Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wrestling: SCC Championship
RT @SCCCommissioner: Xavier stops Hand's quest for a SCC wrestling four-peat... Falcons win 2011 SCC Wrestling Championship.
Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Top Games (2/12) [and Sunday 2/13 too]
Lots of games, lots of good teams in action:
Saturday
Notre Dame-Fairfeild @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 1pm
-I know ND is 3-9-1 but you cannot sleep on them. The Lancers have a veteran coach in Marty Ross and year after year they make a push late in the season. Prep could definitely use this game to gear up for Xavier on Sunday. I'm not saying ND will win, I'm just sayin (great Sam Adams song) to keep an eye on ND and after the slew of upsets we've had this week, you never know.
Conard @ Tri-Town @ 330
-I don't particularly like Tri-Town and their inflated record but they did only lose to S Windsor 1-3 and they did beat Greenwich in overtime so I'll show them some respect in a game against a team like Conard. Conard needs this win to prove that the flukes in their schedule aren't the wins (Glastonbury and Guilford) but the losses/ties (Farmington, Daniel Hand, etc). In other words, they need to show they are a good team with a few bad losses instead of a bad team with a few good wins.
#4 Hamden @ #9 South Windsor @ 5
-Saturday's best game (game of the weekend, not including Friday, is tomorrow). Last week this game looked like it would be a good game that South Windsor could maybe catch Hamden after their New Canaan. Now, South Windsor has established themselves as a team that certainly can upset the Green Dragons if they don't play their hardest (see: last night against New Canaan). Hamden, on the other hand, is technically still one win away from making the play-offs, on a three-game losing streak (against the #1 and #2 teams in CT and the #1 team in RI) but nonetheless this is their fourth game in five days. I think a later in the day would have helped Hamden but hopefully the players got a good night's sleep, spent some time thinking about what went wrong last night at Lou Astorino and coach Bill Verneris has the kids looking past last night and focusing on the game today. South Windsor is sitting at 13-2, on fire right now having beaten West Haven, down at Bennett Rink on Wednesday, and really playing with a chip on their shoulder that seems to be helping a lot. If you, can get to the South Windsor Arena on Route 5 tonight, this game is gonna a gem!
St. Joseph @ #2 New Canaan @ 620
-New Canaan is playing on back-to-back nights too and their third game in four days (all good games, Darien was on Wed). This will be good for them too because they need to get over the game last night too. Although it was a humongous win, it was still just one game and they've got another today. Also, lets not forget that St. Joseph has a fairly good team this year, with wins over Amity and Wilton. They did lose to New Canaan 2-6 last time and Guilford once before, 2-5, but other than that undefeated (11-2). I think New Canaan will win by a lot again, but like I said before, you just never know when two good teams, especially conference rivals (FCIAC), collide. [Yes, this game has a lot greater chance of producing an upset than the ND/Prep game earlier today.]
Amity @ North Haven @ 8
-A 6-7 team at a 4-8...how is this a good game? North Haven literally has the potential to beat any team in the state every time they step out on the ice; it is simply a matter of it just not happening yet. Even if you disagree with that last statement, the 6 in-state losses have been to teams #3-6 and 10 in my last poll while they have wins over Cheshire, Hand, Simsbury and 12-0 over North Branford. The Indians have talent; their weakness is their goalie. Amity, after moving up to DI this year, has also only lost to quality teams in the state, and a decent 9-4 East Haven squad. No one in DI will overlook them in the tournament. That being said, this game is a quality match-up between two teams looking to prove themselves and use a win against the other to make a push for making the state tournament.
Staples-Weston-Shelton @ #7 Ridgefield @ 850
-Yeah, I'm showin' some DIII love! Of course, S-W-S represents the division's top team but they have beat Wilton, Trinity Catholic and many middle-level DII teams. Thy only lost by one to St. Joseph and this is another FCIAC game so Ridgefield better come ready to play. In addition, Ridgefield needs a good win to stay in the Top Ten after the week other teams have been having.
Other games worth noting: #10 Glastonbury @ Wethersfield @ 6, Wilton @ Trinity Catolic @ 630, Greenwich @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlow @ 730, Darien @ Westhill @ 830.
Sunday
#3 Xavier @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 730pm
-Where to start? I'll give you a week in review, as it pertains to these two teams. On Tuesday, Prep went and did what I've been saying all along, beat Hamden 4-2 as an unequivocal statement that they are the best team in the state. Xavier got back in action on Thursday (last game before that: 1/29) against a good East Haven squad, but the Falcons well-rested offense shook off the rust in about 5 minutes and got a 5-2 win. Then, on Friday, Hamden lost to New Canaan, 0-2, complicating if Prep really is #1 in the state. What will work to Prep's disadvantage even more is if Hamden loses on Saturday to #9 South Windsor, coming off a 6-4 victory over #6 West Haven on Wednesday. Back to the two teams in this game, Prep is killing opponents, 26-4 in their last five games, goalie John Gilani has five shut-outs on the year, and they are tied with Hamden and Xavier for the toughest schedule in the state. It's no surprise (to me at least) they're number one. What Xavier has working to their credit is a 4-3 (really 4-2, stupid open net goal in third on goalie mistake) win over Hamden as well, being up 4-0 in that game. Their only in-state losses are by one goal to #2 New Canaan (4-5) and #5 Notre Dame-West Haven (2-3). Now lets talk strategy: Prep has the best offense in the state (even better than NC without injuries). Xavier goalie Austin Essery will need to have his best game of the year. This will allow Xavier's forwards, which run three quality lines deep, to chip away at Galiani and on a very basic level, get more by him than Prep gets by Essery. Prep has the edge in this game with some junior defensemen that should complicate things a bit for Xavier while Prep's offense will pick on Xavier's defense (2 sophomores, 2 freshmen) like every other team has been all season. The Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport will hosting the game of the weekend on Sunday night, i recommend getting their early and I hope everyone stays safe and warm!
NOTE: New Rankings will come out Sunday AFTER the Prep/X game.
Saturday
Notre Dame-Fairfeild @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 1pm
-I know ND is 3-9-1 but you cannot sleep on them. The Lancers have a veteran coach in Marty Ross and year after year they make a push late in the season. Prep could definitely use this game to gear up for Xavier on Sunday. I'm not saying ND will win, I'm just sayin (great Sam Adams song) to keep an eye on ND and after the slew of upsets we've had this week, you never know.
Conard @ Tri-Town @ 330
-I don't particularly like Tri-Town and their inflated record but they did only lose to S Windsor 1-3 and they did beat Greenwich in overtime so I'll show them some respect in a game against a team like Conard. Conard needs this win to prove that the flukes in their schedule aren't the wins (Glastonbury and Guilford) but the losses/ties (Farmington, Daniel Hand, etc). In other words, they need to show they are a good team with a few bad losses instead of a bad team with a few good wins.
