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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Score (2/19)

Make sure you're sitting down, we got a lot of big news to go over...

East Haven 2 @ Guilford 3
-I mentioned that East Haven was at home for this one...funny thing is that that is Guilford's home ice too.  A win for Guilford against East Haven, even if it is just by one goal, is enough for them to say they are legit.  Conard did beat Guilford and almost everyone would agree that East Haven would beat Conard but you never really know now.  As the saying goes, "anyone can beat anyone on any given day..." and this is just the first example from Saturday.

#3 Hamden 7 @ #7 West Haven 0
-Was anyone really surprised by this score with the way these two teams have been playing lately (WH sliding and Hamden re-vitalized)?  The fact that it is a rivalry game probably should have made the score a little closer but I went to the Yale-Quinnipiac game on Friday night that drew about 4,000 people because it is a rivalry too...Yale, number three in the nation, won that 6-1.  The whole concept of a rivalry game and "throw the records away" only goes so far.  There was no denying that Hamden is firing on all cylinders right now hungry for that three-peat come next month and West Haven still hasn't found consistent play from their offense or defense.  WH is still good and they have notable games against #4 Xavier and North Haven left (Milford Co-op, Tri-Town and Simsbury should all be easy wins).  Hamden will now finish out the season at home with Winchester (MA) coming in next Wed, ND-Fairfield Saturday and ND-WH on Wed 3/2 (circle that game on your calenders!).

#5 Notre Dame-West Haven 3 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 2
-I'm sorry, did someone say ND-WH isn't a contender this year?  This is exactly what happens when you're playing with a chip on your shoulder and back in the limelight (see my post about Sat's Top Games).  Prep, on the other hand, can blame this on their extremly hard schedule but everyone knows they could have pulled through and won.  Mostly, I think, this game had to do with my pick for the All-State goalie, Greg Harney of ND-WH.  John Galani on Prep is good and holding ND-WH to 3 is respectable but even Austin Essery did that and you could say at least one of those goals was really scored by the refs.  Harney simply faced the best offense and held them to 2 goals in 45 minutes...again!  This was some sweet revenge for the Green Knights having lost 2-3 in OT to Prep back on 1/5.  Another key to the game, in my opinion, was ND's size.  Even if you look at the Xavier game, playing a physical but smart game is the way to beat Prep; it will wear them down, allow you to control the puck/game, and when you get a lot of shots on goal, good things are going to happen.  Finally, the biggest thing to take from this game and why this was more than just one L on the schedule for Prep is that...the Jesuits can be beat.  You can say that everyone knew that before this game but the simple fact that it has been done (again, scrum goals and a line shift mistake in OT don't really count) gives team added confidence going to a game against Prep now and oh yeah, the state tournament starts in under two weeks.  [NOTE: the same thing works in reverse that a team does go into a game against NC thinking they can win but a little part of them in the back of their mind is saying that NC is undefeated...no one, not one of 20 teams, has beat them this year.]

North Haven 1 @ Conard 2
-I apologize for the score mishap before.  North Haven needed this game pretty badly but Conard pulled out a good win and will look to build on it moving forward.  This changes things a lot in that North Haven's shot at making the playoffs (and earning bonus points for the teams that beat them) aren't looking very good now; they sit at 6-10 with four games left.  Of those four (Prep, Branford, E Haven, W Haven), Branford is looking like the only sure win but they need two to get a spot in the state tournament so maybe East Haven (who just lost to Guilford) or even the off and on West Haven Blue Devils but neither will be close to easy.  It is do-able but it will take some of their best hockey of the season.  Conard, on the other hand, has now officially made states at 6-6-4 because every two ties counts as a win in terms of making states. To bolster their record some more they have DIII Hall-Southington on Sat 2/26, ND-Fairfield next Mon, Xavier Wed, and Tri-Town the Tues after.

Notre Dame-Fairfield 1 @ #8 South Windsor 4
-Again, not just a good win but a great win since it was by 3 goals.  Is anyone thinking that just because SW beat ND-Fairfield they will easily eat ND-WH? I don't think so.  Does the fact that they beat ND-Fairfield show us that they are pretty much just as good as #1-7 and clearly count in the "anyone can beat anyone" maxim? Yes, I think it does.  S Windsor finishes up their regular season next week with Enflied on Monday and Tri-Town on Saturday, both home games.  ND-Fairfield has Conard, Fermi and @ Hamden next week then Xavier comes in for their season finale the following Wednesday.
Wilton 3 @ Darien 5
-Good showing from both teams but the DI team prevailed and Darien will get a couple bonus points from this DII team too.  Wilton is a serious contender in DII this year and that just shows you that DI, as a whole, is head and shoulders above DII (which only makes St. Joseph and Amity all more remarkable this year).  Darien's season finale will be this coming Monday vs Trnity Catholic, the only DI team will absolutely no mathematical shot at making the tournament as of today.  Wilton plays again tomorrow at Lyman Hall and then next Wednesday they welcome in Westhill for the last game of the season for both.

#6 Ridgefield 8 @ Westhill 1
-There is not much to say except that what was supposed to happen happened and in a day that has been filled with the exact opposite of that, it is nice to end with some stability.  Ridgefield is looking very good and their last two games will be very good ones: Mon vs #9 G-bury and Wed @ #10 St. Joseph.

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Top Games (2/19)

Three games on Sunday, none worth featuring; nice to see them getting in all the make-ups in by using Sunday though.

East Haven @ Guilford @ 1pm
-East Haven and Steve Marsico will make it very hard for Guilford in their 3rd and final game against a DI team this year.  In fact, if St. Joseph played Guilford i have a very hard time believing they would lose 2-5 again, like they did in the very first game of the year.  Nonetheless, Guilford would like to say they are a top team and they will need a good win over East Haven for that.  The Yellow Jackets are on the rise though and should win this one at home.

#3 Hamden @ #7 West Haven @ 1
-The oldest rivalry in the state blah blah blah.  They don't need that to get hyped up for this game!  Both teams know what's at stake: DI supremacy.  A win for West Haven would help balance their losses to Amity and South Windsor while a win for Hamden would erase the 3-3 tie between the two last time and solidify the Green Dragons in that 3/4 spot.  Regardless, both are very good teams and will playing at their best this afternoon.  Bennett Rink is in for a treat today...get there early for this one!

