Husky Great Hanson Passes

Husky great and Waterbury native Tony Hansen has passed away at the
age of 63.

STORRS—With a heavy heart, it was announced that Tony Hanson, one of the most revered players in the history of UConn men’s basketball, passed away suddenly Sunday morning, Nov. 25, at the age of 63. A native of Waterbury who played at Holy Cross High School, Hanson's played at UConn spanned 1973-77, and produced statistics that remain impressive more than 40 years later. Following his departure from college, Hanson fashioned an equally impressive career as a basketball coach overseas.

Playing his entire UConn career under head coach Dee Rowe, the 6-5 guard-forward led the Huskies to a 73-38 overall record (.658) in his four years, including the 1976 ECAC New England Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16. Hanson also helped the Huskies earn invites to both the 1974 and 1975 National Invitation Tournaments.

Individually, Hanson was simply one of the finest players to ever wear a UConn uniform. In his senior year (1976-77), he was named the New England Player of the Year and U.S. Basketball Writers of America District I Player of the Year after averaging 26.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

Hanson was a three-time honoree as an All-New England selection and was also recognized for three consecutive seasons on the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District I Team and the USBWA All-District Team. As a junior in 1975-76, he was named to the ECAC New England Championship All-Tournament Team and the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team.

Hanson's impact at UConn was immediate as he was named Yankee Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 1974 and was a two-time All-Yankee Conference First Team pick in his sophomore and junior seasons.

Hanson's 1,990 career points stood as the all-time UConn scoring record for 15 years and still ranks No. 3 on the all-time list. He still holds the UConn marks for field goals made (784) and ranks No. 2 in single-season scoring average (26.0). He completed his four collegiate seasons with career averages of 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He produced 32 double-doubles during his career.

In 2001, Hanson was named by a vote of the fans to the UConn Men's Basketball All-Century Team and in 2006, he was part of the inaugural class of inductees to UConn's "Huskies of Honor" program, with his No. 42 placed on the wall of Gampel Pavilion. He is also a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

After completing his collegiate career, Hanson was a third-round draft choice of the New Orleans Jazz in the 1977 NBA Draft and enjoyed a successful professional playing career in Europe, competing for many years in Italy, France, Ireland and England.

It was as a basketball coach that Hanson continued his career within the game. Following his pro career, he became coach of the Tees Valley Mohawks, a top tier English basketball club team. In a 20-year coaching career at the highest level of senior men's basketball in England, Hanson's teams won numerous league, national and cup championships. At one point, he directed five consecutive National Trophy Championships – a record that still stands.

Hanson was not only a hero on the court, but off the court as well, using his unique ability to engage and enable the potential of teenagers with special needs. In 1997, he set up a non-profit organization called Reach for Success, now renamed as Hoop Dreams, part of a United Kingdom government youth initiative.

As a result of his tremendous community involvement, Hanson was placed on the Queens Honor List in 2006 to receive an MBE – Master of the British Empire, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on regular citizens who reside in the UK.

In 2009, Hanson received the Red O'Neill Award from The UConn Club, a prestigious honor reserved for former UConn student-athletes who have gone on to a successful career.

Hanson, who split time living in both Connecticut and England, leaves behind his wife, Sandy, children Chris, Nicki, Greg, David and Alex, as well as numerous members of his extended family.

—Staff Reports

Sound Tigers Top Rocket in Shootout

Keiffer Bellows had the game-winner as the Sound Tigers came away with
a 2-1 victory over the Laval Rocket in Quebec Friday night. (Photo
courtesy Bridgeport Sound Tigers)

LAVAL, Que.—Devon Toews scored his fifth goal of the season and Kieffer Bellows notched the game-winner in a four-round shootout as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (10-5-2-0 edged the Laval Rocket (7-8-2-0) in a 2-1 final at Place Bell on Friday. The Rocket are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.

The two clubs were locked in a scoreless duel well into the final frame before Bridgeport converted on a lengthy 5-on-3 power play midway through the period. Jeremy Smith (5-2-1) backstopped the win with 25 saves on 26 shots.

Smith and Rocket netminder Charlie Lindgren headlined the first 40-plus minutes with several quality saves to keep the game scoreless entering the third. Bridgeport outshot Laval 17-13 in the first two periods, but neither team could break the ice.

The Sound Tigers struck first at 7:23 of the final frame when Toews went top shelf for his 11th point (four goals, seven assists) in the last eight games. Following penalties 49 seconds apart against Daniel Audette (high-sticking) and Michael Chaput (cross-checking), Bridgeport gained the blue line and set up shop in the offensive zone. Chris Bourque occupied the left point and directed a pass to Josh Ho-Sang below the circle, where he opened up and slid a pass to the slot. It deflected off of Tanner Fritz’s skate and over to Toews, who fired it bar-down over Lindgren’s blocker.

Toews continues to rank fourth among all AHL defensemen with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) and is tied for 10th in the League overall this season. Meanwhile, Ho-Sang’s helper was his team-leading 15th this year, which is tops among all AHL forwards.