#4 Hamden @ #9 South Windsor @ 5
-Saturday's best game (game of the weekend, not including Friday, is tomorrow). Last week this game looked like it would be a good game that South Windsor could maybe catch Hamden after their New Canaan. Now, South Windsor has established themselves as a team that certainly can upset the Green Dragons if they don't play their hardest (see: last night against New Canaan). Hamden, on the other hand, is technically still one win away from making the play-offs, on a three-game losing streak (against the #1 and #2 teams in CT and the #1 team in RI) but nonetheless this is their fourth game in five days. I think a later in the day would have helped Hamden but hopefully the players got a good night's sleep, spent some time thinking about what went wrong last night at Lou Astorino and coach Bill Verneris has the kids looking past last night and focusing on the game today. South Windsor is sitting at 13-2, on fire right now having beaten West Haven, down at Bennett Rink on Wednesday, and really playing with a chip on their shoulder that seems to be helping a lot. If you, can get to the South Windsor Arena on Route 5 tonight, this game is gonna a gem!
St. Joseph @ #2 New Canaan @ 620
-New Canaan is playing on back-to-back nights too and their third game in four days (all good games, Darien was on Wed). This will be good for them too because they need to get over the game last night too. Although it was a humongous win, it was still just one game and they've got another today. Also, lets not forget that St. Joseph has a fairly good team this year, with wins over Amity and Wilton. They did lose to New Canaan 2-6 last time and Guilford once before, 2-5, but other than that undefeated (11-2). I think New Canaan will win by a lot again, but like I said before, you just never know when two good teams, especially conference rivals (FCIAC), collide. [Yes, this game has a lot greater chance of producing an upset than the ND/Prep game earlier today.]
Amity @ North Haven @ 8
-A 6-7 team at a 4-8...how is this a good game? North Haven literally has the potential to beat any team in the state every time they step out on the ice; it is simply a matter of it just not happening yet. Even if you disagree with that last statement, the 6 in-state losses have been to teams #3-6 and 10 in my last poll while they have wins over Cheshire, Hand, Simsbury and 12-0 over North Branford. The Indians have talent; their weakness is their goalie. Amity, after moving up to DI this year, has also only lost to quality teams in the state, and a decent 9-4 East Haven squad. No one in DI will overlook them in the tournament. That being said, this game is a quality match-up between two teams looking to prove themselves and use a win against the other to make a push for making the state tournament.
Staples-Weston-Shelton @ #7 Ridgefield @ 850
-Yeah, I'm showin' some DIII love! Of course, S-W-S represents the division's top team but they have beat Wilton, Trinity Catholic and many middle-level DII teams. Thy only lost by one to St. Joseph and this is another FCIAC game so Ridgefield better come ready to play. In addition, Ridgefield needs a good win to stay in the Top Ten after the week other teams have been having.
Other games worth noting: #10 Glastonbury @ Wethersfield @ 6, Wilton @ Trinity Catolic @ 630, Greenwich @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlow @ 730, Darien @ Westhill @ 830.
Sunday
#3 Xavier @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 730pm
-Where to start? I'll give you a week in review, as it pertains to these two teams. On Tuesday, Prep went and did what I've been saying all along, beat Hamden 4-2 as an unequivocal statement that they are the best team in the state. Xavier got back in action on Thursday (last game before that: 1/29) against a good East Haven squad, but the Falcons well-rested offense shook off the rust in about 5 minutes and got a 5-2 win. Then, on Friday, Hamden lost to New Canaan, 0-2, complicating if Prep really is #1 in the state. What will work to Prep's disadvantage even more is if Hamden loses on Saturday to #9 South Windsor, coming off a 6-4 victory over #6 West Haven on Wednesday. Back to the two teams in this game, Prep is killing opponents, 26-4 in their last five games, goalie John Gilani has five shut-outs on the year, and they are tied with Hamden and Xavier for the toughest schedule in the state. It's no surprise (to me at least) they're number one. What Xavier has working to their credit is a 4-3 (really 4-2, stupid open net goal in third on goalie mistake) win over Hamden as well, being up 4-0 in that game. Their only in-state losses are by one goal to #2 New Canaan (4-5) and #5 Notre Dame-West Haven (2-3). Now lets talk strategy: Prep has the best offense in the state (even better than NC without injuries). Xavier goalie Austin Essery will need to have his best game of the year. This will allow Xavier's forwards, which run three quality lines deep, to chip away at Galiani and on a very basic level, get more by him than Prep gets by Essery. Prep has the edge in this game with some junior defensemen that should complicate things a bit for Xavier while Prep's offense will pick on Xavier's defense (2 sophomores, 2 freshmen) like every other team has been all season. The Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport will hosting the game of the weekend on Sunday night, i recommend getting their early and I hope everyone stays safe and warm!
NOTE: New Rankings will come out Sunday AFTER the Prep/X game.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Results (2/10 and 2/11)
Thursday
Conard 6 @ Guilford 1
-Talk about a cataclysm. Guilford takes their first lost at hands of the Conard Chieftains. Conard certainly looks like they will make the DI state tournament now and maybe they can use this big win to start putting together some consistently good play and possibly upset Xavier along the way. Guilford will retreat to three DIII games in a row then play East Haven next Saturday, a team much better than Conard, and then coast into the playoffs with another DIII and bottom of DII opponent.
#3 Xavier 5 @ East Haven 2
-Just what the doctor ordered for the Falcons, now 10-4. East Haven only falls to 9-4 and will have more chances to pull a shocker when they play Hamden and Guilford next week, Notre Dame-West Haven the week after and finish off the season with North Haven. Charlie Dupont became an integral part of the offense again and Xavier looked strong the whole game. They came out firing on all cylinders, doing everything right and playing good team puck. Austin Essery was solid in net but East Haven's potent offense showed itself, managing two goals (it was 3-1 at one point), most notably freshman sensation Stephen Marsico. Brandon Reid had himself a big game scoring twice but almost every forward had either an assist or goal this game...a very good sign for Xavier moving forward as they play @ #1 Fairfield Prep Sunday.
Friday
#2 New Canaan 2 @ #4 Hamden 0
-In a spot normally reserved for high school basketball, hockey stole the spotlight this Friday night. In front of an estimated 1,200 fans (yours truly had a birthday diner and basketball game to attend), the only undedefeated team left, New Canaan took down the Green Dragons from Hamden. I looked at the score and instantly began wondering how Hamden did not score. According to the fans and players I know that were there, Hamden did not come to play, understandable after the week they've been having, and New Canaan goalie Tim Nowacki was not tested much (not so much # of shots but quality of shots). That being said, I do not want to take anything away from New Canaan; they beat a tough, physical team whose best offense is their defense, at Hamden's home ice, and without arguably their best two forwards, Henry Corcoran and Dylan Hart...an EXTREMELY impressive feat! The Rams have proved their legitimacy for the most part but I will have to see how the Fairfield Prep/Xavier game goes to make the new rankings. Hopefully Hamden gets it together for their game against South Windsor Saturday because, I hate to say it but, Hamden, with their incredibly tough schedule, still hasn't made the playoffs and, although it is almost a guarantee that they will (they had ND-Fairfield again), seeding will play a major role in the DI tournament this year. New Canaan only has St. Joseph on Saturday left to worry about (do not overlook this game) and possibly Wilton next Wednesday.
