WETHERSFIELD - An early goal would not save the Wethersfield High School ice hockey team from a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Central Connecticut East leader East Catholic on Monday afternoon at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell.

       East Catholic responded almost instantly from Nick Laurito’s first period goal and did not look back the rest of the game, pouring pressure on the Eagles net.

       “We didn’t sustain it,” said Eagles head coach Dennis Tulimieri after the game. “We didn’t stay focused on the game.”

       The tying goal came off of a Griffin Casey breakaway. The junior forward took a neutral zone pass from Patrick Bishop and skated in alone, sliding the puck to the left of Eagles goaltender Tyler Godlewski and sliding it low at 7:55 of the first.

       East Catholic maintained a forecheck that crippled the Wethersfield breakout in the closing period of the game.

       “It really relies on the defensemen to make that first pass immediately,” Tulimieri said of his team’s clearing difficulties. “They were taking a first and second look.”

       Tulimieri added, “Something can [also] be said of the forwards being in the position they’re supposed to be.”

       Things did not get better for Wethersfield from there on out. As the teams hit the final minute of the first period, East Catholic struck again. This time it was Lee Munson, taking a feed from Vinny Genovesi on a two-on-one break and one-timing it into the left corner to give his team the one goal edge.

       Godlewski faced a slew of shots in the third period that came due to defensive zone turnovers. He turned away two point blank shots from the slot by Alex Manner, before the second one rebounded to his right where Lee Munson was there to punch it in to put East Catholic up 3-1.

       After Godlewski left the game with an injury sustained when an East Catholic skater collided with him in the crease, the Eagles conceded again when James McCarthy skated out from behind the Wethersfield net and snapped a wrister that beat Domingo Rodriguez at 2:19 to make it 4-1.