WWEWG too much for Vets in series sweep

Jacob Marroco
Posted 3/24/15

The No. 1 seed West Warwick/Exeter-West Greenwich boys’ ice hockey co-op team will travel to Brown University next weekend for the Division III state finals after dispatching No. 4 Warwick Veterans …

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WWEWG too much for Vets in series sweep

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The No. 1 seed West Warwick/Exeter-West Greenwich boys’ ice hockey co-op team will travel to Brown University next weekend for the Division III state finals after dispatching No. 4 Warwick Veterans in the semifinals, 7-2 and 7-6.

Vets’ freshman forward Collin Csoszor led all players in goals for the weekend with four and tied for first in points with six, but the Knight-Wizards spread the wealth better. WWEWG (19-1) had four players register at least three points and eight different skaters recorded a goal. Knight-Wizards’ senior center and assistant captain Anthony Ventura and junior Alex Ventura each potted three goals and as many assists. Senior captain and goaltender Ivan Forcier got in on the action with two assists of his own.

The turning point for Vets’ offense came two minutes into the second period on Saturday when, down four goals already, senior goaltender Colby Howard went to bat the puck out of the crease and missed. Head coach Michael Boyajian called timeout after his team stared at a 5-0 hole for the second day in a row.

“Well, I basically just told them we got to settle down, we got to play our game,” Boyajian said. “It was quite simple, that’s really all it was. Settle down and play your game. We [were] running around too much, we weren’t using each other. It simply came down to make those short passes, make sure we’re supporting one another in the zone and we’re going to come out as a group.”

A five-minute hip checking major on senior defenseman Zach Dion allowed Vets to claw back. Sophomore defenseman Greg Fontaine and Csoszor each scored to show life for the ‘Canes. Anthony Ventura registered an unassisted goal before the end of the period that bounced off Howard and into the net to set up the Knight-Wizards with a 6-2 lead.

WWEWG scored again before the ‘Canes stormed back from a 7-2 deficit with 19 minutes remaining to make it a one-score game. Csoszor scored five seconds into a 4-on-4 when he put the puck under Forcier to make it 7-3. Sophomore forward D.J. Kowalik put a wrap-around effort past Forcier a few minutes later to continue chipping away.

Vets took advantage of an elbowing penalty on senior winger Thomas Pecchia when Csoszor danced through defenders and passed it to freshman forward Noah Kane for the fifth goal. With two minutes remaining, sophomore forward Jake Mitchell pulled his team within one when his shot ricocheted in off the top of the crossbar.

“I had my best defenseman [Dion] on the bench because I sat him down,” WWEWG head coach Peter Ethier said. “They scored that fourth goal and I called them over and sat down on the bench and I said ‘I guarantee you it’s 7-6 before you know it because you guys are not listening.’ Sure enough, that’s what happened.”

The flames of the comeback were stoked, though, when Csoszor and senior captain Tyler Dipetrillo picked up penalties within 21 seconds of each other to send the Knight-Wizards on a 5-on-3 for most of the final minutes. Alex Ventura was whistled for interference with 11 seconds left, but the ‘Canes were unable to find twine.

WWEWG was able to get on top early with help from a four-goal first period, their second in as many nights. Pecchia put a rebound past Howard four minutes in for the early advantage. Just 45 seconds later, Alex Ventura scored his first of the period on another putback. Senior defenseman and assistant captain Patrick Fields added a power-play goal with a shot that went past the right side of Howard. Ventura netted another on the man advantage with five seconds remaining on Kowalik’s hooking penalty.

Vets dug themselves a 1-0 series hole on Friday night at the West Warwick Civic Center when their offense never could get going. The ‘Canes, who scored three power-play goals on Saturday, picked up their only two scores on the man advantage. Vets, though, only managed to light the lamp once during the second period when they saw eight minutes on the power play.

“We have a talented top two lines and it’s been pretty much that way throughout the year,” Ethier said. “Just about everybody can put it in the net, we just need to stay out of the box. If we stay out of the box, it’s probably a lot more than five or six goals ahead. We’re killing 4 or 5-on-3s for the whole second half of the [second] period and we opened up the third period like that. You can’t keep playing teams like that and putting the puck in the net.

Dion picked up a slashing double-minor 4:15 into the second, but the ‘Canes were unable to convert. Mitchell, Dipetrillo and Fontaine each had opportunities, but they all went high or were turned away.

Two minutes after that penalty was killed, a five-minute hitting-from-behind major gave the ‘Canes another advantage. Csoszor was the only player who could connect during the period, beating Forcier on the left side. A tripping penalty on Dipetrillo moments later negated the final minute of the power play.

A furious first-period attack saw four different Knight-Wizards score to put the game out of reach early. Freshman center Nick Pecchia, Thomas Pecchia, Alex Ventura and Anthony Ventura each beat Howard within the last eight minutes of the first. The final goal, off the stick of Nick Pecchia, came with 7.5 seconds remaining.

Anthony Ventura opened up the second period with the third WWEWG power-play goal of the night on a shot from the left side. He and sophomore winger Zach Magiera would score again before the game’s conclusion, as the ‘Canes were kept at an arm’s length for most of the game.

WWEWG will compete for the state title next weekend at Meehan Auditorium in Providence. The ‘Canes’ season comes to a close with the two losses, but Boyajian did not pull any punches in terms of 2015-16’s prediction.

“We’re going to win the whole damn thing next year,” he said.

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