Conard 6 @ Guilford 1
-Talk about a cataclysm. Guilford takes their first lost at hands of the Conard Chieftains. Conard certainly looks like they will make the DI state tournament now and maybe they can use this big win to start putting together some consistently good play and possibly upset Xavier along the way. Guilford will retreat to three DIII games in a row then play East Haven next Saturday, a team much better than Conard, and then coast into the playoffs with another DIII and bottom of DII opponent.
#3 Xavier 5 @ East Haven 2
-Just what the doctor ordered for the Falcons, now 10-4. East Haven only falls to 9-4 and will have more chances to pull a shocker when they play Hamden and Guilford next week, Notre Dame-West Haven the week after and finish off the season with North Haven. Charlie Dupont became an integral part of the offense again and Xavier looked strong the whole game. They came out firing on all cylinders, doing everything right and playing good team puck. Austin Essery was solid in net but East Haven's potent offense showed itself, managing two goals (it was 3-1 at one point), most notably freshman sensation Stephen Marsico. Brandon Reid had himself a big game scoring twice but almost every forward had either an assist or goal this game...a very good sign for Xavier moving forward as they play @ #1 Fairfield Prep Sunday.
Friday
#2 New Canaan 2 @ #4 Hamden 0
-In a spot normally reserved for high school basketball, hockey stole the spotlight this Friday night. In front of an estimated 1,200 fans (yours truly had a birthday diner and basketball game to attend), the only undedefeated team left, New Canaan took down the Green Dragons from Hamden. I looked at the score and instantly began wondering how Hamden did not score. According to the fans and players I know that were there, Hamden did not come to play, understandable after the week they've been having, and New Canaan goalie Tim Nowacki was not tested much (not so much # of shots but quality of shots). That being said, I do not want to take anything away from New Canaan; they beat a tough, physical team whose best offense is their defense, at Hamden's home ice, and without arguably their best two forwards, Henry Corcoran and Dylan Hart...an EXTREMELY impressive feat! The Rams have proved their legitimacy for the most part but I will have to see how the Fairfield Prep/Xavier game goes to make the new rankings. Hopefully Hamden gets it together for their game against South Windsor Saturday because, I hate to say it but, Hamden, with their incredibly tough schedule, still hasn't made the playoffs and, although it is almost a guarantee that they will (they had ND-Fairfield again), seeding will play a major role in the DI tournament this year. New Canaan only has St. Joseph on Saturday left to worry about (do not overlook this game) and possibly Wilton next Wednesday.
Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's (2/10 and 2/11) Top Games
Thursday
Conard @ Guilford @ 530pm
-Conard's season has been characterized by peaks and valleys and right now they are in a valley. What better time to peak again than against against an undefeated team? One of the most intriguing things about this game is: who is the favorite to win? Guilford has the better record but no win the caliber of Conard's W over Glastonbury. Conard is a DI team but Guilford is the number one team in DII. If Guilford can get a big win that will say a lot. If Conard wins by a lot that will say a lot too. This is definitely a game worth watching!
#3 Xavier @ East Haven @ 730
-Xavier's first quality game in quite a while. East Haven has been having a very good and is looking to build on their win Amity while Xavier needs a big win to remain one of the elite teams in the state. A good win for Xavier will help them for when they take the trip down to the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport for their bout with #1 Fairfield Prep at 730pm on Sunday. Tonight's game can be heard on WELI 960 (New Haven) and ESPN 1300 with Coach George DeMaio. You can also stream the audio live online at www.960weli.com.
Friday
#2 New Canaan @ #4 Hamden @ 6
-This game literally cannot be hyped up enough. Unlike a Hamden/Prep game, however, the allure of this game is not so much two talented teams (in the best HS hockey rivalry in the state) battling it out to see who will emerge victorious this time but for this Hamden/NC game it is more the implications that a win has for either team and it ultimately affects every other team in the state when they want to draw comparisons. I am not saying that the two teams are not talented, the is far from the truth, but rather I am saying the attraction to the game stems from our longing to finally see who is better. Most either think Hamden is going to kill New Canaan or New Canaan will come out on top and prove they're the best team in the state. One way or the other, whoever wins this game can rightfully claim to be, at worst, the number two team in the state. NC comes in after a 3-1 win over Darien Monday and Hamden looks to bounce back from a 2-4 loss to Prep Tuesday and then 3-7 to Mount Saint Charles (#1 team in RI) Wednesday. The next thing to watch too will be that both play solid teams the next day (NC vs St. Joseph and Hamden at S Windsor) and how Xavier does against Prep on Sunday (both have big connections that game). I accurately picked the 4-2 Prep win on Tuesday so I want to pick this game too, officially: 6-5 Hamden.
Conard @ Guilford @ 530pm
-Conard's season has been characterized by peaks and valleys and right now they are in a valley. What better time to peak again than against against an undefeated team? One of the most intriguing things about this game is: who is the favorite to win? Guilford has the better record but no win the caliber of Conard's W over Glastonbury. Conard is a DI team but Guilford is the number one team in DII. If Guilford can get a big win that will say a lot. If Conard wins by a lot that will say a lot too. This is definitely a game worth watching!
#3 Xavier @ East Haven @ 730
-Xavier's first quality game in quite a while. East Haven has been having a very good and is looking to build on their win Amity while Xavier needs a big win to remain one of the elite teams in the state. A good win for Xavier will help them for when they take the trip down to the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport for their bout with #1 Fairfield Prep at 730pm on Sunday. Tonight's game can be heard on WELI 960 (New Haven) and ESPN 1300 with Coach George DeMaio. You can also stream the audio live online at www.960weli.com.
Friday
#2 New Canaan @ #4 Hamden @ 6
-This game literally cannot be hyped up enough. Unlike a Hamden/Prep game, however, the allure of this game is not so much two talented teams (in the best HS hockey rivalry in the state) battling it out to see who will emerge victorious this time but for this Hamden/NC game it is more the implications that a win has for either team and it ultimately affects every other team in the state when they want to draw comparisons. I am not saying that the two teams are not talented, the is far from the truth, but rather I am saying the attraction to the game stems from our longing to finally see who is better. Most either think Hamden is going to kill New Canaan or New Canaan will come out on top and prove they're the best team in the state. One way or the other, whoever wins this game can rightfully claim to be, at worst, the number two team in the state. NC comes in after a 3-1 win over Darien Monday and Hamden looks to bounce back from a 2-4 loss to Prep Tuesday and then 3-7 to Mount Saint Charles (#1 team in RI) Wednesday. The next thing to watch too will be that both play solid teams the next day (NC vs St. Joseph and Hamden at S Windsor) and how Xavier does against Prep on Sunday (both have big connections that game). I accurately picked the 4-2 Prep win on Tuesday so I want to pick this game too, officially: 6-5 Hamden.
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Wins and Losses (2/9)
#2 New Canaan 3 @ #8 Darein 1
-So Darien didn't pull the upset but they dis manage to hold New Canaan's offense to only 3 goals. New Canaan, on the other hand, doesn't let up more than two goals for the 9th straight game (since 5-4 W over Xavier) and will have a lot of momentum rolling in to Hamden (Lou Astorino Rink) Friday...gonna be a great game!
#10 Glastonbury 6 @ North Haven 3
-A very good win for Glastonbury over a North Haven team that, let's not forget, took Xavier into overtime and plays all other SCC teams.