#5 Notre Dame-West Haven @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 1
-If ever there was a motivation to beat the #1 team in the state it would probably be to make-up for a 3-5 loss to a 4-10-1 ND-Fairfield team.  Not to mention a 2-3 loss to West Haven two week prior.  ND-WH is need of a statement win against a Top Ten opponent and #1 Fairfield Prep presents exactly.  For Prep, it's just another day playing the toughest schedule in the state and they have shown they can beat quality opponents back-to-back-to-back-and so on.  The game is at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport so that should help Prep some too; expect another extremely good game this afternoon in the one o'clock hour!

North Haven @ Conard @ 1
-Conard would like to say they beat a quality DI SCC team, much like the ones they will see should they make the DI tournament (I think they will).  North Haven still hasn't made the tournament themselves and Conard presents a decent CCC team that would be a good win for them as well.  Not the caliber of the other games today or at this hour but this still will be a great game in West Hartford at Veteran's Memorial Rink.

Notre Dame-Fairfield @ #8 South Windsor @ 5
-I would have featured this game even if ND-Fairfield was not coming off a major upset of #5 ND-West Haven. I don't think I can say it enough that ND-Fairfield has the talent and coaching to beat any DI team each and every time they skate out on the ice. South Windsor, on the other hand, would love to beat ND-Fairfield and prove they are just as good as the other Top Ten teams that have beat ND-Fairfield as well. South Windsor better bring their A game or they might end up have something in common with ND-WH that I'm sure they don't want to.

Wilton @ Darien @ 630
-Darien is officially in the DI tournament so they are looking to pick up some more wins and build some momentum going into the tournament. Wilton is a top DII team that will challenge Darien in this one at Darien Ice Rink; should be a good game.

#6 Ridgefield @ Westhill @ 630
-Another interesting FCIAC game, Westhill is a middle- to top-level DII team that has beat East Haven and Darien and only lost 0-2 to Greenwich that will be far from a walk-over for Ridgefield. Ridgefield would love a big win for their confidence going into games next Monday and Wednesday against #9 Glastonbury and #10 St. Joseph respectively.

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's (2/17 and 2/18) Results

Thursday

#10 St. Joseph 2 @ Greenwich 1
-Greenwich was playing intense hockey trying to make the DI tournament with a win but the St. Joseph Cadets got it done and that's all that matters.  Greenwich is sitting at 5-10-2 with one game left, 4-11 DIII Norwalk-McMahon...win and they're in.  St. Joseph will take a weekend of practice to get ready for their finale three games, Monday to Wednesday next week, in which they will face Cheshire, Stamford and then #6 Ridgefield.

Others worth noting: Hand 4 @ Cheshire 5 (Cheshire is looking very good in DII this year...if they match-up with Guilford again in the tournament that is can't-miss hockey!)

Friday

Enfield 0 vs Northwest Catholic 2 @ Rentschler
-DIII beat DII, just like I said.  Enfield now needs 3 wins or 2 wins and a tie in their next four games: Fermi, South Windsor, Windsor-East Granby-Avon, and North Branford.  Unfortunately, I don't see it happening.  NWC made the DIII tournament last Wednesday so they're just playing for seeding now, with three games left, all against fellow DIII teams: 10-6 St. Bernard-NFA-Bacon, 4-9-2 Hall-Southington, and 3-9-2 E.O. Smith-Tolland-Windham.

Wethersfield 2 vs East Catholic 5 @ Rentschler
-Not today for Wethersfield.  I actually thought it was going to be a closer game since East only won 1-0 last time the two played but Wethersfield has been struggling as of late.  At this point they must either win out their last three or get two wins and a tie in order to make the DII tournament.  Good luck Eagles!

Others worth noting: Amity 3 @ Watertown-Pomperaug 2 (Amity jsut skates by with a win but a win is a win at this point and Amity hopes they can build off this...one more win or tie and they have made the DI tournament their first year in the division [look for that next Wed vs Hand because ND-WH and Prep aren't looking likely])

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Wrestling: Class Meets

CLASS LL

Trumbull High School
Friday 2/18 430pm start and Saturday 2/19 9am start

CLASS L

Bristol Eastern High School
Friday 2/18 430pm start and Saturday 2/19 9am start

CLASS M

Windham High School
Friday 2/18 430pm start and Saturday 2/19 9am start

CLASS S

Sport and Medical Science Academy in Hartford
Friday 2/18 430pm start and Saturday 2/19 10am start

Check out Lori Riley's article in the Courant for a preview of Classes L and LL: http://blogs.courant.com/school_zone/2011/02/wrestling-class-meets-this-wee.html

I'll have results on Saturday and then the STATE OPEN is next weekend!

Girls' Basketball: SCC Tournament 1st Round Results

FIRST ROUND

#12 Hand 38 @ #5 Shelton 41
#11 Lyman Hall 63 @ #6 Wilbur Cross 66
#10 Foran 52 @ #7 Guilford 43
#8 Cheshire 49, #9 Amity 28

Friday: #13 Sheehan (9-11) @ #4 Sacred Heart Academy (15-5) @ 6 pm

QUARTERFINALS

Saturday 2/19 @ West Haven High School:

Game 1 – #8 Cheshire (11-10) vs. #1 Mercy (19-1) – 12 noon
Game 2 – #5 Shelton (15-6) vs. Winner of 4/13 game – 1:45 p.m.
Game 3 – #10 Foran (11-10) vs. #2 Hillhouse (18-2) – 3:30 p.m.
Game 4 – #6 Wilbur Cross (14-7) vs. #3 Career (16-4) – 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Top Games (2/17 and 2/18)

Thursday (NOTE: 5 games on the schedule, 4 are make-ups)

#10 St. Joseph @ Greenwich @ 2pm
-St. Joseph looks to close out the week with their third quality win (Amity on Mon and Darien on Tues) while Greenwich is coming off a nice win over Westhill themselves.  A win for Greenwich puts them in the state tournament although it is not do or die because that have a game next Monday against 4-11 DIII Norwalk-McMahon.  St. Joseph has another quality week next week as they close out against Cheshire, Stamford and #6 Ridgefield on Mon-Wed.  That Ridgefield at home (Shelton Rinks) will be a really big and a really good one.

Others worth noting: Hand @ Cheshire @ 4 (This may turn out to be a good game, especially for an off day hockey-wise)

Friday (Loaded with DIII games)

Enfield vs Northwest Catholic @ 5 @ Rentschler
-I feel like NWC is going to win this one although they are DIII and Enfield is DII.  However, Enfield is not terrible and in need of some wins to sneak into their respective CIAC state tournaments (NWC just made it on Wed).  Won't be a bad game to catch if you're at the Whalers Hockey Fest in East Hartford.

