Streaking at 7-0-2 over its last nine games, including ties against talented St. George’s and Dexter Southfield teams, Pomfret is playing its best hockey at the right time.
A veteran group headlined by four postgrads, nine seniors and eight juniors, the Griffins are unbeaten since Jan. 12 and boast a 12-4-2 record heading into the final stretch of the prep hockey season.
With six games remaining ahead of the New England playoffs in March, Matt Goethals’ club looks to finish strong and secure its fourth NEPSAC tournament bid since winning the Small School championship in 2017.
“We're in a good spot,” Goethals said. “The guys have been playing hard, we’ve had timely scoring and pretty good team defense overall, so it's been a good year so far.”
The team’s success starts with Kellen Beauton (Colchester, Conn.) in net. The '03 senior has amassed a .944 save percentage and 1.87 goals-against average with five shutouts in over 800 minutes played.
“Kellen has been phenomenal. He’s our MVP so far, giving us a chance to win every game. The league is so competitive, so having a goalie that is consistently making the saves that you need him to make gives the guys a lot of confidence," Goethals said.
Up front, Declan Chapman is the leader of the offensive group. With a team-best 13 goals through 18 games, his 25 points are tied for the team lead alongside fellow '03 senior Matt Spears (Barrington, R.I.).
“He’s been great,” Goethals said of Chapman, who hails from Douglas, Mass. “He’s got elite speed and his finishing has been great — he's gotten in tight to the goalies and buried pucks — so he's been really good for us.
"Matt just competes hard in all three zones. He does a lot of little things right, but he's also been getting on the scoresheet and making plays."
Nils Forselius (Guilford, Conn.) and '04 junior Aidan D'Urso round out the Griffins' top-4 scoring list. Forselisius, an '03 senior co-captain who fills a leadership role alongside Beauton and senior defenseman Philippe Lamarre, has contributed 22 points through 18 games.
"Nils has had a good year," Goethals said. "He has moments offensively where he's electric in terms of what he can do with the puck, but he's also been a guy who's made some big plays in some key spots."
Postgrads Tatum Fitzmaurice (Madison, Conn.) and Noah Webster are enjoying productive seasons after joining the team from Daniel Hand High (Conn.) and New Brunswick, respectively. Another postgrad, ’02 defenseman Josh Milso, is making a notable impact after playing three seasons at BC High.
“He’s been really consistent," Goethals said of Milso, a native of Bridgewater, Mass. "He runs our second power play and he’s got a big shot, but where I've been most impressed with him is his defensive half of the ice. He's got great gap control, a really good stick and he plays the body well. He's been one of our best defensemen."
While Lamarre hasn’t been a major contributor in the scoring department, the '02 blueliner has made his presence felt in myriad other ways.
“He's consistently been one of our best defensemen,” Goethals said of Lamarre, who hails from St. Augustine, Fla. "He’s just a really strong skater, really sound defensively, moves pucks well. He’s done a great job this year for us at being a really steady influence on the blue line.”
Coming off their Feb. 2 tie with Dexter (in which they trailed 3-1 in the second period) and Wednesday's 11-0 thumping of Choate, the Griffins are playing their best hockey heading into the final stretch.
However, with key matchups against Frederick Gunn, Avon Old Farms and other playoff-bound teams still on the docket, there's plenty of work to do.
“We had a good month of January, but I think the guys know we've got a big month ahead of us,” Goethals said. “Playing a lot of good teams — even teams with losing records are good teams — they're going to give us tough games.
“Hopefully we can stay healthy. The guys are certainly excited about trying to make a run for the playoffs and hopefully, if we get in, we’ll be playing some good team hockey when we get there.”
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