#9 South Windsor 6 @ #6 West Haven 4
-Everytime I see or hear this score I can't help but think: wow; and I've heard a myriad of times from hockey fans and players just as shocked as me. Game of the day for sure. Don't get me wrong though, this is not some huge upset in terms of "wow, WH should not have lost to that team" or "wow, south Windsor is not good enough to win this game." In fact, both the opposites are true, South Windsor has really shown they have a lot of talent this year. The shoving part is just that no one thought it would happen. South Windsor is reppin the CCC hard now and they get a crack at Hamden Saturday, who will be coming off one of the biggest games of the season, something that works to South Windsor's advantage either way.
Others worth noting:
#5 ND-WH blew out Tri-Town 7-0 and #7 Ridgefield did the same to Trumbull 6-0. Yeah, Hamden lost 7-3 to Mount Saint Charles...four-time defending champion and current #1 team in Rhode Island. An encouraging sign for Fairfield Prep, they beat Seton Hall Prep, a very good team from New Jersey, 7-2.
-So Darien didn't pull the upset but they dis manage to hold New Canaan's offense to only 3 goals. New Canaan, on the other hand, doesn't let up more than two goals for the 9th straight game (since 5-4 W over Xavier) and will have a lot of momentum rolling in to Hamden (Lou Astorino Rink) Friday...gonna be a great game!
#10 Glastonbury 6 @ North Haven 3
-A very good win for Glastonbury over a North Haven team that, let's not forget, took Xavier into overtime and plays all other SCC teams.
#9 South Windsor 6 @ #6 West Haven 4
-Everytime I see or hear this score I can't help but think: wow; and I've heard a myriad of times from hockey fans and players just as shocked as me. Game of the day for sure. Don't get me wrong though, this is not some huge upset in terms of "wow, WH should not have lost to that team" or "wow, south Windsor is not good enough to win this game." In fact, both the opposites are true, South Windsor has really shown they have a lot of talent this year. The shoving part is just that no one thought it would happen. South Windsor is reppin the CCC hard now and they get a crack at Hamden Saturday, who will be coming off one of the biggest games of the season, something that works to South Windsor's advantage either way.
Others worth noting:
#5 ND-WH blew out Tri-Town 7-0 and #7 Ridgefield did the same to Trumbull 6-0. Yeah, Hamden lost 7-3 to Mount Saint Charles...four-time defending champion and current #1 team in Rhode Island. An encouraging sign for Fairfield Prep, they beat Seton Hall Prep, a very good team from New Jersey, 7-2.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday Top Games (2/9)
#2 New Canaan @ #8 Darien @ 4pm
-Darien may have lost 2-3 in OT last Saturday to Ridgefield but you know they will go hard in their match-up with New Canaan tonight. New Canaan, on the other hand, would love to add a quality win to their undefeated record and gain some momentum for their showdown at Hamden on Friday. Watch for the upset at Terry Connors Rink this evening!
#10 Glastonbury @ North Haven @ 6
-The Tomahawks are coming off the 3-1 win over ND-Fairfield and needs some good wins to try and stay in the top ten while North Haven is right on the cusp and can prove their talent with a good win tonight.
#9 South Windsor @ #6 West Haven @ 630
-West Haven is hot right now, especially at home, and South Windsor would love to show they can hang with the top teams in the state. This is definitely going to be a good game to see how both teams play and how the CCC matches up with the SCC.
Other games that will be interesting: Tri-Town @ #5 Notre Dame-West Haven @ 4 and #7 Ridgefield @ Trumbull.
-Darien may have lost 2-3 in OT last Saturday to Ridgefield but you know they will go hard in their match-up with New Canaan tonight. New Canaan, on the other hand, would love to add a quality win to their undefeated record and gain some momentum for their showdown at Hamden on Friday. Watch for the upset at Terry Connors Rink this evening!
#10 Glastonbury @ North Haven @ 6
-The Tomahawks are coming off the 3-1 win over ND-Fairfield and needs some good wins to try and stay in the top ten while North Haven is right on the cusp and can prove their talent with a good win tonight.
#9 South Windsor @ #6 West Haven @ 630
-West Haven is hot right now, especially at home, and South Windsor would love to show they can hang with the top teams in the state. This is definitely going to be a good game to see how both teams play and how the CCC matches up with the SCC.
Other games that will be interesting: Tri-Town @ #5 Notre Dame-West Haven @ 4 and #7 Ridgefield @ Trumbull.
Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday (2/7 and 2/8) Results
Monday
Guilford 4 @ Cheshire 2
-Guilford overcomes a major hurdle and will have the chance to prove they are better than just a DII team at home (East Haven Ice Rink) against a struggling Conard (2-2 tie with DII Daniel Hand) on Thursday. They have a good game against East Haven left as a DI test but won't see the other top teams in DII until the state tournament.
#9 South Windsor 3 @ Tri-Town 1
-I mean the win is good for South Windsor and hopefully gives them some momentum moving forward because they will need to show a lot at West Haven Wednesday and Saturday at home against Hamden in order to stay in the Top Ten.
Tuesday
#4 Hamden 2 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 4
-Ready for me to bash Hamden and say I TOLD YOU SO about Prep being the best team in the state? No Hamden bashing here: I was sorry to hear that four of Hamden's players could not play due to a stomach bug and I don't know which four exactly they were but I doubt only players on the third/fourth line and back-up goalie got it. However, I also doubt Hamden wasn't ready to play, especially since Prep scored three of their four goals on powerplays. Hamden's penalty kill squad is very good but I'm sure the best offense in the state is hard to handle a man down...whether the penalties were a little home ice advantage I will leave up to the judgment of those in attendance but it does sound very suspicious. Hamden's success is certainly rooted in their physical style of play so if they run into a duo of officials that are going to call the fame tight, a few penalties are to be expected. In a tight game, the nerves and/or frustration get the best if a player sometimes and there are another couple penalties right there. On the other hand, that's one thing to definitely expect from the Jesuits: discipline; both in their work ethic and in their demeanor on the ice. The shots fell tonight and they will have a lot more people talking tomorrow about following my lead and christening them the best team in the state. Seton Hall Prep comes in Wednesday followed by ND-Fairfield on Saturday, a game that Prep will use to break in the ice for #3 Xavier's arrival on Sunday @ 730pm. This will be our first hockey game on a Sun (2nd CIAC event-other = Sheehan @ X bball). A win for Xavier complicates a lot in terms of rankings, contingent on the New Canaan/Hamden score too, but a Prep win locks up their #1 seed. Xavier would need to play well in a loss to remain ahead of Hamden but should Hamden beat New Canaan, Xavier will drop anyway. To sum it up, get ready for the weekend!!!
Guilford also improved to 11-0-1 with a 4-1 win over Milford Co-op.
Guilford 4 @ Cheshire 2
-Guilford overcomes a major hurdle and will have the chance to prove they are better than just a DII team at home (East Haven Ice Rink) against a struggling Conard (2-2 tie with DII Daniel Hand) on Thursday. They have a good game against East Haven left as a DI test but won't see the other top teams in DII until the state tournament.