Wethersfield vs East Catholic @ 7 @ Rentschler
-Good night-cap for the Whalers Hockey Fest on Friday.  East Catholic is a win away from making the DII tournament while Wethersfield needs 3 wins in their next 4 games so taking down divisional foe East Catholic would help.  Again, should be an alright game if you're around and up for spending the $10...remember though that the ticket is good for all the events that day so if you're going to see one game, you get more for your money if you watch both.  Remember to dress warm!

Others worth noting: Amity @ Watertown-Pomperaug @ 745 (I'm not going to call the upset but I have my eye on this game because it could happen and Amity needs to start winning again for their record's sake and for their confidence's sake)

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Wins and Losses (2/16)

#8 South Windsor 3 @ North Haven 1
-Good, scratch that, GREAT win for South Windsor.  How South Windsor was out-shot 31-12 is beyond me but like I've said earlier, North Haven's weakness is their goalie. South Windsor Forward Tyler Glassman had two goals in this one and that's a good sign for the offense.  South Windsor will see ND-Fairfield on Saturday while North Haven travels to Veteran's Memorial Rink in West Hartford to take on another CCC team, Conard.

East Haven 3 @ #3 Hamden 4
-I told you this was going to be a good one!  Yes, Steve Marsico scored again and his third period goal along with one from Rich DeCarlo had the Yellow Jackets up 3-2. It took a goal from Mike Lee with just under five mins left to tie then one from Paul Amarone with 3 and a half minutes left in the game to lift the Green Dragons over East Haven; Amarone also had an assist on the night.  East Haven goes to Guilford on Saturday and Hamden visits Bennett Rink for a game with West Haven.

#6 Ridgefield 3 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 5
-Can't fault either team in this one as Prep keeps rolling through the top teams in the state and Ridgefield proves they are a lot better than the two teams below them in the rankings (West Haven lost 0-8 to Prep and S Windsor lost 0-7 to Prep).  Ridgefield can bounce back at Terry Connors Rink on Saturday when they play Westhill while things don't get any easier for Prep as they welcome in #5 Notre Dame-West Haven to the Wonderland of Ice in Bridegport on Saturday as well (GAME OF THE WEEK).

#9 Glastonbury 1 @ Amity 1
-You can look at this one of two ways: Amity is a good team that deserves more credit or Glastonbury really isn't as good as they appear to be.  I'm somewhere in the middle: Amity is decent, they can play, but Glastonbury should have won this game.  More and more, I keep wishing I put St. Joseph @ #9 and G-bury at #10.  Neither team plays a quality game on Saturday (Branford and Watertown-Pomperaug respectively) so both should pick a win.

#5 Notre Dame-West Haven 3 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 5
-SHOCKER! There is a reason I always say look out for the Lancers...Coach Marty Ross may have a young team but boy he can coach.  ND-WH wasn't off from school this week so it couldn't have been that, they hadn't played since last Wednesday but I don't think that was a major factor either.  Perhaps the Green Knights overlooked ND-Fairfield since they play Prep on Saturday but one way or the other this should be added motivation to get a win down in Bridgeport or else things won't be looking good in West Haven.  I have to say this too, the Lancers are technically still capable of making the DI tournament but involves getting four wins out of their five remaining games and that does not look like it will be easy: #8 South Windsor on Sat, Conard, Fermi and #3 Hamden next week, then #4 Xavier in two weeks on Wed 3/2.  Good luck!

Others worth noting:

Darien 2 @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 0
-Darien needed a win and they got it.

#2 New Canaan 4 @ Wilton 0
-Good win against their last even decent opponent. 2 games left, neither of which should be close, meaning we will most likely see a 20-0 regular season for New Canaan!

Guilford 3 vs St. Bernard-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy 4 @ Rentschler
-I did not want to have to point out this game but Guilford just lost to a 9-6 DIII team.  Again, they weren't off from school so that can't be their excuse and I know it was Christian Cattaruzza's birthday so that should have helped not hurt them.  I have to believe that the outdoor, which players have said resembles pond ice more so than the indoor ice they're used to, had to be a factor...but the other teams did seem to manage and still play up to their normal standards.  I still think Guilford is #1 in DII but the tournament is a lot more open now (Wilton, Trumbull, and even Westhill or Cheshire are all looking good now too).  Playing at Rentschler is an unforgettable experience that Guilford probably actually wants to forget.

Stamford 3 @ Trumbull 3
-My DII game. This says a lot more for Stamford than Trumbull but either way, I hate ties!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (2/16)

I am excited for this Wednesday in high school hockey not because it features any preeminent games like ones last week but rather because we will see a good number of interesting conference cross-overs that will tell us a lot about the teams involved and allow us to better draw comparisons between them.
#8 South Windsor @ North Haven @ 6pm
-A win for South Windsor simply allows them to say that they did what Xavier, West Haven, Hamden and Notre Dame-West Haven did...and that is beat a talented North Haven team that took Xavier to OT, beat Amity, beat Chesire, and beat Tri-Town.  This game may come up again in the tournament too with South Windsor poised to get one of the top seeds and North Haven is looking to just make it in.  I expect a fairly good game at the Northford Ice Pavilion!

East Haven @ #3 Hamden @ 6
-The Green Dragons face yet another quality opponent in the Yellow Jackets.  Freshman forward Steve Marsico will be sure to cause some problems for Hamden, whether Hoff or Vargas is in goal and Hamden will have to play with full effort to win this one.  East Haven would love the big win or at least a good game to show they are not to be overlooked in the state tournament.

#6 Ridgefield @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 6
-The Jesuits also will be facing yet another top team in the state.  Could Ridgefield be the one to catch Prep a little fatigued from all the quality games they've been playing lately (Hamden, Xavier, Seton Hall Prep, ND-Fairfield)? If Fairfield Prep wins again, like I think they will, it just makes them all the more impressive of a team.  Ridgefield, on the other hand, has the talent to pull of the upset and would love the high-profile win.

#9 Glastonbury @ Amity @ 630
-Amity has really been struggling as of late and Glastonbury rebounded well from their loss to Conard by beating Notre Dame-Fairfield 3-1, North Haven 6-3 (a team that beat Amity) and then Wethersfield 5-2.  Amity can definitely win but will they be able to step up their game? Notice the pattern of quality games that don't neccessarily match up Top Ten/Five opponents?

