This is why I love postseason hockey!!!!! Oh boy, what a great day it was in hockey today! I hardly know where to start so much happened. Based on tonight's scores, I feel more confident in one of the picks I had in each the DI, DII, and DIII tournaments. However, I feel less confident about an upset and a non-upset I have in DI. I will post my bracket AFTER I do the new (and final edition of) rankings. Also, to bring you better predictions than ones I have been making, I will have a special surprise tomorrow. I have been getting a lot of attention recently so, once again, I wanted to thank everyone for reading; I really cannot thank you enough, it means so much to me!
#10 St. Joseph 3 vs #1 New Canaan 4 OT at Terry Connors Rink - FCIAC Championship
-Close but no cigar (yes that is a saying but I am also going for the USA/Canada reference)! Very good showing for St. Joseph as I had them losing to Ridgefield in the semis but, like I've also said a million times, postseason hockey is an entirely different game! This will give St. Joseph a lot of confidence going into their first round game with Amity, one that many think they could lose. More importantly, however, hockey fans, coaches and players across the state see this score and cannot help but think, "New Canaan is slipping up!" A 1-0 win over Darien in the semifinals and now they get taken to OT by St. Joseph in the finals. New Canaan beat St. Joseph 6-2 and 5-2 in the regular season..that's all I'm saying. New Canaan doesn't really have to worry about Greenwich first round but after that their road to Yale and the state title gets extremely hard! [I would like to congratulate NC on 23-0 going into the state tournament...very impressive.]
North Branford 3 vs Tri-Town 4 at International Skating Center (Simsbury) - NHC Championship
-First off, congratulations to the Tri-Town Thunderbirds, this will certainly be the apex of their season; a first round match-up with #7 South Windsor isn't looking good. I am also slightly surprised by that NB (a 7-14 DII team) put up 3 on them, not a good sign if they hope to upset SW in the state tournament. I am happy for them that they won this though and 13-9 (13-10 if they lose to SW) is still pretty good.
Daniel Hand 3 vs Guilford 1 at Bennett Rink - SCC-DII Championship
-Hats off to the Hand Tigers! Just one day after upset Cheshire and avenging a one-goal regular season loss, they do the exact same thing to Guilford. They find a way to win when it matters most and that extremely dangerous in the postseason. Hand, the 7 seed, plays in the first round of the DII tournament, against Farmington and I think they will cruise in that one. What's next? Cheshire again and you better believe that game just got one thousand times more interesting! The big question is, if they beat Cheshire again, can they get past a FCIAC team like Wilton in the semis. Still, I think the Tigers would be happy just to get there and they start the quest to do so on Tuesday with Farmingotn at 7pm @ the Northford Ice Pavillion. Did I say Guilford was overrated? Who would have thought the 10-10-1 Tigers had a chance against the 18-2-1 Indians? Anyways, Guilford has a bye in the first-round of DII and faces the 8/9 game winner so I see them cruising to the semifinals.
Watertown-Pomperaug 6 vs Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury 1 at Danbury Ice Arena - SWC Championship
-Not as close as I expected, but I did say by at least two goals. W-P is going into the DIII tournament on fire, their only problem is that they most likely will face the 5 seed, Newington-Berlin, in the quarterfinals (W-P has a bye but N-B plays Sheehan), who also won big over a good DIII team tonight. B-B-D (1 seed in DIII, earned a bye) gets the 8/9 winner in the quarters and if Northwest Catholic gets there like I think they will, that will another very good game. W-P and B-B-D could meet again (for the 4th time) in the semifinals at Yale..oh how nice that would be!
CCC Championship were all at the Koeppel Community Sports Center at Trinity College:
Newington-Berlin 5 vs Windsor-East Granby-Avon 0 - CCC-South Championship
-Not only did N-B pull off the upset, but they shut W-EG-A out! This makes N-B's potential game with W-P an extremely interesting one and makes Staples-Weston-Shelton's trip to the championship game look even easier. W-EG-A, the 3 seed in DIII, has a bye first round but N-B plays Sheehan at home on Tuesday at 8pm. The game at six is Northwest Catholic's vs Rockville-Manchester-Stafford but I would like to clarify the CIAC's bracket, since it had me confused as well: the "Connecticut Skating Center" in Newington is just the Newington Arena; I don't know why the CIAC put that because I looked around could not find out why anyone would call the Newington Arena that.
