The East Greenwich/Toll Gate boys hockey co-op is enjoying a big start in its second season as a unit and its first winter in the Division II ranks. The co-op entered the week with an 8-2 record and …
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The East Greenwich/Toll Gate boys hockey co-op is enjoying a big start in its second season as a unit and its first winter in the Division II ranks. The co-op entered the week with an 8-2 record and sat in first place in the division.
The team boasts quality depth this year which has allowed it to play three lines on offense. Joe Andreozzi leads the team in points, including 11 goals, while Jack Kiernan has scored 12, Austen Dufresne eight and Brady Parks seven. Junior goalie Wyatt Gelzhiser has also enjoyed a breakout season, boasting a 2.20 goals against average to this point.
“We have a strong senior class and a junior goaltender that I think is a top-5 goalie in the division. We’re pretty balanced and have pretty good depth compared to other teams. We can roll out three lines and our third line is big for us. Our first line has been producing at a fantastic rate,” said new coach Jeff Giusti, who was excited to see Andreozzi return after spending last year with Mount St. Charles. “He had a taste of that next level and wanted to come back his senior year to play with his buddies. That was a huge pickup having him back.”
Toll Gate’s Caleb Carpenter has a goal and four assists to provide quality depth for the team, while Brady Slinn has also made his presence felt with four assists as well.
After joining forces last winter, the core players have become close friends which has helped them take a step forward in their second year together.
“The relationship is interchangeable, they’re all really close, we’ve become a family. The first thing I noticed was how close knit a group they really were. You’d never sense a divide. They’re all best friends,” said Giusti.
The team only has five seniors on its roster, too, which bodes well for the future of this budding contender. Parks, a freshman, has been arguably the best freshman in the division to this point.
“Brady Parks has been fantastic, very mature beyond his age. He’s a big kid too and has been producing at a high rate. East Greenwich and Warwick have a great history of having great hockey players and it has worked wonders for us. Hopefully keeping these kids together will also help keep those kids here and not leave for (private schools),” Giusti said.
Although things have been going smoothly for the co-op, it did take a tough loss to Narragansett/Chariho last week which took the wind out of its sails. Giusti hopes the loss will pay dividends as the team enters the second half of its regular season slate.
“It’s a matter of not getting too high, not getting too low and understanding the grind of the season. Making sure the kids stay focused and taking it one shift at a time, taking it day by day,” Giusti said. “We got knocked down last week, but maybe we can look back on that a month from now and think that was a turning point for us.”
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