#5 Notre Dame-West Haven @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 715
-No Fighting Irish here, just Green Knights and Lancers.  ND-Fairfield is my #1 sleeper team (only a 0-2 loss @ Prep) and ND-WH needs all the quality games they can get to gear up for their huge game at Prep on Saturday.  If you're in Milford, this one might be worth stopping in for, but I'm sure ND-WH is hoping that isn't true.

Others worth noting: Darien @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe @ 815 (Darien looks to stop their slide against a decent team) and #2 New Canaan @ Wilton @ 830 (I couldn't feature it because Wilton isn't that good but this is the only semi-legitimate chance left of New Canaan's perfect record being shattered)

DII game of the day: Stamford @ Trumbull @ 830

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's (2/14 and 2/15) Results

Monday

#10 St. Joseph 4 @ Amity 2
-Good rebound for St. Joseph after the New Canaan loss.  They look to keep rolling with Darien on Tuesday and then Greenwich on Thursday.  Amity, on the other hand, will try to stop their two-game skid on Wednesday when #9 Glastonbury comes down to Bennett for them.

Sheehan 1 @ Lyman Hall 5
-No surprise here as Lyman Hall proves to be the top hockey program in Wallingford this year.  The Whalers Hockey Fest was probably an experience that neither team will ever forget.

Other scores worth noting:

North Haven 3 @ Tri-Town 2
-Not only was Tri-Town at home but many considered them the better team based on their record.  Not this guy.  North Haven showed that they are a very talented team and when they make the DI tournament, no one will want to be matched up with them first-round.  SCC > CCC.

Staples-Weston-Shelton 3 @ Greenwich 2
-Again, the road team and "underdog" pulled out a one-goal win.  S-W-S proved they are clearly better than the label of a "DIII team" while Greenwich continues their up-and-down season.

East Haven 5 @ Milford Co-op 4
-A lot closer than it should have been.  East Haven will need to play a lot better on Wednesday at #3 Hamden (6pm).

Tuesday

St. Joseph 3 @ Darien 0
-Oh yeah, the Cadets keep rolling, making me wish I put them at 9 and G-bury at 10.  Darien has three games left to qualify for the state tournament and I think that they will be able to, as early as Wednesday at Fairfield Warde/Ludlow.  Meanwhile, St. Joseph will get in a day of practice before they go to the Dorothy Hamill Ice Rink to take on Greenwich, Thursday at 2pm.

Greenwich 2 @ Westhill 0
-A win Greenwich definitely needed to show they are still a good team. They have St. Joseph on Thirsday and then their last game of the season next Monday. Westhill has four games remaining, including #6 Ridgefield on Saturday and then Wilton next Wednesday for their season finale.

Great day coming up on Wednesday!

Girls' Basketball: Conference Tournaments [UPDATED]

As the season draws to a close on next Tuesday 2/22, many conference tournaments will be starting up this week.  I will update this as more information becomes available.

Berkshire League
-Does not appear to have a tournament (awarded outright)

Shoreline Conference
-For the first year, the conference will be switching from the top 8 format to almost the same one as the SCC (see below): every team that qualifies for the state tournament (wins 40% of their schedule) also makes the conference tournament.  The objective is to give more teams playoff experience and games to play before the state tournament starts.  With 13 teams in the conference, it may not lead to many more teams in the conference tournament but even one more team in fulfills the purpose of the format change.  Since only 9 made it this year, there will only be one play-in game (the play-in game is how this format differs from the SCC one)
Play-ins: Thursday 2/17 @ higher seed (so 9 @ 8 this year)
Quarters: Saturday 2/19 @ higher seeds (8 @ 1, 7 @ 2, 6 @ 3, 5 @ 4)
Semis: Tuesday 2/22 @ Coginchaug HS
Finals: Friday 2/25 @ Coginchaug HS
These are the final standings:
1-Portland, 2-Coginchaug, 3-East Hampton, 4-Cromwell, 5-Morgan, 6-Hale Ray, 7-Haddam-Killingworth, 8-Old Saybrook, 9-Old Lyme

North Central Connecticut Conference
-Does not appear to have a tournament (awarded outright)

Naugatuck Valley League
-Eight-team tournament but I am not 100% sure on the details for this year.  This is how it went last year:
Quarters - Sat, February 20th - HCHS @ 12pm (3v6) , 2pm (2v7), 4pm (4v5), 6pm (1v8)
Semis - Mon, February 22nd - Kennedy HS @ 5:30 & 7:30pm
Finals - Wed, February 24th - TBA @ 6:00pm
Currently the top 8 teams are:
1-St. Paul Catholic, 2-Holy Cross, 3-Torrington, 4-Woodland Regional, 5-Sacred Heart, 6-Seymour, 7-Ansonia, 8-Crosby

SouthWest Conference
-Has a conference tournament involving 8 teams but I could not find out the details.
Currently the top 8 teams are:
1-Lauralton Hall, 2-Newton, 3-Kolbe Cathedral, 4-Pomperaug, 5-Masuk, 6-Joel Barlow, 7-Brookfield, 8-Weston

Constitution State Conference
-Again, has a conference tournament involving 8 teams but all I could find is that the championship game will be at St. Joseph's College in West Hartford on Saturday, February 26.
Currently the top 8 teams are:
1-Capital Prep, 2-Wilcox Tech, 3-Ellis RVT, 4-Putnam, 5-Platt RVT, 6-Windham RVT, 7-Kaynor RVT, 8-Greater Hartford Classical

Eastern Connecticut Conference
-Tournament structure is as follows:
(Quarterfinals) Sat, February 19 12, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Plainfield High School
(Semifinals) Wed, February 23 6 and 7:30 p.m. Norwich Free Academy
(Championship) Fri, February 25 7:00 p.m. Norwich Free Academy
Currently the top 8 teams are:
1-Bacon Academy, 2-Norwich Free Academy, 3-Plainfield, 4-Windham, 5-Waterford, 6-St. Bernard, 7-East Lyme, 8-Montville

Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
-Has a conference tournament involving 8 teams but I could not find out the details.
Currently the top 8 teams are:
1-Trumbull, 2-Ridgefield, 3-New Canaan, 4-Trinity Catholic, 5-St. Joseph, 6-Danbury, 7-Westhill, 8-Wilton.  Only the last two spots are still up for contention.

