The Hall/Conard girls hockey team pushed their winning streak to 9, defeating Simsbury on Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Rink in West Hartford.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

There are going to be some games in any season where you just don’t play your best. Fortunately for the Hall/Conard girls hockey team, goalie Lauren Busi and defenseman Fiona Campbell carried the water Wednesday night, earning the team a 3-1 win over Simsbury.

“It was not our best effort and they (the players) expect more from themselves,” said head coach Jared Cohane. Those expectation levels have been rising all month as the team put together a nine-game win streak and did not lose a single game in the month of January to move into third place in the state rankings.

Hall/Conard came out flat in the first and they paid the price. Just 1:32 into the game, Simsbury scored first when they managed to bang home a rebound off a wrap around attempt. Busi made the original save but no one on defense cleared the puck or the attackers from in front of the goal.

Avery Selstad  nearly even things less than 30 seconds later but her shot from the wings glanced off the post and slid into the corner. They would get the tying goal later in the opener when Avery Wolfe scored off a great pass from Selstad. The play was the result of a strong effort by the home team to keep the puck  in the attacking zone with several keeps at the blue line.

Hall/Conard gained some momentum after the goal and Teagan Cohane had a chance to break the tie when she grabbed a loose puck that scooted out of the corner and tried to jam it past goalie Georgia Calabro, who held tight to her post to deny Cohane. Busi played a strong period after the early goal and racked up 10 saves to keep her team in it.

The second period saw Simsbury take it to H/C, often pinning them up in their own defensive zone by controlling the blue line. “Simsbury prepared for the system we had in place. We did not execute well and had poor positioning and off puck play,” said Cohane.

Campbell and Busi were at their best in the second 15 minutes of play when Simsbury had its best period. Each team took an early penalty but neither power play could find the back of the net. With 6:22 to go in the period, Jane Curtis had two good chances to pull her team ahead on back-to-back tries, but Busi was a rock. It was one of 13 saves she would make with her glove, pads, and skates to keep things tied.

“I just try to not think about it,” said the All-State goalie when asked how she stays focused. “I narrate the game in my head.”

Paige Sweeney had a good chance for Hall/Conard when she skated in from the right points, deeked one defender as she skated to the middle of the ice. She then let a wrister go back to the left and it hit the post, ringing throughout the arena.

When it looked like the game would head to the third period still tied, it was Selstad getting involved again to change things. With 25.5 seconds to play in the second she tipped a shot that Calabro stopped, but Cohane was there to knock in the rebound and put H/C up 2-1.

Simsbury came out strong again in the third once again, keeping Hall/Conard from generating any real threats and getting their own good looks at goal. Busi once again was sharp, make a big glove save 2:40 in as part of a six-save period.

“Lauren’s work covers a lot for us back there,” said coach Jared Cohane. “She was her All-State self-tonight.”

Campbell’s effort was even more critical when you consider that her team had just three of its usual defensemen available due to illness. “Her defensive play all season has been All-State caliber,” said Campbell’s coach of his junior. “She is just relentless game in and game out.”

She was rewarded later in the game when she scored the insurance goal to make it 3-1. With H/C putting on some pressure, Simsbury attempted to clear the puck up the left boards. Campbell pinched in, knocked down the puck, took two strides then sent a high wrister on net that went over Calabro’s glove. “It was a long shift but I had some room and decided to take the shot because I had some room,” Campbell said after the game.

Neither side would score again and H/C closed it out to move to 10-3 on the season, with their last loss coming more than a month ago.

Cohane had high praise for his goalie – just a sophomore. “A lot of it is technical and that makes up for her size. She plays like she’s six feet tall,” he said. He also praised the team’s other goalie, Avery Freiday, saying sometimes the drills he runs in practice are a bit one-sided. “Some of the drills are really unfair to the goalies. We do 2-0’s and odd man rushes and they never quit on the play. “ Cohane said. Adding to that at times he sees Busi getting upset with herself after what he calls “an impossible shot” get by her.

As for the nine-game win streak, both players and the coach say it is a result of hard work, getting more familiar with each other on and off the ice, and believing in what they are doing.

“When you have people you can really trust on the ice, it makes it a lot easier to play,” said Campbell. “We are all just more comfortable and having a lot of fun,” added Busi.

For Cohane, whose team was 1-3 through its opening four, it is the players seeing the benefits of following the plan. “In our first three games we were in them. We continued with the system and they saw it working and saw the success and they bought in,” said the first-year head coach.

Game notes:

• During the win steak, Hall/Conard has posted five shutouts.
• They have outscored their opponents 31-5 during the same stretch.
• Each of their three losses this year were by identical 2-1 scores.
• Hall/Conard returns to the ice with a huge matchup at Stamford (Cohane’s alma mater) on Saturday. The Black Knights are 6-3-3 on the season and ranked No. 7 in the state ahead of a Thursday matchup with Fairfield-Ludlowe.

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