#9 South Windsor 3 @ Tri-Town 1
-I mean the win is good for South Windsor and hopefully gives them some momentum moving forward because they will need to show a lot at West Haven Wednesday and Saturday at home against Hamden in order to stay in the Top Ten.
Tuesday
#4 Hamden 2 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 4
-Ready for me to bash Hamden and say I TOLD YOU SO about Prep being the best team in the state? No Hamden bashing here: I was sorry to hear that four of Hamden's players could not play due to a stomach bug and I don't know which four exactly they were but I doubt only players on the third/fourth line and back-up goalie got it. However, I also doubt Hamden wasn't ready to play, especially since Prep scored three of their four goals on powerplays. Hamden's penalty kill squad is very good but I'm sure the best offense in the state is hard to handle a man down...whether the penalties were a little home ice advantage I will leave up to the judgment of those in attendance but it does sound very suspicious. Hamden's success is certainly rooted in their physical style of play so if they run into a duo of officials that are going to call the fame tight, a few penalties are to be expected. In a tight game, the nerves and/or frustration get the best if a player sometimes and there are another couple penalties right there. On the other hand, that's one thing to definitely expect from the Jesuits: discipline; both in their work ethic and in their demeanor on the ice. The shots fell tonight and they will have a lot more people talking tomorrow about following my lead and christening them the best team in the state. Seton Hall Prep comes in Wednesday followed by ND-Fairfield on Saturday, a game that Prep will use to break in the ice for #3 Xavier's arrival on Sunday @ 730pm. This will be our first hockey game on a Sun (2nd CIAC event-other = Sheehan @ X bball). A win for Xavier complicates a lot in terms of rankings, contingent on the New Canaan/Hamden score too, but a Prep win locks up their #1 seed. Xavier would need to play well in a loss to remain ahead of Hamden but should Hamden beat New Canaan, Xavier will drop anyway. To sum it up, get ready for the weekend!!!
Guilford also improved to 11-0-1 with a 4-1 win over Milford Co-op.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Top Games (2/7 and 2/8)
Monday
Guilford @ Cheshire @ 4pm
-The most anticipated rematch for both Cheshire and Guilford. Guilford would like to beat, instead of tie, Cheshire this time to clear up the doubt while the Cheshire Rams, a top five team in DII, would like to hand Guilford their first loss and take down the team atop the division, a feat they are very capable of doing. Both teams will be fired up in Northford tonight!
#9 South Windsor @ Tri-Town @ 720
-This will be a good game to watch. Tri-Town is embarking on a stretch of quality opponents to try and legitimize all the hype surrounding them at 9-1 with their only good win being 5-4 over Greenwich in OT and their one loss was 1-4 to Amity. South Windsor needs a good win and to build some more momentum before they go to West Haven on Wednesday and welcome in Hamden on Satirday.
Tuesday
#4 Hamden @ #1 Fairfield Prep @730
-This game speaks for itself but to put things in context, Hamden is looking to build on their big 4-1 win over ND-WH and Prep could use the win as momentum for the schedule they have this week teeming with talented teams. Hamden did win back on 1/8, 3-2 in OT, at home against Prep but as I discuss in my rankings, I think Prep should have won that game. A clear-cut win for Hamden here though, would make them, in my mind, the best team in the state again (at least until we see how Xavier does against Prep and Hamden does against New Canaan). The Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport is sure to be packed for what was, let's not forget, the match-up in the DI Championship just last March.
NOTE: Other good teams are in action but should pick up relatively easy wins. Wednesday is lookin real good though!
Guilford @ Cheshire @ 4pm
-The most anticipated rematch for both Cheshire and Guilford. Guilford would like to beat, instead of tie, Cheshire this time to clear up the doubt while the Cheshire Rams, a top five team in DII, would like to hand Guilford their first loss and take down the team atop the division, a feat they are very capable of doing. Both teams will be fired up in Northford tonight!
#9 South Windsor @ Tri-Town @ 720
-This will be a good game to watch. Tri-Town is embarking on a stretch of quality opponents to try and legitimize all the hype surrounding them at 9-1 with their only good win being 5-4 over Greenwich in OT and their one loss was 1-4 to Amity. South Windsor needs a good win and to build some more momentum before they go to West Haven on Wednesday and welcome in Hamden on Satirday.
Tuesday
#4 Hamden @ #1 Fairfield Prep @730
-This game speaks for itself but to put things in context, Hamden is looking to build on their big 4-1 win over ND-WH and Prep could use the win as momentum for the schedule they have this week teeming with talented teams. Hamden did win back on 1/8, 3-2 in OT, at home against Prep but as I discuss in my rankings, I think Prep should have won that game. A clear-cut win for Hamden here though, would make them, in my mind, the best team in the state again (at least until we see how Xavier does against Prep and Hamden does against New Canaan). The Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport is sure to be packed for what was, let's not forget, the match-up in the DI Championship just last March.
NOTE: Other good teams are in action but should pick up relatively easy wins. Wednesday is lookin real good though!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Rankings (2/6)
#1 Fairfield Prep (9-2) - 1 loss out of state
-Not much to say. They beat a very good NJ Prep school last Saturday but had their marquee games this week, vs Hamden on Wed and Xavier on Sat, were both postponed due to the weather (see: http://hssportsct.blogspot.com/2011/02/all-sports-snow.html). The Hamden game is next Tuesday and the Xaveir game may be next Friday but otherwise Prep does see ND-Fairfield on Saturday. One way or the other, Prep will either prove their top spot or could be giving it up to Hamden, New Canaan or Xavier (Xavier would have to beat them) as early as next Sunday!
#2 New Canaan (14-0)
-New Canaan's week featured a win over DIII's top team (Staples-Weston-Shelton) and two DII teams, a decent Trumbull squad and Fairfield Warde/Ludlow, all required FCIAC games. They have the most important week of their regular season coming up with a short trip to Darien on Wednesday, a home game versus St. Joseph on Saturday and the extremely highly anticipated showdown at Lou Astorino Rink against Hamden on Friday, February 11. These three games also represent the three most difficult detriments remaining to their undefeated season (Wilton also has a shot but not much).
#3 Xavier (9-4) - 2 losses out of state
-Xavier did receive a little scare last Saturday when it took a Trevor Buchas goal in OT to beat North Haven but other than that, they sat the week out, like Prep, with no games on schedule except the one at Fairfield Prep that got postponed. Right now it looks like they only have a resurgent East Haven to worry about next week but look for the Prep game to possibly be rescheduled on Friday the 11th.
#4 Hamden (7-2-1) - 1 loss out of state
-Hamden had themselves a relatively good week by taking down Notre Dame-West Haven 4-1 on the road last Saturday and then skating past Simsbury 6-2. However, they also tied West Haven 3-3. The ND-WH win means a lot to me and I wish the Prep game did not get postponed but that means that things are very difficult the way they stand. Let me break this down for why I have Xavier at 3 and Hamden at 4: Hamden beat Prep but really Prep should have won that game (yes, I was there) and Hamden has tied West Haven 3-3; Xavier lost to New Canaan in a game I think they should have won (again, yes, I was there), lost to ND-WH but beat Hamden, being up 4-0 at one point, and the fact that X won the head-to-head between these two is very important. Note, however, if Hamden beats Prep, they are #1 or 2. Luckily they play Prep Tuesday and then New Canaan on Friday so that decision for the rankings will not be too hard next week. Both look to be superlative games! In a move that could help or hurt them, Hamden plays four games in five days from Tues-Sat, with out-of-state Mt St Charles come to Lou Astorino on Wednesday a trip to South Windsor on Saturday...weather permitting on all four of course. The S Windsor game will say a lot for both teams as well but I expect Hamden to come out on top, regardless of the results from their other games.
