In the afternoon of Saturday, January 24, the Bobcats of South Windsor traveled to the Pomfret School Jahn Rink for a battle with the Woodstock Academy Centaurs. Both teams entered the match desperately needing the win.
For the home Centaurs, they’ve fallen on hard times, having not won a game since March of 2023. As for the visiting Bobcats, it’s been a rough go of things, dropping the last four games after back-to-back wins against East Catholic and Wethersfield.
When the puck dropped, both teams were quick to attack, trading possessions for several minutes.
As the period carried on, a penalty would be called on the Centaurs, seeming to be the time for an early Bobcats goal, however, the penalty would only help Woodstock.
Just as the time in the box ended, the Centaurs got a gigantic break as the puck came free around center ice, where it found the open man leaving the box. He’d take it the distance and punch it home for an early Woodstock lead.
The goal would be the only one the rest of the period, sending the teams to their locker rooms with Woodstock ahead by one.
Coming out of the intermission, the Bobcats knew they needed to act fast, and lucky for them, freshman Wyatt Fouche was quick to jump.
Just 12 seconds into the period, Fouche found the back of the net for his first career goal, knotting up the score at one apiece.
The second period continued with a lot of fire. Both teams would trade goals again, with senior Landon Ayotte tacking one on for the Bobcats to keep par with the Centaurs.
Entering the third period, the score was even at two. With two teams desperate for a win, every player knew the importance of every second.
Early into the period, senior captain Junior Heredia passed the puck to Ayotte near the net. Ayotte, who missed the first seven games of the season with a lingering back injury, wound up and fired in his second goal of the game.
As quick as the 3-2 lead came, it vanished soon after. The Centaurs snuck a shot past sophomore goalie Owen Sampson to bring the score back to a tie.
With the clock ticking down and both teams desperate for the winning goal, Bobcats head coach Nick Gionfriddo entered his best goal scorers onto the ice.
As it ran under three minutes, the ‘Cats entered the offensive zone with heavy pressure. A few good looks would come up empty, until Heredia skated free on the left side.
The Bobcats captain found senior Josh Willoughby open in front of the net, where he capitalized with what seemed to be the winning goal. Heredia’s fourth assist put the ‘Cats ahead with 1:54 left in the contest.
Just over one minute remained in the game as the Centaurs pulled their goalie to try and send the game to overtime.
When it seemed there’d be no time for a miracle, the Centaurs got their break, sniping a shot from near the blue line that found the back of the net. With just 5.5 seconds left, the home team pulled off a miraculous game-tying goal.
As overtime began, the Centaurs were quick to attack. Several great shots were saved by Sampson to keep the ‘Cats alive.
With under four minutes left in the extra period, Heredia would skate up the right side of the ice and get past his defender. The captain, looking to cap off his career day, flung a shot towards the top right of the net.
The Centaurs goalie lunged to his side as the puck went past his glove and trickled down the back of the net. 5-4 Bobcats.
Heredia skated towards center ice where he was soon mobbed by his teammates.
Being one of three captains of the team, Heredia knew he had to step up, telling The Prowl “It felt good. I think our team really needed that win because it’s going to help us move forward in the right direction.”
Heredia knows the team can still improve, saying “I think the team played decently. There’s always things we could work and improve on but today it worked out.”
South Windsor coach Nick Gionfriddo knew the importance of the win, telling The Prowl, “That was a character win. We could’ve folded after giving up the late goal, but the guys dug in, stayed connected, and found a way to finish it in overtime. That’s the kind of response you want to see from your team.”
With the win, the ‘Cats move to 3-9, matching last year’s win total with still eight games to go. Heredia’s five point day helped spark the Bobcats on what can hopefully turn into a win streak to propel them to the state playoffs.