Central Connecticut Conference
-Always a fun tournament, this huge confence boils down to an eight-team tournament.
Quarterfinals @ Higher Seeds Saturday, February 19th
Snow Date – Monday, February 21st
Game 1 #8 @ #1 time 1pm
Game 2 #5 @ #4 time 1pm
Game 3 #7 @ #2 time 2pm
Game 4 #6 @ #3 time 2pm
Semifinals @ New Britain High School Monday, February 21st
Snow Date – Wednesday, February 23rd
Semifinal 1 (8:00 p.m.) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Semifinal 2 (6:00 p.m.) Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
Finals @ Farmington High School Wednesday, February 23rd
Snow Date – Thursday, February 24th
Finals (7:00 pm)
The top 8 teams are:
1-Manchester, 2-EO Smith, 3-Glastonbury, 4-Hall, 5-Berlin, 6-Bristol Eastern, 7-East Catholic, 8-Farmington (just out at 9 is Tolland)

Southern Connecticut Conference
-Clearly the most talented conference for girls' basketball this year.  The tournament is unique in that every member school that qualifies for the state tournament (at least a .400 win percentage) also qualifies for the SCC tournament.  There are four rounds that follow a 16-team bracket, with the top teams getting a bye (number is based on number of teams that qualify).  Thirteen teams have made it so therefore the top 3 teams have first round byes. Format is as follows:
First Round - Thursday, February 17 @Higher Seeds - see newer posts
Quarterfinals - Saturday, February 19 @East Haven HS - 12, 1:45, 3:30 and 5:15 p.m.
Semifinals - Monday, February 21 @TD Bank Sports Center - Quinnipiac University - 6 and 7:45 p.m.
Championship Game - Tuesday, February 22 - @TD Bank Sports Center - Quinnipiac University - 6 and 7:30 p.m.
The standings were not set in stone untill last night, and Hamden could still have gotten in todaywith a win.  These are the final standings and #1-3 will have first-round byes:
1-Mercy, 2-Hillhouse, 3-Career, 4-Sacred Heart Academy, 5-Shelton, 6-Wilbur Cross, 7-Guilford, 8-Cheshire, 9-Amity, 10-Foran, 11-Hand, 12-Lyman Hall, 13-Sheehan

Monday, February 14, 2011

Boys' Hoceky: Rankings (2/13)

I would just like to point out that my rankings held correct for last week's three marquee games (#1 beat #4, #2 beat #4 and #1 beat #3) and Guilford did not make my Top Ten for a very good reason.  For the week ahead, we got some games being played outdoors at the Whalers Hockey Fest (bring em back!) that should be a lot of fun for all involved.  Also, this week is winter break for a lot of schools (some are next week) so that may or may not impact teams' performance...things like that tend to work on an individual basis so coaching will be very important. Here's the new rankings:

#1 Fairfield Prep (13-2) - 1 out of state loss
-Hey New Canaan fans, the Jesuits beat Hamden too.  In fact, that beat Xavier this past week as well, in addition to a win over Notre Dame-Fairfield and Seton Hall Prep from New Jersey.  Prep will finish out their seven-game home stand this week with Ridgefield on Wednesday and Notre Dame-West Haven on Saturday.  Both look to be very good games, in fact the ND-WH game is my GAME OF THE WEEK.

#2 New Canaan (17-0)
-The Rams beat Darien on Wednesday, which looks less impressive after Darien's loss to Westhill, but then went down to Lou Astorino Rink and shout-out Hamden 2-0.  Although everybody says Hamden did not show up for that game, New Canaan was missing their two best forwards and they still found a way to get it done.  I'm not going to say NC would win if the two teams met again but for now, they clearly won that game on February 11th.  New Canaan's remaining schedule isn't even worth talking about as they face DII Wilton this Wednesday who could beat them if the stars align properly but then NC will roll over the DIII team they'll see Saturday and DII team they get next Wednesday.  20-0 is just about in the books.

NOTE: Please read the following descriptions because head-to-head from one ranking to the next looks different but considering them all together, this is what one would get:

#3 Hamden (8-5-1) - 2 out of state losses
-Yes, the Green Dragons had a rough week, losing to Prep, NC, and out-of-state Mount Saint Charles.  However, they beat South Windsor 4-1 on Saturday (qualifying them for the DI tournament) and with the way Xavier is playing right now, Hamden would win should the two face again.  So again, this ranking is less of what Hamden has done recently and more of what Xavier hasn't done recently.  Hamden can show they're back next week against East Haven at home on Wednesday and down at Bennett Rink against West Haven on Saturday.

#4 Xavier (10-5) - 2 out of state losses
-Read the description above and you'll understand.  After what I saw from the Falcons against Prep (1-3 loss) and how they did for parts of their game against ND-WH back on 1/22 (2-3 loss), they look like a different (worse) team than the one that beat Hamden and basically beat New Canaan.  That being said, I think they can still get it together before the play-offs with games against St. John's from MA (big, physical team that they lost to before), Conrad and West Haven all not this week but the one after that.  A good win against WH could even earn them the #3 spot back.  Also, they play ND-Fairfield in the last week of the season on 3/2 so that should be a good way to get ready for the tournament too.  The Falcons may be down but they definitely aren't out.

#5 Notre Dame-West Haven (10-4)
-Yes they beat Xavier but no they did not even come close to beating Hamden like Xavier did in a sure-handed fashion.  Also, most would assume that Xavier will beat WH right now, after WH loss to South Windsor, and WH beat ND-WH so that also hurts ND.  After nothing but a losses to Hamden and WH since their win over X, ND will be in the spotlight again this Saturday when they go to the Wonderland of Ice for the GAME OF THE WEEK against Fairfield Prep.  ND also has another meeting with Hamden on 3/2 at the end of the season to (1) get read for the tournament but (2) make a statement to other teams in the tournament.

#6 Ridgefield (12-3)
-The Tigers did what they had to: a 6-1 win over DIII leader Staples-Weston-Shelton and 6-0 over a top DII team, Trumbull.  This allowed them to take the six seed following WH's loss to South Windsor.  Ridgefield goes to Fairfield Prep on Wednesday and then Terry Connors Rink on Friday to take on the pesky mid-level DII team, Westhill, that beat Darien and East Haven but lost to Lyman Hall and Stamford; not a game to overlook!  The Tigers can make their resume even more impressive the week after with games versus Glastonbury and at St. Joseph.

