Hall boys hockey tops E.O. Smith/Tolland in overtime to win CIAC Division III championship
· Yahoo Sports
For just the second time in its history and the first time in 33 years, the Hall boys ice hockey team is a CIAC champion.
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Sophomore Matthew McDermott scored with an assist from senior Charles Gainer 1:13 into OT to give fifth-seeded Hall a 2-1 victory over No. 10 E.O. Smith/Tolland in the CIAC Division III championship Thursday night at Quinnipiac's M&T Bank Arena.
Hall won its only other CIAC championship when it defeated Westhill/Stamford 4-3 in the Division II final in 1993. It was runner-up as a part of a co-op with Southington in Division III in 2017.
Hall struck fast in the first period, with Connor McHugh scoring on a back-hander at the 1:25 mark. Dillon McDermott, who had an assist on the play, kept the puck in the zone and got a pass ahead to McHugh for the goal.
The Titans had a strong edge in play early on, but the Bucks evened it out in the middle of the period and Beckett Hanson scored the equalizer during a scrum in front of the Hall net at 11:53.
After that, it was a battle of goalies, as E.O. Smith/Tolland's Liam Petrella and Hall's Matthew Bonner pitched shutouts in the second and third periods.
Both teams were unexpected finalists. E.O. Smith/Tolland was sub-.500 during the regular season and finished with three straight losses, but the defense, led by three-year starting goalie Liam Petrella, has locked it down in the tournament, allowing just three goals in three games.
Hall was on the brink of elimination in the quarterfinals, trailing the Rocky Hill co-op 3-0 in the third period. But the Titans reeled off four straight goals in a little more than three minutes and held on for the win.
CIAC Division III Boys Hockey Championship
Hall 2, E.O. Smith/Tolland 1 (OT)
E.O. SMITH/TOLLAND 1 0 0 0-1
HALL 1 0 0 1-2
H-Connor McHugh (Sawyer Hollander, Dillon McDermott), 13:35
EOS/T-Beckett Hanson (Cash Lacy, Zach Kincade), 4:07
H-Matthew McDermott (Charles Ganey), 13:47
Shots: E.O. Smith/Tolland 21, Hall 34
Saves: EOS/T – Liam Petrella 32; H – Matthew Bonner 20
Records: E.O. Smith/Tolland 12-12; Hall 17-7-1
This article originally published at Hall boys hockey tops E.O. Smith/Tolland in overtime to win CIAC Division III championship.