#5 Notre Dame-West Haven (9-4)
-Simply losses to New Canaan, Fairfield Prep this season and then Hamden last week dropped them to #5. Encouraging is that the Prep loss was only 2-3 in OT but their win over Xavier was also only by one goal. I won't get near as much backlash for this ranking as I thought I was going to because ND lost to West Haven on Saturday, 2-3, so its hard to argue they belong above Xavier (Xavier plays WH on 2/26) and even arguing Xavier belongs below Hamden (a team one can't argue belongs below ND) is hard to do. Therefore, ND-WH says in the Top Five, ahead of even WH you'll notice, and has chances to move up again with games against ND-Fairfield, Amity, Prep and Hamden all left on their schedule.
#6 West Haven (7-3-2)
-The Blue Devils have the quality wins over Darien 6-2, North Haven 4-0, ND-Fairfield 2-1 and a 3-3 tie with Hamden to add to their monumental 3-2 win over ND-WH. However, the thing I worry about with WH is inconsistency. They tied Greenwich 2-2 to start the season, lost to ND-WH 1-4 the first time, got blown out (to put it nicely) by Prep 0-8 and even lost to Amity 2-6, another inconsistent team. It may be a result of all this parity in DI hockey this year; Xavier also looks slightly inconsistent from time to time (the difference being one part of the team, forwards, defensemen, goalie or simply the ability to bend not break [much like a Bill Belichick-coached defense, as much as I hate to say it] and play through their struggles, always seems to pick them up). Nonetheless, for now, WH will stay at 6 and has a big game versus South Winsdor on Wednesday.
#7 Ridgefield (10-3)
-The Tigers are on a four-game win streak, starting last Saturday: ND-Fairfield 5-0 on Sat, Greenwich 3-1 on Mon, Wilton (a top DII team) 4-2 Thurs and Darien 3-2 in OT just this past Sat. In the week ahead, they play at a decent Tumbull team on Wednesday and then the top DIII team, Staples-Weston-Shelton, comes to the Winter Garden Ice Arena on Saturday. Those are all FCIAC games, aside from ND. Looking forward, Ridgefield gets a shot @ Prep next Wednesday and closes with quality games against G-bury and St. Joseph.
#8 Darien (7-6-1)
-The Blue Wave have been hot but only as of late, winning five in a row before the loss to Ridgefield, 2-3 in OT. Watch out for Darien who has the potential to pull the upset on NC when the Rams come to Terry Connors Rink on Wed 2/9 at 4pm. After that, however, they finish out the month/regular season with the easier part of their FCIAC schedule...watch out for Wilton and St. Jospeh in that span though.
#9 South Windosr (11-2)
-I thought I was going to be able to say their 1-0 win over Conard was impressive, especially after Conard beat Glastonbury...but then Conard lost to Farmington. See post on Conard below. South Windsor is hands down #1 in the CCC now, for what it's worth, and they will represent the conference Wed @ West Haven, Sat vs Hamden and next week @ North Haven and vs ND-Fairfield. Those will be crucial games to see how well S Windsor will will potentially do in the DI state tourney.
#10 Glastonbury (9-4)
-The Conard loss wasn't that bad since it was in OT and I liked how G-bury played in that game (see: http://hssportsct.blogspot.com/2011/02/boys-hockey-thursday-and-friday-23-and.html) except that Conard went and lost to Farmington 1-3 on Saturday. When you read my "First Teams Out" below, this ranking makes more sense. However, that will also tell you that many teams are right on their heels. In fact, if Amity had not lost to East Haven on Saturday, Amity would be #10 right now. Glastonbury needs to be careful @ Northford Ice Pavillion Wed when they take on North Haven and then on Sat against Wethersfield (a home game for both teams). If they lose to either, except a new team in the Top Ten next week.
First Teams Out:
Conard is sitting at 4-5-2 right now and can definitely qualify for the state tournament but them seem to be plagued by inconsistent play/the parity of DI as well (see West Haven write-up above). Their "flashes of excellence," as I will describe them, are really messing things up for the CCC teams when Conard plays well against them but loses to Farmington or Trinity Catholic. Conard has the chance to shake things up even more with games remaining against Guilford, North Haven, ND-Fairfield and Xavier.
I always say don't sleep on teams like ND-Fairfield (1-9-1), Greenwich (3-8-2), Amity (5-7), St Joseph (10-2) and even East Haven (8-3) now but I can't make the case for any of them to crack the Top Ten without more meaningful wins.
We'll start with the new kids on the radar: East Haven. Amity and Wilton are their only good wins but thier losses are also only 0-4 to Prep, 1-4 to WH and then, making them another example of an inconsistent team, 1-4 to Westhill (average DII team).
ND-Fairfield has that possibility of pulling an upset each and every night, as seen in their win over Ridgefield, 2-3 loss to Darien then 2-2 tie three days later, 3-4 loss in OT to Hamden, and 1-2 loss to WH in last 35 seconds. They also play like a 1-9-1 team when they lose 1-5 to Xavier, 2-7 to Prep, 0-4 to ND-WH, 1-8 to NC, and 0-5 to Ridgefield. They also have 1-3 loss to G-bury that looks real bad now with G-bury's recent loss to Conard.
Greenwich has a 2-2 tie with West Haven and a 2-0 win over Darien so maybe they can sneak it at the bottom depending on how they play against Staples-Weston-Shelton and St Joseph. St. Joseph has a win over Amity, Wilton and S-W-S but a loss to Guilford. They have chances to make their case with NC (2-6 loss last time), Amity, Darien, Greenwich and Ridgefield.
*Amity has really only lost to quality teams in state (Hamden by 2, Darien by 2, and Xavier by 1 in OT), until East Haven 1-4. They are my favorite moving forward, with games remaining against North Haven (still searching for their big win), St. Joseph, G-bury and a huge season finale with ND-WH on 2/26 at Bennett Rink (home ice for both teams).
You hear me talk a lot about Trumbull (8-6-1) Wilton (8-4-1) and Guilford (10-0-1).
In fact, Trumbull seems almost a DI team with all the FCIAC teams they play, however they have yet to come within 3 goals of a DI team, aside from a 2-2 tie with Greenwich. In addition, they started off the season with a loss to a DIII team (Watertown-Pomperaug). They also lost to my next good look in DII, Wilton.
The Warriors beat Greenwich 3-2 but the losses holding them back are 0-4 to East Haven, 1-7 to St Joseph, 2-4 to Ridgefield, 3-4 to S-W-S and a 3-3 tie at the beginning of the season with 3-6-1 Milford Co-op. FCIAC teams better not overlook them though or you never know what might happen.