#7 West Haven (8-4-2)
-West Haven had to take some hit for the South Windsor loss that, although S Windsor is a good team, you would expect WH to win that game.  WH beat ND-WH and tied Hamden so you know they can play very well and they will get another chance in their only game this upcoming week: Saturday vs Hamden.

#8 South Windsor (13-3)
-To some, eight may seem a little low for South Windsor but it is a result of the talented teams above them and the fact that they have not shown they are on the level of even WH, a team they beat.  They lost 0-7 to Prep (I know WH lost 0-8 but for #1-5 it wasn't that bad), 1-3 to Glastonbury (who lost 3-5 to #6 Ridgefield and 2-5 to ND-WH) and then 1-4 to Hamden.  South Windsor will get a little more help if they can beat North Haven at the Northford Ice Pavilion on Wednesday and ND-Fairfield at home on Saturday.

#9 Glastonbury (11-4)
-The thing the Tomahawks are clinging on to is their one win over South Windsor.  However, they did beat ND-Fairfield and then North Haven just this past week.  The 1-2 OT loss to Conard isn't looking good but their own wins over Farmington and 8-1 over Coanrd the first time help mitigate, if not entirely eliminate, that.  Big game this Wednesday when they go down to Bennett and take on Amity!  They also have another opportunity next Monday 2/21 at the Winter Garden Ice Arena against Ridgefield.

#10 St. Joseph (11-3) - 3 out of state WINS
-They did it, the Cadets cracked my Top Ten.  To explain their ranking, I will explain the LAST TEAMS OUT that didn't make it...right here.  Darien (7-8-1) just took a major hit with the loss to Westhill and when you've lost to #1-6, Greenwich and tied ND-Fairfield, that's just too much.  Wilton (10-5-1) really only has a win over Greenwich and a loss to DIII Watertown-Pomperaug and tie with DII Milford Co-op just make them a team with potential but not actual wins.  It was closest with East Haven (10-4), as the Yellow Jackets have a win over Wilton and Amity and chances to do more left in the season (Hamden, Guilford, ND-WH, North Haven) but those wins/ties need to happen before they can move up.  Amity (6-8) maybe would have this if they beat North Haven and then Conard (5-6-3) could maybe have grabbed it after they beat Guilford but then they lost 1-2 in OT to Tri-Town, which, in summation with the rest of their losses and ties, will keep them out.  Finally, on to St. Joseph themselves: they have wins over Amity, Wilton, Staples-Weston-Shelton, Westhill and Trumbull.  Their bad loss is to Guilford 2-5 in the first game of the season but other two losses are 2-6 and 2-5 to New Canaan.  St. Joseph can make some noise if teams don't watch out for them and they have Amity (Mon), Darien (Tues), and Greenwich (Thurs) this week, all away games.  If that wasn't enough, they play Ridgefield in their last game of the season and also Senior Night, Wednesday 2/23.

I may or may not have a post this upcoming week with a projected bracket for the DI tournament.  My friend (Xavier Forward Kurt Johnson) likes to go through and figure out who will get what seed based on a projected final record for each team and then therefore who makes the playoffs too, to award bonus points.  Very complex and lots of work so I wouldn't have the time to do it myself but if he does it again this week I may post it to get everyone in the mood for some playoff puck...just under three weeks left hockey fans!!!!!

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Top Games (2/14 and 2/15)

As many schools have winter break either this week or next week, let's see how, if at all, that affects them.

Monday

St. Joseph vs Amity @ 4pm @ Rentschler Field
-In the first day of non-prep high school hockey at the Whalers Hockey Fest, the rivalry is renewed.  St. Jospeh took apart Amity 5-0 way back on 1/6 but both teams are coming off losses (St. Joseph to New Canaan and Amity to North Haven) so this should be a good one.  FYI tickets are $10 a game or $30 for all of the events.

Sheehan vs Lyman Hall @ 730 @ Rentschler Field
-I am only feautring this game because it is also a rivalry and it is at the outdoor venue.  Lyman Hall won 6-2 when the two played last, 1/17, but both teams are in the middle to bottom of their division so this game is one of the few things left they're playing for.  I think it will actually shape up to be a good game.

Tuesday

St. Joseph @ Darien @ 230
-As part of their three game in four day (they play Greenwich Thurs too), St. Joseph will go into Darien Ice Rink for a FCIAC game against a good Darien team taht struggles at times.  Both could use the fairly big win over each other going forward in this here last month of the regular season.  There is no underdog, favorite, or existence of an upset in this game, although if I had to choose I'd take Darien.

Greenwich @ Westhill @ 815
-This game got a lot more interesting when DII squad Westhill beat ranked Darien last Saturday.  Westhill is not bad, I just wasnt expecting that from a middle almost upper-level DII team.  I guess you just never know in these FCIAC confrence games!

Be ready for Wednesday too, lots of interesting match-ups!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Spring Sports: SCHEDULES, 2010 Champions and 2011 Look Ahead

The CIAC released the Spring sports schedules on Saturday and in anticipation/to get in the mood, I will go over every championship from last year:

Boys' Volleyball http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=boys-volleyball
-I'm going to start with what I know best.
Class M: Lewis Mills 3-1 over Masuk (19-25, 33-31, 25-22, 26-24)
-Lewis Mills lost their entire starting six to graduation and since Newington has made the decision to play in Class M again this year they are my favorite to win it this year.  They make have graduated their best player in Vicente Ithier but the tandem of now seniors Setter Reed Feery and Outside Hitter Glen Johnson is enough to dominate Class M.
Class L: Southington 3-2 over Staples (10-25, 28-26, 25-23, 19-25, 15-11)
-The first time Staples did not win the state championship ever, aside from when they moved up to Class L in 2005.  Southington had lost the previous three times in the championship to Staples too.  However, Southington lost their entire team in Middle Hitter Brendan Charamut, a staple on the outside Neal Ayotte, their setter, and also their best defensive player.  Yeah Staples lost seniors too but they start playing volleyball at age six in Wesport so expect the title to return there.

