Sheehan Hockey Defeats Guilford, 5-1
By Staff
New Haven Register
February 3, 2008
George Wooster shoots and scores during Sheehan High School's 5-1 win over Guilford.
EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT - T.K. Kiernan scored once and finished with three assists and Mike Busillo scored once and added two assists as the Titans cruised past host Guilford, 5-1.
Cameron Sidwell finished with 24 saves for Sheehan (11-3). Zack Brown scored for Guilford.
Guilford boys overpowered
By Pete VanderVeer
Staff Correspondent
Shoreline Times
EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT - The word has been out all season long around the Southern Connecticut Conference about the Sheehan High of Wallingford hockey teams' power play.
With a pair of sharpshooters in seniors Tyler Timek and Brendan Kane, two of the two three scorers in the Greater New Haven area, the Titans can be deadly when they have a man advantage.
The Guilford High hockey team didn't heed that warning last Saturday night at the East Haven Veterans Rink.
Sheehan, got five goals, all on the power play, and rode it to a 5-1 victory which pushed the team's overall won-lost record to 12-3 and brought its in-state mark to 12-1.
"They (Sheehan) did some damage tonight," said Guilford coach Ralph Russo. "We had our chances early and we needed to convert on some of them. Once they got the momentum and the game became a penalty contest, they took it to us."
In all, Guilford took nine penalties; six were called against Sheehan.
Sheehan also won the shot battle, 34-23.
The Titans began their run at 11:36 of the first period when Timek blasted home a shot after taking a pass from Tim Kiernan who, in turn, had been fed by Kane.
"We work awfully hard in practice on all the specialty team situations," said Sheehan coach Ralph Shaw. "We really challenge ourselves. I think the biggest key to our success is how quickly we move the puck. We're always working to put as much added pressure on the goalie as possible."
When Zack Brown was called for a boarding penalty at 4:48 of the second period, it put the team's opponents right where they wanted to be again.
Gregory Nguyen scored Sheehan's second goal and the firs of three that the team would get in the period.
Wrapped around 10 penalties (five on each side) were additional goals by Michael Busillo and George Wooster.
Guilford was able to cut the margin to 4-1 early in the third as Brown tipped in an initial shot taken by Nate Dudley. It came at 9:31 of the third period.
Kiernan brought it back to a four-goal game when he scored at 12:18.
Guilford, which beat Fitch/East Lyme/Ledyard, 8-0, earlier in the week, looked flat and disorganized at times.
"We got to get back to work and get ready for Milford (the two teams meet on Saturday afternoon at the Milford Ice Pavilion)," said Russo, whose team, with a 6-9 record, stills need two more victories in its final five games to qualify for post-season play. "We need to move the puck a little better. We've got to work hard on finishing our scoring chances because that's plagued us a lot this season. We're not finishing and then we're giving up goals too quickly in transition."