Matt McDermott’s OT wins it for the Titans in West Hartford on Senior Day.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

Sophomore Matt McDermott scored an unassisted goal 4:47 into overtime to lift the Hall Titans to a 4-3 win over Tri-Town on Senior Night.

The host Titans dug themselves a deep hole with penalties, but McDermott managed to score the game’s final goal – his first as a varsity player. “It was nice to see him bury it in the back of the net,” said head coach Colin O’Connor.

It was so much buried as it was the result of hard work and a lucky bounce. The play started with Liam Flemming – also a sophomore – dumping the puck in wide of the Tri-Town net. McDermott hustled in and outmuscled a defender for the puck to the right side of the net. He spun and fired a wrist shot towards the far post. It clanged off the pipe and hit goalie Dylan Sklenar in the back and crossed the goal line.

The day started by honoring Hall’s eight senior players and their families but once they dropped the puck, Hall found itself playing an uphill game. The first obstacle was an existing injury to starting goalie Matthew Bonner. He began the game in net with the plan to take him out at the first whistle. That came minutes in, and senior Nate Weiner came in to replace Bonner.

Just over 30 seconds later, the Titans found themselves on the penalty kill after Sawyer Hollander was whistled for interference. Weiner was tested right away and was up to the task on Ryan Guerin’s try. Hall turned the tables at even strength with Ben Goldstein and Ben Putnam getting off good shots that Sklenar stopped.

Hall would score first at 6:38 when Connor McHugh picked up a loose puck in the corner of the offensive zone. He a dodged a would-be check, and skated to the center of the ice. McHugh found Goldstein coming in from the blue line and sent a pass to him. Goldstein’s one-timer was partially blocked, but McHugh snapped the loose puck to Putnam who deflected it in.

The lead would hold up until 1:45 when the Terrocats scored the first of their three power play goals in the game. With Thomas Leahy off for interference, Cameron Kadish carried the puck behind the Hall net, drawing Weiner to the near post. Kadish then sent a backhand pass to Luke Devlin who knocked it into the open said of the net to tie it at 1.

Just under four minutes into the second period, Hall was playing shorthanded with Hollander off again for another interference call. Once again Kadish was involved, this time just 15 seconds into the man advantage. The play started with Tri-Town trying to center the puck from behind the Hall net. Weiner got a stick on the pass, but it deflected right to Ryan Guerin. Weiner stopped his short but Kadish was on the doorstep to bang in the rebound to make it 2-1 Terrocats.

The lead did not last long as Charlie DeBassio pounced on a rebound that Sklenar could not control and lifted it over the prone goalie to tie it 39 seconds after the Tri-Town go-ahead score. The assist went to Matt McDermott who had carried the puck out of the corner and sent a backhander at Sklenar. He made the initial save but was down on the ice reaching for the rebound when DeBassio beat him to the puck.

Both goalies would turn in solid saves as the period wound on. First it was Weiner making a big glove save on a 3-on-1 breakaway shot. Then at the other end it was Sklenar saying no to Goldstein’s wrister from about 10 feet in front of the cage. Hall won the ensuing face-off and kept the puck in the attacking zone and 21 seconds after Sklenar’s big save it was Putnam scoring his second goal of the game for Hall. McHugh started the play with a one-timer that was saved, but he grabbed the rebound and sent a blind, backhand pass across the ice to Putnam who made no mistake with his shot to make it 3-2 Hall.

The period ended with just one official on the ice as the second official was cut below his ear by a stick blade and had to leave with :15 to palay to get medical attention. He returned for the third period sporting a Band-Aid. In the second, both teams were aggressive on offense with Hall taking 16 shots and Weiner facing a barrage of pucks at the other end for Hall.

“I thought Nate played a great game,” O’Connor said. “He kept us in it especially in the second period.” Hall was getting the better of play but Sklenar was keeping them at bay. “Between the second and third periods I told them to keep making the extra pass, and tire the goalie out by forcing him to keep moving,” said O’Connor. He said he did not sense his team getting frustrated and felt it was going to be a matter of time until they scored.

It was anyone’s game as the final 15 minutes began, and the Titans handed Tri-Town a golden opportunity within the first minute. Putnam took a tripping penalty and the visitors kept the pressure on Hall. Weiner made a series of saves but was beaten for the tying goal at 13:33 when Kade O’Connor carried the puck out of the corner, skated across the front of the crease, opening up the goalie, before sliding the puck through the 5-hole to make it 3-all.

“The penalties changed the game,” O’Connor said of his team surrendering three power play goals. “Our penalty kill was not on point and we took too many bad penalties.” Hall had several chances to win the game in overtime, the first when they had a power play but could not connect. Later it was Goldstein with another chance in front that Sklenar got his pads in front of to make the save. Then, with 2:16 to play, DeBassio took a pass in front but saw his low shot denied. Neither team could find the game-winning goal in regulation and the game headed to overtime.

Hall nearly ended quickly when Putnam found an unmarked McHugh in front of the net, but Sklenar was quick to react and kick the shot away. Then at 4:55 on what looked like a harmless clear in by Flemming, it was McDermott muscling his way to scoring the winner before skating to the front of the student section and leaping high into the glass touching off a giant celebration on the ice.

Hall was led on offense by Putnam, a junior who had two goals and continued his strong play. “He is the most coachable, selfless player I have ever coached, “ said O’Connor of the player known as Putty. “He sees the ice like no one else.”

The win clinched a third place finish for Hall for the CCC boys hockey tournament which is slated to open a week from Wednesday. Hall is in good position to host the game, and can secure it with a win or two over its final games – or get some help by some other teams losing their final games.

Game notes

The seniors honored by Hall prior to the game are:

• Matthew Bonner
• Charlie Ganey
• Connor McHugh
• Ben Goldstein
• Sawyer Hollander
• Thomas Leahy
• Nate Weiner
• Dillon McDermott

The win moves the Titans to 11-5-1 on the season, and their fourth in their last seven games.

Tri-Town drops to 1-13-2 in regular season play.

Hall is currently ranked sixth in Division III.

The remaining three games are against one-loss Masuk (No. 2 in D III), one-win Newington, and 8-9-1 Guilford, all on the road. Guilford sits in 11th place in D II, one spot ahead of 11-7 Conard.

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