Baseball http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=boys-baseball
Class S: Northwest Catholic 4-2 over Cromwell
Class M: Montville 6-4 over Waterford
Class L: Sheehan 9-4 over Notre Dame-West Haven
Class LL: Pomperaug 2-1 over Xavier

Softball http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=girls-softball
Class S: Terryville 2-0 over St. Bernard
Class M: St. Joseph 3-2 over Lauralton Hall
Class L: Waterford 3-2 over Bristol Eastern
Class LL: Westhill 4-2 over Newton

Boys' Lacrosse http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=boys-lacrosse
Class S: Weston 7-6 over St. Joseph
-Weston won it all back in '07 but finished second in both 2008 and 2009.  Expect them to be very good again this year.
Class M: Darien 17-5 over New Fairfield
-That was Darien's sixth in a row, going back to 2005 when there were still division instead of classes (Darien was DI).  It was also their 8th all-time and the CIAC has only been sponsoring boy's lax for 16 years (this will be the 17th) so talk about dominance.
Class L: Cheshire 9-8 over Fairfield Prep
-It was a special year for Cheshire as they stopped Prep from winning their fifth straight.  Bucknell-bound attackman Todd Heritage was a major part of the Rams success and they will also be losing goalkeeper Nate Guadio (Middlebury), midfielders Mike Devine and Chris Barney.  They will return CT All-American Torrey Marton on defense.  Prep graduated Brendan Rotanz (Dartmouth) on attack and middie Darric White (Middlebury); both were also CT All-Americans.  In addition, they had another attackman, another middie, and two defensemen make All-State...all were seniors.  I'm not saying Prep will be bad this year (are they ever?) but the door for another new champion is definitely open.

Girls' Lacrosse http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=girls-lacrosse
Division II: Fairfield Ludlow 15-9 over Staples
Division I: New Canaan 10-9 over Greenwich

Boys' Tennis http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=boys-tennis
Class S: Singles-Dante Terenzio (Trinity Catholic) 6-1, 6-1 over Jeremy Schwartz (Weston); Doubles-Cameron Hagen & David Freeman (Weston) 7-5, 7-6(9) over Connor Fallon & Morgan White (Old Lyme)
Class M: Singles-Evan Sahlman (Lewis Mills) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Luka Bagi (Branford); Doubles-Alejandro Lluberes & Kyle Gaboury (Guilford) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 over Nick Vonderheyde & Chris Ettore (Jonathan Law)
Class L: Singles-Ben Lee (New Canaan) 6-0, 2-6, 7-5 over Kevin Budrawich (New Canaan); Doubles-Chase Urban & Nick Laub (New Canaan) 7-5, 7-5 over Peter Huff & Patrick Newton (New Canaan)
-Yes, those are all supposed to say New Canaan...they are a tennis powerhouse, tearing up Class M back when they were in it and now Class L for the past two years.
Class LL: Singles-Daniel Hirschberg (Staples) 6-2, 6-0 over Tom O'Brien (Fairfield Prep); Doubles-John Petrini & Flash Hoyos (Westhill) 6-2, 6-0 over Reid Risinger & Alexander Levine (Glastonbury)
-The thing that is missed from just these results is that Greenwich was the team champion by two points over Fairfield Prep, and that is their sixth team championship in a row (8th since 1999).
State Open: Singles-Dante Terenzio (Trinity Catholic) 6-1, 6-2 over Ryan Carr (Fairfield Prep); Doubles-Chase Urban & Nick Laub (New Canaan) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 over John Petrini & Flash Hoyos (Westhill)

Girls' Tennis http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=girls-tennis
Class S: Weston 6-1 over Stonington
Class M: New Canaan 7-0 over Wilton
Class L: Fairfield Warde 4-3 over Greenwich
State Open: Singles-Kimmy Guerin (Weston) 6-3, 6-3 over Vanessa Petrini (Westhill); Doubles-Marie Gargiulo & Emma Samson (Weston) 6-3, 7-6(7-5) over Kimberly Glerum & Alyssa Baker (New Canaan)

Boys' Golf http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=boys-golf
Division IV: Team: 1-Northwest Catholic 314, 2-Canton 325, 3-Portland 328; Individual: 75- Ryan Strid, Northwest Catholic, 75- Brendan Lemp, Northwest Catholic, 77- Jeff Realigo, Portland
Division III: Team: 1-East Catholic 307, 2-Granby Memorial 316, 3-Weston 317; Individual: 69-Alex DiClemente, Lewis Mills, 71- Joe D'Amato, Weston, 72- Andy Mai, Suffield and Nick Brodeur, Granby Memorial
Division II: Team: 1-New Canaan 298, 2-Avon 312, 3-Woodstock Academy 314; Individual: 70- Brian Tohir, New Canaan, 73- Dane Rosa, E.O. Smith; Michael Griffin, Torrington, 74- Kevin Jud, Berlin; Ryan Moore, Guilford
Division I: Team: 1-Staples 300, 2-Farmington 310, 3-Greenwich 313; Individual: 72- Monte Mullen, Farmington and Dylan Murray, Staples, 73- Zach Zabrach, Farmington; Kirk Massie, Staples; John Flaherty, Glastonbury, 74- David Pastore, Greenwich and Geoff Vartelas, Xavier

Girls' Golf http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=girls-golf
Team: 1-Farmington 363, 2-Greenwich 373, 3-Darien 386; Individual: 79- Kelsie Carralero, Jonathan Law, 80- Andra Frappier, Cheshire, 82- Brooke Nethercott, Greenwich

Boys' Outdoor Track http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=boys-outdoortrack
Class S: 1-Northwest Catholic 92, 2-Coginchaug 76, 3-Canton 59
Class M: 1-Bloomfield 123, 2-Weston 66, 3-Montville 61
Class MM: 1-Brookfield 60, 2-New London 58, 3-East Lyme 52.5
Class L: 1-Hand 85.5, 2-Notre Dame-West Haven 83, 3-Windsor 48
Class LL: 1-Amity 107, 2-Norwich Free Academy 92, 3-Hamden 64
State Open: 1-Notre Dame-West Haven 36, 2-Amity 32, Classical Magnet 28

Girls' Outdoor Track http://www.casciac.org/scripts/vs1011.cgi?sport=girls-outdoortrack
Class S: 1-Bloomfield 106, 2-East Hampton 72, 3-Old Saybrook 51
Class M: 1-Career 106.5, 2-Nonnewaug 92, 3-Weston 68.5
Class MM: 1-Hand 98, 2-Weaver 80, 3-Ledyard 58
Class L: 1-Windsor 122, 2-Simsbury 99, 3-Darien 83
Class LL: 1-Glastonbury 111.5, 2-Danbury 107, 3-Norwich Free Academy 66
State Open: 1-Danbury 71, 2-Windsor 61, 3-Glastonbury 48