Finally, the DII team with all the buzz that I do like a lot, still undefeated Guilford. The Indians have a nice 5-2 win over St. Joseph in the season opener and the 3-3 tie with Cheshire in the very next game. Next Mon they get another shot at Cheshire on Cheshire's second-half-of-the-season home ice, Northford. The two games they have to earn some DI respect vs Conard on Thurs and then vs East Haven next Sat, 2/19.
THANK YOU FOR READING, I received 950 page views in my first week, and am now over 1,000, with last week's rankings being the most popular post and then Saturday's scores a close second by 4 page view (CT football recruits was 3rd). So again, I just wanted to say thank you, it really means a lot to me and I wanted to shout-out a blog my friend Jordan and I do, http://everythingsportsmj.blogspot.com/, he is an amazing sports write, check out his posts on College Basketball and one of my favorite blogs to read, by Hamden defensemen R.J. Ugolik, http://rjshockeynotebook.blogspot.com/. I hope everyone is staying safe and warm with the weather we've been having and I look forward to spending the last month of the regular season with you, which is also my favorite month of the year, February!
-Not much to say. They beat a very good NJ Prep school last Saturday but had their marquee games this week, vs Hamden on Wed and Xavier on Sat, were both postponed due to the weather (see: http://hssportsct.blogspot.com/2011/02/all-sports-snow.html). The Hamden game is next Tuesday and the Xaveir game may be next Friday but otherwise Prep does see ND-Fairfield on Saturday. One way or the other, Prep will either prove their top spot or could be giving it up to Hamden, New Canaan or Xavier (Xavier would have to beat them) as early as next Sunday!
#2 New Canaan (14-0)
-New Canaan's week featured a win over DIII's top team (Staples-Weston-Shelton) and two DII teams, a decent Trumbull squad and Fairfield Warde/Ludlow, all required FCIAC games. They have the most important week of their regular season coming up with a short trip to Darien on Wednesday, a home game versus St. Joseph on Saturday and the extremely highly anticipated showdown at Lou Astorino Rink against Hamden on Friday, February 11. These three games also represent the three most difficult detriments remaining to their undefeated season (Wilton also has a shot but not much).
#3 Xavier (9-4) - 2 losses out of state
-Xavier did receive a little scare last Saturday when it took a Trevor Buchas goal in OT to beat North Haven but other than that, they sat the week out, like Prep, with no games on schedule except the one at Fairfield Prep that got postponed. Right now it looks like they only have a resurgent East Haven to worry about next week but look for the Prep game to possibly be rescheduled on Friday the 11th.
#4 Hamden (7-2-1) - 1 loss out of state
-Hamden had themselves a relatively good week by taking down Notre Dame-West Haven 4-1 on the road last Saturday and then skating past Simsbury 6-2. However, they also tied West Haven 3-3. The ND-WH win means a lot to me and I wish the Prep game did not get postponed but that means that things are very difficult the way they stand. Let me break this down for why I have Xavier at 3 and Hamden at 4: Hamden beat Prep but really Prep should have won that game (yes, I was there) and Hamden has tied West Haven 3-3; Xavier lost to New Canaan in a game I think they should have won (again, yes, I was there), lost to ND-WH but beat Hamden, being up 4-0 at one point, and the fact that X won the head-to-head between these two is very important. Note, however, if Hamden beats Prep, they are #1 or 2. Luckily they play Prep Tuesday and then New Canaan on Friday so that decision for the rankings will not be too hard next week. Both look to be superlative games! In a move that could help or hurt them, Hamden plays four games in five days from Tues-Sat, with out-of-state Mt St Charles come to Lou Astorino on Wednesday a trip to South Windsor on Saturday...weather permitting on all four of course. The S Windsor game will say a lot for both teams as well but I expect Hamden to come out on top, regardless of the results from their other games.
#5 Notre Dame-West Haven (9-4)
-Simply losses to New Canaan, Fairfield Prep this season and then Hamden last week dropped them to #5. Encouraging is that the Prep loss was only 2-3 in OT but their win over Xavier was also only by one goal. I won't get near as much backlash for this ranking as I thought I was going to because ND lost to West Haven on Saturday, 2-3, so its hard to argue they belong above Xavier (Xavier plays WH on 2/26) and even arguing Xavier belongs below Hamden (a team one can't argue belongs below ND) is hard to do. Therefore, ND-WH says in the Top Five, ahead of even WH you'll notice, and has chances to move up again with games against ND-Fairfield, Amity, Prep and Hamden all left on their schedule.
#6 West Haven (7-3-2)
-The Blue Devils have the quality wins over Darien 6-2, North Haven 4-0, ND-Fairfield 2-1 and a 3-3 tie with Hamden to add to their monumental 3-2 win over ND-WH. However, the thing I worry about with WH is inconsistency. They tied Greenwich 2-2 to start the season, lost to ND-WH 1-4 the first time, got blown out (to put it nicely) by Prep 0-8 and even lost to Amity 2-6, another inconsistent team. It may be a result of all this parity in DI hockey this year; Xavier also looks slightly inconsistent from time to time (the difference being one part of the team, forwards, defensemen, goalie or simply the ability to bend not break [much like a Bill Belichick-coached defense, as much as I hate to say it] and play through their struggles, always seems to pick them up). Nonetheless, for now, WH will stay at 6 and has a big game versus South Winsdor on Wednesday.
#7 Ridgefield (10-3)
-The Tigers are on a four-game win streak, starting last Saturday: ND-Fairfield 5-0 on Sat, Greenwich 3-1 on Mon, Wilton (a top DII team) 4-2 Thurs and Darien 3-2 in OT just this past Sat. In the week ahead, they play at a decent Tumbull team on Wednesday and then the top DIII team, Staples-Weston-Shelton, comes to the Winter Garden Ice Arena on Saturday. Those are all FCIAC games, aside from ND. Looking forward, Ridgefield gets a shot @ Prep next Wednesday and closes with quality games against G-bury and St. Joseph.
#8 Darien (7-6-1)
-The Blue Wave have been hot but only as of late, winning five in a row before the loss to Ridgefield, 2-3 in OT. Watch out for Darien who has the potential to pull the upset on NC when the Rams come to Terry Connors Rink on Wed 2/9 at 4pm. After that, however, they finish out the month/regular season with the easier part of their FCIAC schedule...watch out for Wilton and St. Jospeh in that span though.
#9 South Windosr (11-2)
-I thought I was going to be able to say their 1-0 win over Conard was impressive, especially after Conard beat Glastonbury...but then Conard lost to Farmington. See post on Conard below. South Windsor is hands down #1 in the CCC now, for what it's worth, and they will represent the conference Wed @ West Haven, Sat vs Hamden and next week @ North Haven and vs ND-Fairfield. Those will be crucial games to see how well S Windsor will will potentially do in the DI state tourney.
#10 Glastonbury (9-4)
-The Conard loss wasn't that bad since it was in OT and I liked how G-bury played in that game (see: http://hssportsct.blogspot.com/2011/02/boys-hockey-thursday-and-friday-23-and.html) except that Conard went and lost to Farmington 1-3 on Saturday. When you read my "First Teams Out" below, this ranking makes more sense. However, that will also tell you that many teams are right on their heels. In fact, if Amity had not lost to East Haven on Saturday, Amity would be #10 right now. Glastonbury needs to be careful @ Northford Ice Pavillion Wed when they take on North Haven and then on Sat against Wethersfield (a home game for both teams). If they lose to either, except a new team in the Top Ten next week.
