Nine Westwood Hockey Players Named All Stars

Westwood Hockey has seen its share of accomplishments within the 2010-2011 season. Boys Hockey won the and is battling it out in the this weekend.

It takes the players and personnel to achieve such high accolades, and this year the Wolverine Boys had seven senior All Stars and the leading the way.

The boys went 15-3-1 in the regular season and to advance to the next round of the State Tournament. The team will be playing in Bourne on Sunday with the opponent to be announced.

The first-team All Stars, which were originally announced during Westwood’s game against Medway in February, include: Brett Egizi, Kevin Gavin, Conor Murphy, Jimmy Curtin and Chris Treon. Brendan Skehill and Andreas Nicolos were named to the second team.

The All Stars have been doing their part already during the playoffs after a huge 7-0 win against Marian High School. First-time All Star Center Andreas Nicolos scored four goals and had an assist in their tournament win against Marian.

Defenseman Jimmy Curtin is another first-time All Star, and had a pair of assists in the same game against Marian. While the defense of Curtin and two-time All Star Conor Murphy made his job a little easier, three-time All Star Goalie Chris Treon had the shut out with 12 saves.

Treon has been a master in the net, posting four shut-outs in the regular season and another in the State Tournament. It was not uncommon to see him with 30 or more saves a night. He was named Goalie of the Year and will also participate in the Senior All Star Game on Sunday, March 27 in Worcester.

Right Winger Brendan Skehill and Senior Defenseman Conor Murphy were named to their second All Star team. Murphy explained that this season was special because they were a team that overcame a good deal of adversity relating to injuries.

“The adversity actually brought us together,” Murphy said.

He and three-time All Star Brett Egizi explained that the team dealt with injuries, academic issues and suspensions. Egizi has also continued his strong play throughout the playoffs with a goal and two assists on Wednesday night.

Some real adversity came when Kevin Gavin broke his jaw earlier in the season. But the team stayed the course and filled in roles where they needed to be filled.

Head Coach Mike Welby has consistently expressed pride in the way his team rises above, and said that this allowed players that wouldn’t normally have a lot of playing time to prove what they had.

The All Stars were excited for Gavin’s return and were very optimistic about their chances in the playoffs.

“Garden, baby!” Murphy said with reassuring laughter from his teammates.

Athletic Director Karl Fogel has been impressed with Westwood’s play throughout the season, as well. He had high compliments for the players and coaches, saying that they comprise one of the best teams in Westwood hockey history.

“This is by far the most talented and hard working team in my seven years at the school,” said Fogel. “The team comprises good athletes who are also very serious students. Chris Treon is a great goalie and Gavin is an explosive scorer.

He added, “Mike Welby is a true professional as a coach who cares about his players on and off the ice. He always handles winning and losing with class."

Westwood Girls All Stars: Ela Hazar and Kim Egizi

Westwood Girls Hockey started off well, and had a few huge wins. However, the young team couldn’t keep the fire going and had a six game slide at the end of the season.

A very bright spot, however, is that the team boasts two All Stars: Ela Hazar and Kim Egizi, who are both freshmen. The All Star game took place on February 26.

If the performance of these two star athletes is any indication of years to come for varsity girls hockey in Westwood, the town is in for some exciting games ahead

“This is great honor and accomplishment,” said girls' Head Coach Rick Chuschiel. “They are the only freshmen on the North All Star team. In fact, this is the first time two freshmen from the same team have made the All-Star team.”

Hazar finished with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 19 games while Egizi finished with 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 17 games.

Egizi and Hazar have been playing hockey together for six years, and both attribute their success to the help each other have given.

“Playing with Ela has been great because we have been playing together for as long as I can remember,” said Egizi. “We play all of our sports together, so we create very good chemistry. I’m so lucky to have Ela to play with because she makes me a better player by pushing me in practice and games."

Egizi said that she has enjoyed playing for Westwood and that it was a real honor to be chosen for the All Star team as a freshman. Hazar agreed wholeheartedly with Egizi, saying that it has been great to able to share the honor with her teammate.

“I was very honored to be asked to play on this team, particularly as a freshman, and hope I represented Westwood well at the game,” said Hazar.