No Immaculate reception
By Bryant Carpenter
Meriden Record Journal
March 7, 2007
The Titans of Mark T. Sheehan High School fell to Immaculate 5-3 in the 2007 state high school hockey playoffs.
DANBURY, CONNECTICUT - Maybe it seemed like a potential mismatch on paper: Division I Immaculate colliding with Division III up-and-comer Sheehan on the first-round crossroads of the CIAC Division II ice hockey tournament.
Thing is, nobody skates on paper. On ice, this baby went down to a pull-the-goalie final minute.
Unfortunately for the No. 13 Titans, they were the ones pulling the goalie. And while the move initially paid off with a goal that brought them to within one with 1:13 to play, the No. 4 Mustangs torched the empty net to seal a 5-3 victory Tuesday night at the Danbury Ice Arena.
Immaculate (10-9-1) meets No. 12 Farmington in the quarterfinals Friday. Sheehan's magical run, which included the SCC D-II title, is over at 17-5-1.
"We're going to walk out of here with our heads high. We battled all season and I'm proud of these guys," said Sheehan head coach Ralph Shaw. "We've got a young squad. For the seniors who played their last game, it's a disappointment for them, but they've given us a lasting (legacy) for years to come."
Senior forward Cavan Rogers signed off with a goal in his final game. It came midway through the second period and had the game tied 2-2 heading into the final period.
There, Immaculate sprung for two scores in the opening minutes to open up a 4-2 lead Sheehan spent the rest of the game trying to erase.
Led by freshman Ray Zeek and junior Tyler Timek, the fast-skating Titans flew around the Immaculate zone like fire ants, only to be rebuffed by goalie Rob Sutherland (25 saves).
"That's the first time we've been out-shot in a game in a long time," said Immaculate coach Mike Bonelli, whose team mustered 22 shots. "Robbie did play well for us - well enough to win the game."
Sheehan's tireless junior defenseman, Vinny Nguyen, got one past Sutherland 36 seconds after the Titans pulled freshman goalie Cameron Sidwell with 1:49 to play.
The equalizer never came. Immaculate had several cracks at Sheehan's empty net, with Mark Quigley finally finding the mark with 16 seconds to play.
The Immaculate faithful were chanting "it's all over" during the final minute, but the Titans kept flying around to the final horn.
"They have a lot of team speed, and you don't find a lot of teams like this that has that much passion," said Bonelli. "Those kids, they just don't give up."
Bonelli was concerned with Sheehan's speed. He was also concerned his team might suffer a letdown after an emotional win over Notre Dame-Fairfield in the Southwest Conference final.
In the early going, his Mustangs came out slamming the smaller and younger Titans, who scrapped right back and played with considerable poise.
"They really showed a lot of composure," Bonelli said. "For a young team, I can see in the next couple years they're certainly going to be a team to be reckoned with."
The Titans were something to be reckoned with when junior Tyler Timek waltzed in from the right circle on the power play and backhanded one home three minutes in. That's where it stood until Immaculate scored with 10 seconds left in the first period and 10 seconds into the second. Senior Greg Haliskoe and freshman Sean McVey set up a trailing Danny Allen on the first goal. McVey fed Haliskoe for a top-shelf wrist shot on the second.
Sheehan tied it at 2 when senior Mike Goodrich fed Rogers from behind the net.
Immaculate, however, was getting the big games it needed from its top scorers. Haliskoe set up Quigley for a power play goal 3:17 into the third and 1:40 later Allen deflected in a shot by crafty senior defenseman Dan Murtha.
"Immaculate plays a Division I schedule; we played one Division I team all year. You could see that in the game," said Shaw. "But we came out and we stuck to our game plan. I thought we worked hard. Credit my guys. A couple lucky bounces for Immaculate and the game went the other way."
Haliskoe, Quigley lead Mustangs
By Staff
Danbury News-Times
March 7, 2007
DANBURY, CONNECTICUT - Seniors Greg Haliskoe and Mark Quigley combined for three goals and three assists to lead the Immaculate High boys hockey team to a 5-3 win over Sheehan in the opening round of the Division II state tournament.
The fourth-seeded Mustangs will face Farmington on Friday at a time and site to be determined.
"We knew coming into the game it was going to be a tough game," said Immaculate coach Mike Bonelli. "We showed jitters early. They took advantage of it in the first period."
Sheehan took an early 1-0 lead and looked like it would Hold onto it going into the first intermission, but Immaculate's Dan Allen scored in the final minute of the period off assists from Haliskoe and Sean McVey.
"That was a big goal," Bonelli said. "Our seniors stepped up to the plate. Quigley played a great all-around game."
Haliskoe (3 assists) scored early in the second period, but Sheehan fought back to tie the game at 2-2 going into the third period.
Quigley and Allen then scored early in the third period to give Immaculate control of the game.
"We showed our experience and we had a little more depth," Bonelli said.