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Sports

Greenwich Boys' Hockey Falls To Wilton, 3-2

Gibby McHugh and William Waesche score for Cardinals, who drop to 2-5-1

The Division II Wilton boys' hockey team proved it is the real deal Monday afternoon, surprising Division I Greenwich 3-2 at the Dorothy Hammill Rink.

While the Warriors improved to 5-1-1, the Cardinals dropped to 2-5-1 following a result that left them dispirited.  

“They basically won the battles down low,” Greenwich co-captain Louis Pulitano.  “Plus, halfway through the game we lost one of our stronger forwards [Ryan Corrigan], so our chemistry was kind of off. That is when our momentum changed.”

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Still, the game was remarkably even, as each team logged 22 shots and took three minor penalties apiece.

The Cardinals, playing a neutral zone trap for much of the first period, controlled the ebb and flow for most of that frame.

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Greenwich lit up the scoreboard first when senior Gibby McHugh slid the puck past Wilton goalie Kevin O’Connell at the 7:23 mark in the first period.  Oscar Ladd and Michael Schmeiler registered assists on the goal.

Greenwich headed to the locker room at the end of the first with a 1-0 lead, but Wilton made some adjustments and came alive in the second period.

“We were getting bogged down in the neutral zone," Warriors co-captain Pat Holland said.  "So,  we started sending our forwards high to prevent that and move the puck up the ice more." 

Nine minutes into the period, the Warriors’ Matt Kobyra battled in the crease to punch in a scramble goal.  Alex Pagliaro and Jonathan Meissner got the assists.

Four minutes later, Wilton went on a power play and struck gold when Dillon Pastorello received a beautiful feed from linemate Kamil Goseiwski and threaded a top shelf wrister for the Warriors' second goal.

Wilton notched its third straight goal in the third period when Robert Cullinan buried one from the high slot.  Sophomore Henry Lee and Junior Ben Marsh nimbly assisted on the score.

Greenwich wasn’t finished, though.  With just 25 seconds left in the game, William Waesche, with an assist from his older brother Woody, fired one past O’Connell to make the score 3-2. 

 Then with nine seconds remaining, Meissner was whistled for a tripping penalty, giving the Cardinals a two-man advantage since they already had pulled their goalie.

The faceoff was deep in Wilton’s zone but during the ensuing frenzy, Greenwich could not get the puck past O’Connell as Wilton held on for the win.

“I think we broke down a little bit when we gave up the third goal," Greenwich coach Bob Russel said. "That made it a big hill to climb at that point. Wilton always plays hard and I thought they battled well today.”

Pulitano thought it better to look forward, not back.

“We need to lick our wounds here and get ready for New Canaan on Saturday,” he said.  

The Cardinals face the undefeated Rams in their next game at the Darien Ice Rink.

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