Granby Field Hockey Deals Hand 1-0 Loss

If Saturday afternoon’s Homecoming game against Daniel Hand was a test for the Granby Memorial High field hockey team, then the Bears passed with flying colors.

Indeed, Granby defeated last year’s state Class M runner-up 1-0, as the out-of-conference match served as a nice way for the Bears to see how they measure up against one of the tougher teams in the state.

“This is a really big homecoming weekend; the kids were really ready to play,” said Granby head coach Sandy Wickman Mason, whose team improved to 9-1 (7-1 NCCC). “They look forward to playing somebody out of our league from down state. It’s a great measuring stick for us to know how do we compare in the state. Hand always comes with a high level of intensity. It brings out the best in both teams. The intensity we showed is a good visual for the kids as we move forward, because that’s what we are going to need to do to accomplish the goals we have set.”

Amy Bilodeau scored the game’s only goal in the first half on a gorgeous a sequence as one will see in high school field hockey.

Taking possession at the Granby 12-yard box, Mia Olsen sent a gorgeous outlet pass down the field to Leah Giuliano streaking up the right side of the field.

Giuliano advanced deep in Hand’s zone and centered to the terrific Brooke Kumnick, who then threaded a pass to the far post of the cage, which Bilodeau slotted home.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Justlikethat, the Bears were up 1-0, with the goal having come at the expense of one of the best goalie’s in the state in Marisa McCann.

“It was just amazing,” said Wickman Mason. “It was really nice. We actually have been working on that play.”

The defense, led by Megan Griffin, Kate Mooney, Olsen, Mackenzie Brower and Haley Makuch, stifled Daniel Hand’s attack, allowing just five penalty corners and three shots on net.

Bears’ goalie Nicole Kuhnly was called on to make several key saves; as Wickman Mason noted, the senior keeper’s role isn’t an easy one.

“I’m not sure she’s even had 20 saves until this point,” Wickman Mason said. And it’s hard to maintain your own intensity and focus when you haven’t had any action for 40 minutes. But this kind of game she had to be active. She was totally into the game.”

Makuch nearly doubled the Bears’ lead in the second half, firing two lasers right at the cage, only to have them turned aside by a game McCann.

“Their goalkeeper was just unbelievable,” Wickman Mason said. “That whole thing with Haley was just like, ‘Oh my god.’ It was amazing. Those balls were hard shots. Hayley was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, what more can I do?’”

But the defense and Kuhnly made the lead stand up, handing Hand (8-3-1) a tough loss.

Hand head coach Sue Leckey said, however, that she was not too disappointed with the defeat.

“It’s great competition for us and it’s nice to be challenged,” said Leckey. “To know we can hang in there. It’ll be nicer knowing we can come up on the winning end of that, but it’s a good game for us. We play on turf, so it’s a little bit of an adjustment. I think they brought a level of intensity that we didn’t have the majority of the game that we found in the end. I think if we had had it a little sooner, we might have been able to make something happen. It was a great game to watch. I would rather have been a fan than a coach in this game. It was a top, good game of hockey. I consider it a notch of respect from Granby that they want to play us.”

The Bears are scheduled to face Enfield on the road Monday at 3:45 p.m.

Notes: After last the Bears' 2-1 loss to Avon last Monday, someone was going to pay. The victim turned out to be Somers, which lost to Granby Memorial 9-0 last Thursday. There was no letup from the Bears on Saturday, either, as the defense stepped up to quell an otherwise potent Hand attack.

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