from 3-0 deficit to beat Branford 5-4 at Lou Astorino Rink on Saturday night.
Later that same night, Lyman Hall scored a 4-2 in over Watertown-Pomperaug at the Taft School.
Add it up and a new week dawns with Sheehan at 8-1, Lyman Hall at 7-1 and Cheshire at 3-4-2.
Lyman Hall, by virtue of last Saturday’s 5-4 win over Sheehan, stands No. 1 in the CIAC Division II playoff points. Sheehan is at No. 3. Here’s how things shook out from this weekend’s action.
Cheshire 5, Branford 4 (OT): Evan Vasiljevs tied the game with just under nine minute left in regulation and then scored the game-winner 14 seconds into overtime.
Vasiljevs had forced extra time by converting on the power play with 8:55 left. Lukas Sargolini and Damon Zurolo had the assists on that tally. Ben Corris set up Vasiljevs for the game-winner.
Earlier, Branford jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Matt Morgan and Jack Lindner, then pushed it to 3-0 five minutes into the second on a strike by Michael Farricelli.
The Cheshire comeback began a minute later courtesy of an Andrew Vaill goal assisted by Drew DePodesta and Ryan Fraser.
Will Gaudet connected twice for the Rams before the second period was out, but a Branford strike by Morgan sandwiched in between Gaudet’s goals had the Hornets ahead 4-3 going into the final frame.
Cheshire outshot Branford 39-33. Dane DiLegge logged 34 stops for the Hornets (2-5-0). Amaan Chaudhry, coming off a 48-save effort against Wethersfield, had 29,
Lyman Hall 4, Watertown-Pomperaug 2: Dylan Gay and Liam Brooky scored two goals apiece for the Trojans at Mays Rink.
The game was knotted 1-1 going into the third period.
Gay, with his goals, now has 13 on the season.
Ryan Arduini was the top play-maker with two assists. Aydan Durant, Jack Roberts, Louis Allanson and Dan Pettit also had assists.
Freshman goalie Dylan Florio had 24 saves in net.
Sheehan 4, JBWA 3 (OT): The co-op Joel Barlow-Weston-Abbott Tech twice erased two-goal Sheehan leads before Brenden Hilinski settled matters with a goal in overtime.
James Stratton, Lorenzo DeFilio and Landon Cantele also scored goals for Sheehan. Cantele’s connection put Sheehan up 3-1 early in the period before JBWA scored twice in rapid success to force overtime.