Westhill has good efforts at Jamboree

by Zach Eisen
Sports Photographer

On Saturday, December 12, the Westhill ice hockey team stormed the ice to the cheers of hundreds of screaming fans, ready to take on their biggest rivals in the annual Jamboree. Giving their best effort, the Vikings skated stride-for-stride with some of the FCIAC’s top talent. However, despite a strong effort from the entire team, the Vikings came out winless, losing all three of the 15-minute contests, each by a narrow margin.

The first matchup of the night featured two cross-town rivals, as Westhill took on Stamford High. Filled with back-and-forth action, the game remained scoreless until the final minute, when a rising shot from Stamford’s Nick Hollendonner beat Westhill goalie junior Zach Phillipson on his glove side. The team tried desperately to tie the game back up, but there was not enough time.

After the Zamboni cleared the ice, it was back to work for Westhill, this time against Trinity in the night’s second contest. IIn another defensive battle; the only goal that Trinity scored was the result of a miscommunication between the Westhill defensemen. As the puck slid past both defensemen, a Trinity forward raced to gain control of the puck, skated around goalie senior Wade McManus, who narrowly missed saving the shot, and scored the game’s decisive goal.

Frustrated, the Vikings left the ice without a goal.

After a short break, Westhill took the ice for the final time to face powerhouse New Canaan. Unable to stop the offensive rush put forth by New Canaan, Westhill found themselves behind, losing 2-0. Senior Tyler Rich, however, was able to spare the Vikings from being shutout on the night when he found the back of the net on a rising wrist shot. Down by one late in the match, Westhill tried everything they could to tie the game, but the New Canaan defense proved to be too strong, keeping the score at 2-1.

Despite the losses, strong play was shown from junior defenseman Doug Graves, as well as senior forwards Rich and Scott Valenzano. Valenzano, one of the team’s captains, hopes that his team will be able to bounce back after the losses. “We are obviously disappointed [with] the outcome, but we have to take the positives out of it. We will use this as a learning experience, so it will hopefully get better for us,” said Valenzano.

The hockey team will play their season opener on Thursday, December 17, at Terry Conners Ice Rink against the Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe co-op team.

Photos by Zach Eisen