Taconic Icers Roll Up Big Win at Mount Everett
SHEFFIELD, Mass. -- Kevin Quinto was one of the few Taconic hockey players who did not figure into the scoring in Friday’s 12-1 win over Mount Everett.
But it would be hard to overstate Quinto’s impact on Taconic program.
Before Friday’s game, Quinto was recognized with the Donald Troy Sr. Sportsmanship Award by the Berkshire County Ice Hockey Officials Association.
Quinto followed up the award ceremony the Berkshire School’s Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center by returning to the ice after battling injury much of the season.
“You heard them talk about him with the Sportsmanship Award before the game, and all the things they said about him are true,” Taconic coach Jeff Daury said. “We see it every day in practice. Even when he wasn’t on the ice, he was at practice or on the bus ride.
“And you can see he just presents himself in a good way. That’s good for the team in general. We have leaders on the team, but he’s another true leader.”
Taconic was led on the scoresheet Friday by Nikos Gian, who scored twice and set up three more goals. Kyle Crocker had a hat trick, and Aiden Kotski and Mason Alfonso each scored twice.
Taconic jumped out quickly with five first period goals, the last two by Gian to take a 5-0 lead.
“It’s probably the first time all year where we’ve put together what I’d call three super periods of hockey,” Daury said. “We just had a great week of practice, and it really felt like this was going to be the kind of game where we’d break out. It was great to see.”
Crocker was the breakout star of the night, collecting his first career hat trick.
“He certainly leads our defensive corps back there,” Daury said. “He’s a senior, real good speed, handles the puck well, has a good shot, good vision. Early on in the year, I don’t think we were getting our defensemen involved as much in the offense. He’s doing it, and I think the other guys are feeding off it. … He’s clearly a talented kid.”
Taconic’s last line of defense, Logan Spagnuolo, made 19 saves to earn the victory.
He nearly had a shutout before Nigel Baldwin scored a short-handed goal for the Eagles in the final minute.
In addition to the ceremony for Quinto, Friday was Senior Night for Mount Everett, which recognized Baldwin and classmate Matt DiSilva.
Although the Eagles welcome most of their roster back for 2017-18, Mount Everett coach Aidan Gilligan stopped short of characterizing the current season as a rebuilding year in South County.
“A little bit,” he said. “We’ve got talent on this team. When we’ve played well, we’ve put up pretty good efforts against some really good hockey teams.
“It’s just a matter of making sure we come out every night and do it for 45 minutes.”