Arrows fall to TLC

From: Brattleboro Reformer, VT - Sep 19, 2003

BRATTLEBORO -- Austine School for the Deaf outscored the Learning School by two goals in the second half on Thursday, but it wasn't enough.

The 0-3 Arrows fell behind 5-1 after one half of play on Thursday and even though they outscored their opponent 3-1 in the second stanza, still fell, 6-4.

"If we didn't allow the first half -- then we win," Arrow coach Peter Rausch said. "You've got to look at the bright side of things."

Some bright spots for the Arrows were scores from Simon Walters, Steve Limoges, Tucker Kilburn and Sumit Malik's first tally of the season.

Limoges, who played goalie in the first half, was replaced in the net in the second by Jacob Toms. Toms only gave up one goal in the second frame and stopped six shots.

All of the damage in the first half by the Learning Center was done by Deaf All-American forward Jake Bennett. The Learning Center forward scored five times in the first 40 minutes to pace his squad.

"He's really fast and really good," Rausch said of Bennett. "He's really, really, really. That's all I can say."

Another really great deaf athlete was on the field Thursday at the Arrow game, Austine alum Daryl Wetzel.

Wetzel, a 1979 graduate of Austine who now lives in Fremont, Calif., was at the game to blow the honorary starting whistle. Wetzel was treated to a dinner in his honor after the game and spoke at a seminar at the school earlier in the day.

Wetzel is back in the northeast because he will be inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame at the Ryan Center on the campus of the University of Rhode Island today.

Wetzel's long list of basketball achievements include: Deaf All-American 1979, Austine 1,000-point scorer, Austine single-game-points record, varsity player at Gallaudet University; Deaf Olympian, Gold medalist at the 1981 Deaf Olympic games and the first deaf referee in Vermont.

© 2003 Brattleboro Reformer