Another Overtime Defeat For Staples
It was another setback for Staples in post season tournament play, after Wreckers Basketball also suffered an overtime loss in the FCIAC final last week. On Monday night Staples Boys Ice Hockey faced top seeded BBDI, one of the two best teams in the state in the CIAC State Tournament opening round on that team’s home ice at the Danbury Ice Arena. Staples, which has struggled this year with a record of 7-12-1 faced the co-op team of Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury and Immaculate, SCC/SWC Division III champion Ice Cats with a record of 16-3-1. The Wreckers started the game hot, scoring their first goal just minutes into the first period.
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Staples sophomore goalie Mason Mountain (what a great name) stopped shot after shot on goal in the first and kept that streak alive through the second period. The Wreckers may have surprised the Ice Cats, protecting the net and then scoring another goal in the second period. The Cats fought back, scoring in the third period and trailed the Wreckers by a goal. With under a minute to play and with Mountain fiercely protecting the net the Staples fans were on their feet expecting to advance to the next round.
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The drama continued until, just 5.5 seconds before the final buzzer, the Ice Cats Jovanni Smeriglio, a Brookfield High school junior found a chink in Mountain’s armor and with a tip in front of the net over Mountain's shoulder, they sent the match into sudden death overtime. The hometown crowd which filled the arena leapt to their feet and roared their approval. BBDI scored within 3 minutes into the OT period for a great come-from-behind victory, ending the hopes for the Wreckers to advance in the next round of the CIAC State Tournament.
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Coach Matt Bonn told WestportLocalPress, “I couldn't be more proud of this group. It was an awesome journey, and they showed a lot of grit and resilience against the #1 team in the state. It was an honor to coach these seniors, some of them for three or four years. Seeing everyone's growth and development on and off the ice was special. Once a Wrecker, Always a Wrecker”.
Staples scoring was provided by forwards #10 junior Cooper Paul and senior #9 Tyler Dimaio with assists from #23 senior Trey Wilson. Goalie #1 Mason Mountain had 42 saves.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
