HAMDEN — Evan Vasiljevs and Rocco Ocone-Krause scored two goals apiece and Jack Falk chalked up 28 saves to record his first varsity win in net as the Cheshire ice hockey team opened 2023 with a 5-1 SCC/SWC Division II victory Wednesday over Amity at Lou Astorino Rink.
After a 1-1 first period, the Rams put it away with the goals by Vasiljevs and Ocone-Krause, with three coming in the second period. Ocone-Krause capped the day with the fifth Cheshire goal in the closing minutes of the game.
A power play goal by Vasiljevs 5:50 into the second period, set up by Will Gaudet, proved to be the game-winner. It snapped the 1-1 tie forged by first-period strikes by Cheshire’s Biagio Pepe and Amity’s Eli Gregory.
A short-handed goal by Ocone-Krause with 3:42 left in the second period, scored unassisted, pushed the CHS lead to 3-1.
Gaudet set up Vasiljevs for a second time in the final minute to send the Rams into the second intemission up 4-1.
Both Cheshire and Amity are now 3-3-0.
Sheehan 6, Eastern CT Eagles 4: After letting a two-goal lead get away earlier in the third period, the Titans pulled out thriller by scoring twice in the final 2½ minutes in this non-conference Division II shootout at Choate on Tuesday night.
Max Festa scored four of the Sheehan goals and set up the two others, including the game-winner by defenseman Billy Totz from the point with 2:37 on the clock.
The goal by Totz came shortly after Sheehan killed a penalty for too many men on the ice.
Festa added the insurance goal with an empty-netter with 12 seconds left.
Festa’s linemate, Lorenzo DeFilio, had a 5-point night. He scored one goal and assisted on four.
Garrett Wilkinson and Landon Cantele added assists for Sheehan, now 3-3 overall. The Fitch-based Eagles are 2-3 and will face Lyman Hall on Saturday at Northford.
Tuesday marked the second time in three games Festa has hit for foul goals. The Sheehan sophomore has 13 goals on the season. DeFilio has 8 assists.
Guilford 5, Lyman Hall 3: Perfection remains intact for the Grizzlies (6-0-0), who scored three unanswered goals in the period to earn the SCC/SWC Division II victory over the Trojans on Wednesday night at Northford Ice Pavilion.
Connor Zukowski scored two for LH. Alec Brockett also found the back of the net for the Trojans (1-5).
WRESTLING
Southington: The Blue Knights erased an early 15-6 deficit with six straight victories, including three by pin, to pull away to a 46-27 CCC West victory over Hall in West Hartford.
Jared Mangiafico sparked the run with a 6-0 decision at 132 pounds.
Colton Thorpe followed with a pin in 2:30 at 138 and Rosco Cook stepped in at 145 and rang up an 8-0 major decision.
From there, Josh Howard scored a pin 57 seconds into the 152 bout, Michael Affum posted an 11-6 decision at 160 and Malik Anderson pinned in 4:33 at 170.
Giovanni Castonon and Aaron Mysatyukow sealed it with first-period pins — Castonon in 55 seconds at 220 and Mysatyukow in 1:27 at heavyweight.
Earlier, Jared Rivera pinned to win at 120 for Southington in 3:49.
Wallingford: Sheehan and Lyman Hall both have wrestlers competing as independents with the Blue Knights.
On Wedesday at Hall, Sheehan’s Jay Chase pinned at 145 in 3:29 and Lyman Hall’s Gavin Janowski pinned at 182 in 36 seconds.
Cheshire: The Rams got pins from Titus Barsczewski (132), Connor Nash (145) and Isaiah Fuentes (285) in their 45-36 loss to Shelton. Alex Smith (113), Mike Shweky (126) and Haris Qureshi (220) accepted forfeits.
INDOOR TRACK
Maloney: The girls 4x800 relay team set a new school record Tuesday evening at the Wilton Wright Invitational at Southern Connecticut State.
Shaelyn Murphy, Elliyah Cloutier, Mia Carbone and Bria Benigni combined on a time of 3:34..99.
SCC: Cheshire sprinter Colin Brown won two events and Lyman Hall pole vaulter Chance DeCresenzo captured his signature event at the SCC Boys Developmental Meet on Tuesday at the Floyd Little Athletic Center.
Brown took the 55 meters in 6.51 seconds and the 300 meters in 35.62. DiCresenzo cleared 12 feet, 6 inches to win pole. Both seniors are reigning state champs.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Lewis Mills 41, Maloney 39: The Spartans (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season with the CCC South setback on Tuesday night in Burlington.
Maloney had opened with an OT win at Lewis Mills, then followed with double-digit home wins over Berlin (61-45) and Cheshire (60-43) before running into Lewis Mills (4-1), which was coming off a holiday tournament title in Canton.
Notre Dame-West Haven 101, Lyman Hall 46: The Green Knights, ranked No. 4 in the state, hit for triple figures against the Trojans on Tuesday night in this SCC Hammonasset matchup in West Haven.
Both teams came away at 4-2. Lyman Hall hosts North Haven on Thursday night and will be looking to snap a two-game skid that has followed a 4-0 start.
Amity 54, Sheehan 38: After Tuesday night’s SCC Housatonic loss in Woodbridge, the Titans (0-6) will be looking for their first win when they visit Cheshire for a crossover on Saturday.
BOYS SWIMMING
Cheshire 90, Sheehan 67: The Rams stood at 3-0 and the Titans at 0-3 following Tuesday night’s SCC crossover dual meet at Cheshire Community Pool.
Omkar Narayanan, Kristian Adlianitski, Silas Wang and Alex Fang set the tone by taking the meet-opening race, the 200-yard medley relay, in 1:49.15.
All four swimmers went on to post individual victories. Narayanan captured the 100 butterfly (1:00.90) and 100 backstroke (1:08.47), while Adlianitski posted a fast time of 5:22.60 in the 500 freestyle.
Wang was a double-winner in the 200 IM (2:10.27) and 100 breaststroke (1:06.09). He edged Adlianitski by just under a tenth of a second in the latter event.
Fang swept the sprints, taking the 50 free in 23.58 seconds and the 100 in 52.40.
Narayanan, Wang and Fang reconvened on the 200 freestyle relay, teaming with Kevin Xie to win in 1:40.51.
For Sheehan, Jack Rosano won the 200 freestyle by nearly four seconds in 2:00.60. He also teamed with Espen Fenstad, Cole McDonnell and Jack Angelastro to win the 400 freestyle relay in 3:40.94.