West Hartford’s Hall High School boys hockey team will move on to the semifinals in the CIAC Division III state tournament following a 4-3 win over Rocky Hill.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Savannah Cote. Photos by Scott Sulkazi

Hall looked finished early in the third period, trailing 3-0 in the CIAC Division III boys hockey quarterfinal. Instead, the Titans delivered a stunning rally, scoring four times in the final frame to defeat the Rocky Hill Terriers and secure a spot in the Frozen Four of the state championship at M&T Bank Arena at Quinnipiac University.

Rocky Hill, the No. 4 seed, controlled much of the early action and built its lead steadily over the first two periods. The Terriers opened the scoring in the first period when Evan Moscibrosk found the back of the net at 12:14, with assists from Shane Aaron and Ryder Drezek. Rocky Hill extended the lead in the second period at 12:17 as Riley Doty scored off a setup from Moscibrosk.

The Terriers appeared firmly in control when Doty struck again just 1:07 into the third period, finishing a play set up by Mason Parker and Chase Stepina to give Rocky Hill a 3-0 advantage.

But the momentum quickly shifted.

Just 2:49 into the third period, Ben Goldstein ignited the comeback with a goal assisted by Charles DeBassio and Benjamin Putnam. The energy on the Hall bench surged, and only 1:20 later, Goldstein struck again, this time finishing a play created by Matthew McDermott and Charlie Ganey, to cut the deficit to one.

Hall kept pressing, and Connor McHugh delivered the equalizer, tying the game with assists from Putnam and Sawyer Hollander.

Moments later, the comeback was complete.

At 5:09 of the third period, Charlie Ganey scored the go-ahead goal that ultimately stood as the game-winner, sending Hall to the Frozen Four.

Goldstein, who sparked the rally with two quick goals, reflected on the moment afterward.

“It felt amazing,” Goldstein said. “Between the second and third period, we kind of recollected ourselves and reminisced about the whole season and how we faced adversity and all of that. But we’re a team that can bounce back from it. That’s exactly what we did, and it felt really, really good to know that we had the entire team behind me and the outcome that we wanted.”

Hall’s head coach said he never lost confidence in his team despite the three-goal deficit entering the final period.

“I had all the confidence in the world going into the third period,” the coach said. “At the start of the game, I told the kids the goal is to work hard early, tire out the goalie, and put us in a position late that once we’re able to get one past him, they’ll roll through. I have all the faith in our offense to get going once they find the back of the net.”

After scoring four goals in just over five minutes, the Titans held off the Terriers for the remainder of the game to complete one of the most dramatic comebacks of their season and earn their place in the state semifinal round.

Hall, which entered the tournament as a No. 5 seed, will face No. 8 Enfield on Monday night at Quinnipiac.

Enfield also moved on as an underdog, defeating top-seeded Wilton, 2-0, on Thursday. Hall is actually the highest seeded team to reach this year’s semifinal round, with the other game featuring No. 6 Milford vs. No. 10 E.O. Smith-Tolland, which knocked off the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds respectively on Thursday night.

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