First Teams Out:
Conard is sitting at 4-5-2 right now and can definitely qualify for the state tournament but them seem to be plagued by inconsistent play/the parity of DI as well (see West Haven write-up above). Their "flashes of excellence," as I will describe them, are really messing things up for the CCC teams when Conard plays well against them but loses to Farmington or Trinity Catholic. Conard has the chance to shake things up even more with games remaining against Guilford, North Haven, ND-Fairfield and Xavier.
I always say don't sleep on teams like ND-Fairfield (1-9-1), Greenwich (3-8-2), Amity (5-7), St Joseph (10-2) and even East Haven (8-3) now but I can't make the case for any of them to crack the Top Ten without more meaningful wins.
We'll start with the new kids on the radar: East Haven. Amity and Wilton are their only good wins but thier losses are also only 0-4 to Prep, 1-4 to WH and then, making them another example of an inconsistent team, 1-4 to Westhill (average DII team).
ND-Fairfield has that possibility of pulling an upset each and every night, as seen in their win over Ridgefield, 2-3 loss to Darien then 2-2 tie three days later, 3-4 loss in OT to Hamden, and 1-2 loss to WH in last 35 seconds. They also play like a 1-9-1 team when they lose 1-5 to Xavier, 2-7 to Prep, 0-4 to ND-WH, 1-8 to NC, and 0-5 to Ridgefield. They also have 1-3 loss to G-bury that looks real bad now with G-bury's recent loss to Conard.
Greenwich has a 2-2 tie with West Haven and a 2-0 win over Darien so maybe they can sneak it at the bottom depending on how they play against Staples-Weston-Shelton and St Joseph. St. Joseph has a win over Amity, Wilton and S-W-S but a loss to Guilford. They have chances to make their case with NC (2-6 loss last time), Amity, Darien, Greenwich and Ridgefield.
*Amity has really only lost to quality teams in state (Hamden by 2, Darien by 2, and Xavier by 1 in OT), until East Haven 1-4. They are my favorite moving forward, with games remaining against North Haven (still searching for their big win), St. Joseph, G-bury and a huge season finale with ND-WH on 2/26 at Bennett Rink (home ice for both teams).
You hear me talk a lot about Trumbull (8-6-1) Wilton (8-4-1) and Guilford (10-0-1).
In fact, Trumbull seems almost a DI team with all the FCIAC teams they play, however they have yet to come within 3 goals of a DI team, aside from a 2-2 tie with Greenwich. In addition, they started off the season with a loss to a DIII team (Watertown-Pomperaug). They also lost to my next good look in DII, Wilton.
The Warriors beat Greenwich 3-2 but the losses holding them back are 0-4 to East Haven, 1-7 to St Joseph, 2-4 to Ridgefield, 3-4 to S-W-S and a 3-3 tie at the beginning of the season with 3-6-1 Milford Co-op. FCIAC teams better not overlook them though or you never know what might happen.
Finally, the DII team with all the buzz that I do like a lot, still undefeated Guilford. The Indians have a nice 5-2 win over St. Joseph in the season opener and the 3-3 tie with Cheshire in the very next game. Next Mon they get another shot at Cheshire on Cheshire's second-half-of-the-season home ice, Northford. The two games they have to earn some DI respect vs Conard on Thurs and then vs East Haven next Sat, 2/19.
THANK YOU FOR READING, I received 950 page views in my first week, and am now over 1,000, with last week's rankings being the most popular post and then Saturday's scores a close second by 4 page view (CT football recruits was 3rd). So again, I just wanted to say thank you, it really means a lot to me and I wanted to shout-out a blog my friend Jordan and I do, http://everythingsportsmj.blogspot.com/, he is an amazing sports write, check out his posts on College Basketball and one of my favorite blogs to read, by Hamden defensemen R.J. Ugolik, http://rjshockeynotebook.blogspot.com/. I hope everyone is staying safe and warm with the weather we've been having and I look forward to spending the last month of the regular season with you, which is also my favorite month of the year, February!
Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Scores (2/6)
About half of the scheduled games for today were played and, as you would expect when two very good teams square off, we got some very good scores!
#8 Glastonbury 3 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 1
-Just what G-bury needed to bounce back from the 1-2 OT loss to Conard and exactly what ND did not want to happen after their one goal, heart-breaking loss to West Haven.
#6 West Haven 3 @ #5 Notre Dame-West Haven 2
-Wow. Adam Mink does it again, this time courtesy of Kyle Hansen and then with 3:19 left in the game, but third period heroics seem to be the Westies M.O. West Haven also avenges their 1-4 loss to ND on 1/8 and really looks like they can build some momentum for when they get another shot at Hamden (3-3 tie last time) on 2/19. West Haven seriously must have some divine Providence on their side because the 2 goals in the last 2 mins of the Hamden tie, the goal with 35 seconds left at ND-Fairfield and now this are something very special. Note for the rankings: this is not as simple as #6 beating number #5 because of all the other wins and losses each have.
East Catholic 5 @ Northwest Catholic 1
Darien 2 @ Ridgefield 3 OT
-I can only imagine how spectacular of a game this was for the fans and players. Ridgefield picked up a very good win, but at the same time this loss doesn't really hurt Darien. Ridgefield has Trumbull next and on Wed 2/9, Darien will host New Canaan at 4 o'clock, a big chance to make a statement not only for themselves but also for the FCIAC.
NOTE: New Canaan (7-0 over Trumbull) and Guilford (5-0 over St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA) both remain undefeated.
#8 Glastonbury 3 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 1
-Just what G-bury needed to bounce back from the 1-2 OT loss to Conard and exactly what ND did not want to happen after their one goal, heart-breaking loss to West Haven.
#6 West Haven 3 @ #5 Notre Dame-West Haven 2
-Wow. Adam Mink does it again, this time courtesy of Kyle Hansen and then with 3:19 left in the game, but third period heroics seem to be the Westies M.O. West Haven also avenges their 1-4 loss to ND on 1/8 and really looks like they can build some momentum for when they get another shot at Hamden (3-3 tie last time) on 2/19. West Haven seriously must have some divine Providence on their side because the 2 goals in the last 2 mins of the Hamden tie, the goal with 35 seconds left at ND-Fairfield and now this are something very special. Note for the rankings: this is not as simple as #6 beating number #5 because of all the other wins and losses each have.
East Catholic 5 @ Northwest Catholic 1
Darien 2 @ Ridgefield 3 OT
-I can only imagine how spectacular of a game this was for the fans and players. Ridgefield picked up a very good win, but at the same time this loss doesn't really hurt Darien. Ridgefield has Trumbull next and on Wed 2/9, Darien will host New Canaan at 4 o'clock, a big chance to make a statement not only for themselves but also for the FCIAC.
NOTE: New Canaan (7-0 over Trumbull) and Guilford (5-0 over St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA) both remain undefeated.
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