The Hamden Green Dragons girls' hockey team encountered little resistance from the opposing Hornets of Branford on Saturday, as Hamden quickly went ahead 3-0 before the three minute mark of the first period en-route to an eventual 8-0 victory at Lou Astorino Rink.
Savanna Reilly logged the game's first goal just 17 seconds into the action, followed closely by goals from Taylor Tuelings and Katie Gontarski. By the time the first period had concluded, Hamden had doubled their efforts and led 6-0 heading into the second period.
The Green Dragons would go on to score two more goals in the second period, the first of which coming off the stick of Colleen Murphy at the 6:52 mark to make it 7-0. That was followed by the last goal of the game by Heather Del Cervo with just 23 seconds remaining in the period.
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Hamden coach Val Chamberlain thought the game provided a good tune-up for his team as they prepare for a matchup against Greenwich on Monday night.
"I think today gave us a little bit of confidence moving forward," Chamberlain said.
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For the Hornets, the game provided a chance to gain some experience against one of the better programs in the state, as Branford encounters the ups and downs of their inaugural season under head coach Lauren Wiggins.
"Each game we're getting better and better," Wiggins said."Obviously we're going through our growing pains, but all we can ask is that everybody gets better with the basics, skating and stick handling and learning the game."
One of the bright spots for Branford was senior goalie Chandlar Fowler, who made 32 saves despite allowing the 8 goals. Hamden goalies Megan DeCrescente and Elise Danaher had far less opportunities to showcase their talents, as they each saw just five shots combined on goal.
The two teams will get a chance to play each other again in just seven days, as Hamden will travel to East Haven to play the Hornets next Saturday in a game that could provide a different result now that the two sides are more familiar with one another. However, Hamden will have to pass the much tougher test of playing Greenwich on the road before they think about next weekend.
"It's going to be a faster game, and it's going to be a tense game," Chamberlain said. "It's against a Fairfield County team, which is always a good rivalry."