Track: Class Championships

Class S

Boys:
1-Bloomfield 68
2-Northwest Catholic 51
3-East Hampton 34

Girls:
1-Bloomfield 65
2-Old Saybrook 42
3-Valley Regional 34

Class M

Boys:
1-Brookfield 60
2-Hillhouse 57
3-Sheehan 42

Girls:
1-Hillhouse 107
2-Career 32
3-Weston 48.66

Class L

Boys:
1-New Canaan 67
2-Hand 54
3-Naugatuck 42

Girls:
1-Windsor 85
2-Darien 84
3-Hand 36

Class LL

Boys:
1-Danbury 66
2-Staples 53
3-Amity 42

Girls:
1-Glastonbury 94
2-Danbury 62
3-Staples 45.5

State Open results will come next week; the race is at the New Haven Athletic Center on Staurday 2/19 at noon!

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Scores (2/12) [and Sunday 2/13 too]

Saturday

Notre Dame-Fairfield 0 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 2
-In one of Fairfield Prep's closest games of the year, goalie John Gilani picked up his sixth shut-out.  ND-Fairfield takes on ND-West Haven next while Prep has the game of the weekend on Sunday against #3 Xavier.

Conard 1 @ Tri-Town 2 OT
-Well I guess this means there is no third best team in the north.  It will actually be worth watching how Tri-Town finishes out the season because they will be playing in March.

#4 Hamden 4 @ #9 South Windsor 1
-Hamden officially qualifies for the tournament courtesy of a Nick Amaron hat trick.  South Windsor squeezed in a goal at the end but, to me at least, it appears that Matt Hoff is better than Andy Vargas in goal for the Green Dragons.  What impressed me most is that Hamden was coming off a very tough loss to New Canaan, and a shut out at that (you know the offense wasn't feeling good).  However, they very next night they came out and beat the best team the CCC has to offer and a very talented one at that.  Both teams are off until next Wednesday.

St. Jospeh 2 @ #2 New Canaan 5
-It's better than the 2-6 NC win the last time these two met haha but seriously this is a very good sign for New Canaan that they could play on back-to-back nights and get a good win (not just a close/fluke one).  I know St. Joseph doesn't compare to South Windsor or anything but they were the last DI team on New Canaan's schedule this year.  The perfect regular season is almost as good as a done deal.

Amity 0 @ North Haven 2
-Very impressive for North Haven.  Yes, they had the worse record but like I said, they are a very good team.  In fact, the shut-out on a team like Amity was a good sign for the goalie and the team as a whole.  Amity will almost certainly make the tournament with Watertown-Pomperaug and Hand left on their schedule while North Haven should beat Branford, and then they have Conard, Tri-Town East Haven and South Windsor to get two more wins and make the tournament.  I don't see them taking down West Haven or Fairfield Prep.

Staples-Wilton-Shelton 1 @ #7 Ridgefield 6
-Not today DIII.  S-W-S is still the best DIII team to me (Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury doesn't play any DI teams) but just couldn't get it done today.  Look for Ridgefield to finish the season strong and make some noise in the DI tournament.

Others of note:
Wethersfield 2 @ #10 Glastonbury 5
Wilton 2 @ Trinity Catholic 0
Greenwich 2 @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlow 0
# 8 Darien 2 @ Westhill 5
-I had my eye on this game for a reason but I really hoped it wouldn't happen (just like with those above).  DII Westhill got a clear-cut victory over #8 Darien...things aren't looking good for Darien.
ALSO: West Haven made the DI tournament with a 6-1 victory over Fermi.

Sunday

#3 Xavier 1 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 3 (I'm not going to make a pun about the score/rankings)
-The conversation is over; Fairfield Prep is the undisputed number one team in the state.  NC did not schedule them so we won't have the potential for that match-up until the tourney but Xavier is better than NC and Prep just beat Xavier.  Things are not looking good for the Falcons.  They came out very strong and playing the physical sort of game they played to beat Hamden, getting good shots on goal in the process.  Dan Walsh almost scored on one right in front of the net but Prep goalie John Galiani made a beautiful glove and again on the powerplay Walsh had a nice slapshot that beat Galiani but hit off the top post...just a little lower and Xavier would taken the 1-0 lead.  Instead, A.J. Unker got around his man, skated to right in front of the goal and then slid it over to David White for a sick goal that gave Prep the early 1-0 lead.  To start the second, Prep ran into three penalties in the first three minutes (four in the first six) and what I saw from Xavier mirrored their game with ND-WH where they just couldn't score up one or even two men, to the point you couldn't even tell they had a man advantage on the ice.  The lack of a goal on those four powerplays wasn't the typical momentum booster for Prep as it was a demoralizer for Xavier and unfortunately for the Falcons they never did get their mojo back.  The Preps goals from Bryan Puffer's hand (apparently you're allowed to slide into the crease head first and push the puck in with your hand if you're the home team at the Wonderland of Ice) and then later in the period with just sick stick skills in front of the net.  To their credit, I think the Xavier defense of Dan Dupont, Nick Turner, Kade McCartin and Bryan Stanton played very well; Prep's two legitimate goals were simply the byproducts of the best offense in the state that I don't know if even a prep school goalie could stop them.  The discouraging thing from this game for Xavier is again a lack of flow to the offense; hell there was even times when they couldn't pass and receive the puck effectively.  Their lone goal, which is worth something when you're playing the state leader in shut-outs (which include #6 West Haven and #9 South Windsor), came off a shot by Turner that Galiani couldn't squeeze, leaving it on the ice in front of the goal line and Nathan Rosadini put it in (with his STICK).  Lastly, it would be foolish to overlook that there was an undeniable hone advantage in the officiating, from the aforementioned goal to an X player getting called for a hook while he was handling the puck all by himself or even a player getting a penalty for getting his leg grabbed and pulled out from underneath him by a Prep player on the ground, but it actually did not affect the game too much except for maybe killing any momentum Xavier's third period goal may have started to create. The team has a week off before Senior Night against Simsbury at Spurrier-Snyder Rink in Freeman Athletic Center at Wesleyan University while Prep hosts #7 Ridgefield on Wednesday and #5 ND-WH on Saturday.  I'm definitely going to have to sleep on if Xavier still deserves the #3 ranking...look for the new ones up tomorrow.