Bridgeport took a one-goal advantage into the final minutes of regulation before the Rocket pulled Lindgren for an extra attacker at the 17:24 mark. Their patience and relentless pressure paid off inside the final 36 seconds when Jake Evans settled a pass from Audette in the left circle and funneled a wrist shot through traffic and past Smith to erase his near-perfect performance. It was Evans’ team-leading sixth goal of the season, which came at 19:24.

Following a scoreless overtime session, Bellows potted the only tally out of eight skaters in the shootout and propelled the Sound Tigers to their 10th win of the year.

Bridgeport finished the game 1-for-7 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Lindgren (6-6-2) made 26 saves on 27 shots for Laval. The contest also included one fight at 12:00 of the second period when Parker Wotherspoon dropped the gloves with Michael McCarron for his first tilt of the season.

With the win, the Sound Tigers improve to 10-5-2-0, while the Rocket fall to 7-8-2-0). The Sound Tigers complete a three-game road trip Saturday night with a 7 p.m. match-up against the Belleville, Ont., Senators at CAA Arena. Fans can follow the live action via AHLTV and on the Sound Tigers Radio Network.

—Staff Reports

Sound Tigers Loan Hitchcock To Worcester

The Sound Tigers have loaned former Yale
star Ryan Hitchcock to the Worcester
Railers of the ECHL.

BRIDGEPORT—On Tuesday the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the New York Islanders, announced that forward Ryan Hitchcock has been loaned to the Worcester Railers H.C. of the .East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). In baseball terms, the AHL is equivalent to the AAA level, while the ECHL equates to the AA level of play

Hitchcock, 22, had one assist in nine games with the Sound Tigers this season. He signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with Bridgeport on Mar. 8, 2018 and collected nine points (three goals, six assists) in 16 contests to end last season. He signed an AHL contact May 1, 2018.

Prior to turning pro, the 5-10, 180-lb. forward played at Yale where, as a senior, he registered a career-high 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 31 games while serving as the Bulldog’s captain. Hitchcock finished his college career with a plus-10 rating in 103 career games. As a freshman, the Manhasset, Long Island native led all newcomers with 15 points and earned the Martin Dwyer III Award as Yale's rookie MVP. In addition, Hitchcock helped Team USA capture a Bronze Medal at the 2015 U20 World Junior Championships and led Team USA to a Gold Medal at the 2014 U18 World Junior Championships.

Prior to attending Yale, Hitchcock skated in the U.S. National Development Program from 2012-14 and played bantam hockey with the Long Island Gulls.

ON DECK

Next up for the Sound Tigers will be an 11 a.m. matchup with the Hartford Wolf Pack on Thursday at the XL Center in downtown Hartford. It will be the Wolf Pack’s fifth annual “Sonar Edu-skate” school day with area schools getting to enjoy the experience of hockey. The 9-5-1-0 Sound Tigers will be loo extend their current five-game winning streak against the 5-8-1-2 Wolf Pack. It will be the second of 10 regular-season games between the in-state arch-rivals. (In addition to their geographical proximity, it is the AHL version of the Rangers-Islanders rivalry. Bridgeport topped the Pack 5-4 in the only meeting between the teams to date this season on Oct. 27. Sebastian Aho had three assists that night and Ryan Bourque scored twice against his former team, while Steve Bernier notched the game-winner with a power-play tally at 6:26 of the third period. Christopher Gibson earned the win with 23 saves.

Hartford head coach Keith McCambridge's club is on a three-game slide (0-1-0-2) as the Pack continues a five-game homestand. Most recently, Tim Gettinger scored Hartford's lone tally in a 4-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last Saturday at XL Center. Dustin Tokarski made 28 saves in his fourth consecutive setback—and his third straight in regulation. Steven Fogarty is the leader of the Pack in goals scored (with 7) and points (14). Former No. 7 overall pick Lias Andersson is second in scoring with 12 points. However, Andersson will not be available for the Wolf Pack on Wednesday having been recalled by the parent New York Rangers on Monday.

The Sound Tigers will carry a number of notable streaks into their three-game road trip this week. Steve Bernier is on a six-game point streak and an AHL career-best five-game assist streak, while Kieffer Bellows has scored in four consecutive games (five goals during that span)—the longest active streak in the AHL. Bernier hasn't logged points in seven straight games since a career-best eight-game streak from Dec. 22, 2005–Jan. 8, 2006. In addition, Otto Koivula is on a four-game point streak ahead of today's matchup.

Josh Ho-Sang had a trio of assists last week and now leads the Sound Tigers with 14 helpers and 15 points this season. Even better, Ho-Sang leads all AHL forwards in assists and is second in the League overall (one behind Rochester's Lawrence Pilut). Ho-Sang has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in his last six games.

Chris Bourque

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Three-time Calder Cup Champion Chris Bourque became just the 24th player in AHL history to eclipse 700 points when he collected the secondary assist on Devon Toews' first-period goal against Providence last Saturday. Bourque has played 735 AHL games and is currently three points shy of 23rd place on the all-time list held by Alex Giroux (2001-12).

