In their season opener on Saturday at Hamill Rink, Cardinals boys hockey delighted fans by scoring rapid fire in the first few minutes of play, and ending the first period 7-0. The final score was 10-2.
A visit by five time Emmy Award winner, Rob Burnett, best known as executive producer of the Late Show with David Letterman added excitement to the night. Also present were members of the Greenwich Athletic Foundation who recently donated a new state-of-the-art audio system to Hamill Rink.
The boys, coached for a second year by Chris Rurak, finished last year with 9-10-1. They made it to the semi finals in FCIACS and were out after the first round of states.
Producer/director Rob Burnett introduced the coaches at the Cardinals season opener at Hamill Rink on Saturday. Photo: Leslie Yager
Another highlight of the game was senior Connor Santry’s hat trick.
“It was my first hat trick playing for the Cardinals,” said Santry who previously played for Greenwich Skating Club.
The onslaught commenced less than three minutes into the game when Nic Pelletier-Martinelli scored the first goal, unassisted. The next came about a minute later, courtesy of Alex Mozian. The third and fourth goals were scored by Conner Santry and Thatcher Danielson.
Others who scored were Oliver Fulton, Ryan Columbo, Charlie Graves and Matt Davey.
There was some rough play, and Cardinals’ Matt Baugher was ejected in the first period after defending a teammate from an aggressive take down.
“We’ve got to stay out of the penalty box,” Santry said after the game. “But it was a good win for the team.”
Nikita Kovalev, a sophomore, was thrilled after the game. “I’m glad we had this big win. It’s a great way to start the season,” he said.
The boys’ next game is on Dec 20 in West Haven at 6:30 pm.