Greenwich Academy ice hockey team puts forth strong effort in 2-1 Senior Day loss to Darien at Chelsea Piers Connecticut

By David Fierro on February 17, 2022 • ( Leave a comment )

Contributed photo: From left to right: Cameron Brower, Ava Butz, Kate Boer, Lucy Burdett, Jordan Pittignano, Emily Greenhaw and Lindsay Hasapis were the seniors on the Greenwich Academy ice hockey team that were honored on the team’s Senior Day on Feb. 16, 2022, during a game against Darien at Chelsea Piers Connecticut in Stamford.

Greenwich Academy’s ice hockey team celebrated its Senior Day with an impressive effort against non-conference opponent Darien on Wednesday at Chelsea Piers Connecticut.

Greenwich Academy held a one-goal lead, but Darien rallied for two goals, the last of which came late in the third period and held on for a hard-fought 2-1 win over host GA.

“Our team had a lot of energy, they were excited to celebrate the seniors,” Greenwich Academy coach Erin Brawley said. “We were excited to go out there and play well for our seven seniors.”

A power play goal gave the Gators a 1-0 first-period lead on the Blue Wave. Junior Nina Herceg scored GA’s goal off assists from junior Ellie Volpe and sophomore Peyton Williams.

Contributed photo: Greenwich Academy’s seniors gather for a Senior Day picture.

“We made a really great play where we possessed the puck and made a bang, bang pass in front of the net,” Brawley said. “Two quick passes, so it was 1-0 in the first period.”

Darien tied the score at 1-1 with a second period goal.

“The second period they had us on our heels, they were playing really well,” Brawley said of Darien. “We hung in there and battled through it.”

Junior goalie Liana Seeley helped the Gators remain in a tie game with the Blue Wave in the second period, making a number of exceptional saves.

With approximately five minutes remaining in the third period, Darien tallied the game-winning goal, taking a 2-1 advantage.

“We put a good surge on them in the last three minutes,” Brawley said. “We pulled the goalie with two minutes left and in the last two minutes, we had about four or five shots. We put the pressure on them, but we couldn’t capitalize on our chances late in the game.”

The seven seniors that Greenwich Academy honored on its Senior Day were: Cameron Brower, Ava Butz, Kate Boer, Lucy Burdett, Emily Greenhaw, Jordan Pittignano and Lindsay Hasapis. The seniors have meant a great deal to the GA team over the years.

“They are a hard-working core of seven and they are the core of our team,” Brawley said. “They play with a lot of heart, emotion and energy. We are definitely going to miss them on and off the ice. The way they work in practice and how they set the tone of games for our younger girls has been so impressive.”