He is also one goal away from tying Bob Solinger (241 goals, 1945-60) for 48th place on the all-time goal-scoring list and 14 helpers shy of tying Zellio Toppazzini (476, 1948-64) for 14th all-time in assists. Bourque has nine points (four goals, five assists) and a team-high 45 shots in 13 games with Bridgeport this season.

QUICK HITS
Brent Thompson is two wins shy of his 200th AHL/Sound Tigers victory as head coach… Kyle Burroughs is two games away from his 200th AHL/Sound Tigers appearance… Bridgeport is 9-1-1-0 this season when leading at any point in a game… The Sound Tigers have outscored opponents 42-29 at home this season and are currently on a seven-game point streak at Webster Bank Arena (6-0-1-0)... Jeremy Colliton, the Sound Tigers' all-time leader in assists (126) & points (203), was named head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Nov. 6... Devon Toews and Travis St. Denis both have three goals and five assists (eight points) over their last six games... Toews is tied for fourth among AHL defensemen with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists).

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
The Sound Tigers feature an extensive promotional schedule with a fan-friendly calendar includes the return of popular themes like Hockey and Hops (Nov. 23 and Mar. 17), Military Appreciation (Jan. 12), Star Wars Night (Jan. 19) and Princess Night (Mar. 30). Regional hockey fans can enjoy Hockey Weekend in Connecticut (Feb. 23-24), while other new headliners include Holiday Gift Weekend (Dec. 15-16) and a revamped Teddy Bear Toss (Nov. 23). To view the complete 2018-19 promotional schedule HERE.

—Staff Reports

Huskies Fall To SMU

By Bob Phillips

UConn running back Zavier Scott breaks loose at mid-field for the
Huskies against SMU. The Mustangs prevailed, 62-50, as the Huskies'
downward spiral continued. (Photo by Bill Harper)

EAST HARTFORD—UConn’s long day’s journey into night continued on Saturday as Southern
Methodist came to town—and promptly proceeded to run the Huskies out of it—to the tune of 62-50.

"We tried to make it a shootout and outscore 'em if we could, but we weren't able to do that," UConn coach Randy Edsall said. [Translation: UConn’s defense is as effective as a slow-moving dump truck on the Autobahn.]

As has been the case most of the season, this game didn’t start out that badly for the Huskies. While the Mustangs scored the game’s first 10 points, the Huskies cut the SMU lead to 10-7 on a 30-yard run by senior quarterback David Pindell with 2:46 remaining in the first period. Game on, right? Well, no, actually.

SMU stormed down the field on the Mustangs’ next possession, reaching paydirt five-yard run by Ke’on Freeman, capping a five-play, 76-yard drive to end the quarter with the Mustangs holding a 17-7 advantage. SMU then outscored Connecticut 14-7, taking a 17 point lead, 31-10, into the locker room at intermission. The Mustangs scored on their first five possessions.

“That's kind of been the story of the year for us,” said Edsall. "I thought the first half, physically, we had it handed to us defensively. Then I thought we at least picked it up a little bit physically, but then we missed some assignments"

Indeed, the Connecticut offense rallied to score 40 points in the second half. But the defense was hard-pressed to make any stops. In the end, the Huskies simply could not dig themselves out of the first-half hole they dug for themselves.

“When we had a chance to make a tackle, we just didn't make it,” said Edsall. “Those are all the things we have to work on.

There were some plusses to take away from this game—especially on the offense. For instance, the Huskies amassed 580 yards of total offense, including 365 on the ground. Pindell (181 yards rushing) has eclipsed rushing 100 yards on six occasions this season, including each of the Huskies last four games. The senior signal caller also threw for 215 yards, including four touchdowns. The 6-0, 195-lb., senior from Columbia, Md., became the first signal caller in Husky history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (he has 1,118). That also makes him the first Connecticut player to break the 1,000-yard rushing barrier since Lyle McCombs ran for 1,151 yards in 2011. And sophomore tailback Kevin Mensah ran the ball 28 times for 184 yards and one TD.

But there were precious few positives on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage. The Mustangs gained 594 yards of total offense—that’s nearly six football fields—including 315 yards rushing under the direction of offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who coached the UConn offense last season. The Mustangs’ Ke'Mon Freeman and Xavier Jones each ran for more than 100 yards and combined for five touchdowns, and QB Ben Hicks threw for 276 yards and one touchdown for SMU, which improved to 5-5 overall (4-2 in conference play), and is at .500 for the first time this season.

With the loss, Connecticut, which has made a major argument for being one of—if not the worst—team in BSC this season, falls to 1-9 (0-6 in The American, which will never be mistaken for the Big 10). The Huskies’ only win this season came against URI, an FCS team (which is exactly where the Huskies should be playing).

One huge positive was the return of linebacker Eli Thomas, who walked on the field prior to the game to take part in the ceremonial coin toss. The 6-1 redshirt sophomore from Elmira, NY, suffered a stroke last month.

"He surprised us last night at the team dinner," Pindell said. "Nobody knew he was going to be there, and everybody was all surprised and happy for him."

UConn now travels to Greenville, NC, where they will take on the 2-7 (0-6) East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

—with staff reports