Titans Gain a Measure of Revenge
By John Pettit
Meriden Record-Journal Staff
January 24, 2008
Brendan Kane, Nick Capozzi and Tyler Timek celebrate a goal in Sheehan 7-0 win over Immaculate.
WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT - Call it Immaculate redemption for the Sheehan ice hockey team.
Behind a hat trick and three assists from senior center Tyler Timek, the Division II Titans blew out DI Immaculate of Danbury 7-0 Wednesday night at Choate Rosemary Hall’s Ramsen Arena. With the victory, Sheehan (8-3-0) qualified for the postseason and avenged a 5-3 loss to the Mustangs in the first round of last year’s Division II state tournament.
“They beat us 5-3 on an empty-net goal,” Sheehan coach Ralph Shaw said. “We came out (Wednesday) and said, ‘This is our playoff game right now. Let’s win it.’ We have good, quality guys who were just focused and went out there and worked their butts off. My guys put everything together this game.”
Immaculate, playing down a level, went on to win the state title last season. Its championship run started with the Titans, who were bumped up from DIII to the DII tourney.
“Right before the game (Wednesday) we just said come out popping and come out hard and that’s what we did,” Timek said. “We wanted to get some revenge from last year. We all wanted to come out hitting.”
Sheehan set the defensive tone almost as soon as the puck was dropped, getting physical with the Mustangs and killing off a two-man disadvantage in the first period.
“Anytime you can kill off a 5-on-3, it gives you momentum,” Shaw said.
With the defense doing the dirty work, Timek’s backhand goal with 39 second remaining in the period gave the Titans a 1-0 edge.
“That’s not our team,” Immaculate coach Mike Bonelli said. “We got pretty beat up there in the beginning of the game. Our kids just didn’t respond well to it. I didn’t respond well to it. We let them take advantage of us a little early with the hacking and the tripping, but that’s what a Division II team is going to have to do against us to beat us.”
Sheehan all but put the game away with a flurry in the second period. The Titans scored three similar goals in a 1:07 span, with sophomore J.J. Ritchotte, Timek and freshman Nick Capozzi charging the net for scores and a 4-0 Sheehan lead just 3:03 into the period.
“The second period was solid for us,” Shaw said. “It was just hard work and just doing the basics — throwing the puck towards the net and crashing the net and just being there. It’s something we’ve been talking to these guys all year about.”
Ritchotte scored his second goal of the night on a power play goal at the end of the second stanza and the rout was on. “We had a pretty good pep talk from the coach before the game and everybody wanted it,” Ritchotte said. “We wanted to get back at them. Last year I blew about three scoring opportunities that were mint against them. (Wednesday) I went out there and said, ‘I’m getting them back.’” Senior captain Brendan Kane made it 6-0 with a tally at the start of the final period and when Timek scored off assists from Ritchotte and Kane with 12 seconds remaining in the game, some of the Sheehan faithful celebrated both Wednesday’s upset and Timek’s accomplishment by winging their hats on the ice.
Sheehan has now reeled off five straight wins. Sophomore goalie Cameron Sidwell made 23 saves for the Titans’ first shutout of the season.
“I was waiting for Cameron to have a game like this,” Shaw said. “It came against a team that we wanted redemption against. I couldn’t be more pleased with his play (Wednesday). We’re going to try to ride this one out. The momentum we can carry from this win is huge. Hopefully we can build on it.”
Kane finished with five assists, while senior defenseman Vinnie Nguyen added two and Capozzi had one.
Immaculate dropped to 5-6-0 with the loss, Bonelli’s first against a Division II team in his six years as Immaculate coach.
“It was a nice win for Sheehan,” Bonelli said. “They’re a quality program. Our kids really didn’t respond to a challenge, that’s for sure. Sheehan’s quick, they don’t give up and they have hungry kids. They play a good system, they stick to it and they’re smart. They beat a Division I team, so that’s good.”