Farmington 1 vs East Catholic 6 - CCC-East Championship
-The lone favorite in the CCC to win tonight, East Catholic did so in impressive fashion! Farmington scored first but East added two before the first was over. Then, in the second, they scored 9 seconds in, then a minute and ten seconds in, knocking Farmington's goalie out of the game. The Eagles added two more before it was over and none on their two powerplays though. Besides a failure to execute on the PP today, East's weakness is clearly their goalie. Although they had me believing it for a little while, I think Wilton, their quarterfinal opponent in the DII tournament (both have first round byes), will be too much for them. Danny DeFliippo is speedy and agressive for East and he can create a lot of offense with the line that he is on. Nick Tallo had a big game for the Eagles with one goal and at least two assits (I think he had another) but East really spread out the wealth as Jared Nelson had two goals and an assist and Michael Scanlon had a goal and an assist. Futhermore, Patrick O'Connor and Jordan Sabin scored. Dominic Bazzano scored for Farmington. Congrats again to the Eagles who avenged thier loss to Farmington in the CCC-East Championship game last year.
#8 Glastonbury 2 vs #7 South Windsor 1 - CCC-North Championship
-The moment you have all been waiting for! Glastonbury gets revenge for January 22nd's loss to SW and more importantly, the 2010 CCC-North Championship game loss to SW! I would just like to point out that I also predicted this outcome correctly because G-bury is just playing inspired hockey right now. Two goals in the final three minutes of the game on a goalie that had been playing lights out all game is exactly what I'm talking about. Glastonbury dominated early and often in the first period; Kyle Benson had some shots for South Windsor but the Tomahawks were all over SW's defense and even had one shot they hit the post but neither team scored. Off a pass by Joseph Bonazelli, Benson found the back of the net from around the face-off zone, with 3:05 left in the second. South Windsor goalie Christian Marchi played strong the whole game and didn't budge the rest of the period, despite Glastonbury's relentless and powerful shots, giving the Bobcats a 1-0 lead heading into the third. Glastonbury never really gave up, especially Ethan Holdaway, and with 2:59 left in the game, the rebound of Aaron Mandell's shot was put in by Sam Scannell to tie things up at one apiece. The fans and team went crazy and everyone knew this was going to have the big-time finish we all were expecting. Not even 90 seconds later, Mandell scored the game winner, credit Avery Clair on the assist, and the place, well at least one half of it, erupted! The Tomahawks held on for the last 1:45 and pulled off the upset, if you can call it that. Finding a way to win late in games and an extremely good goal tender in Chris Hemhauser will take them far in the postseason and got them the CCC-North Championship. The question is, will it take them past Notre Dame-West Haven in the first round of the DI tournament. I will break down that game on Tuesday but basically G-bury got their top defenseman, Sean Carfi, back form injury since they lost to ND-WH in the regular season but this game is being playing down at Bennett Rink so that presents a huge advantage for the Green Knights. Wednesday will be a spectacular day for high school hockey, even better than today if one can believe that!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Official Brackets (All Divisions)
The CIAC released the official tournament brackets this morning for all three divisions. Branford was ruled ineligible for an excessive amount of majors and misconducts while Westhill, who obviously has less, was allowed to play and is the fifth seed in Division II (Branford would have been the last team in at 11, East Catholic now has a bye). Also, it was found that St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA did not play with an ineligible player and therefore does not have to forfeit thier season; they are the 7 seed in Division III.
Division I: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket16.cgi?sport=ihoc&class=I&year=2011
Division II: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket16.cgi?sport=ihoc&class=II&year=2011
Division III: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket16.cgi?sport=ihoc&class=III&year=2011
I will break down each game and make a prediction on the day before...check back often!
P.S. I have already filled out all 3 of my brackets and may or may not post them with the new rankings on Sunday but as a teaser, my finals are (in no particular order): a two seed versus a four seed, a six seed versus a five seed, and a two seed versus a four/one seed!
Division I: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket16.cgi?sport=ihoc&class=I&year=2011
Division II: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket16.cgi?sport=ihoc&class=II&year=2011
Division III: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket16.cgi?sport=ihoc&class=III&year=2011
I will break down each game and make a prediction on the day before...check back often!
P.S. I have already filled out all 3 of my brackets and may or may not post them with the new rankings on Sunday but as a teaser, my finals are (in no particular order): a two seed versus a four seed, a six seed versus a five seed, and a two seed versus a four/one seed!
Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Top Games (3/5)
After spending a enriching evening surrounded by hockey, I simply exuberant for these championship games and the state tournament's beginning, next Wednesday.
#10 St. Joseph (3 seed) vs #2 New Canaan (1 seed) @ 4pm at Terry Connors Rink
-This is the FCIAC Championship and although I'd rather see Ridgefield here instead of St. Joseph, this will still be a very good game! New Canaan can definetly use the good competition as they will face the 16 seed Greenwich next Wednesday so their next quality game will not be until next Saturday. St. Joseph can pull off the upset and would love to get some momentum for their first round game against Amity, arguably the hottest team going into the tournament. Prediction at bottom.
North Branford (3 seed) vs Tri-Town (1 seed) @ 5 at International Skating Center (Simsbury)
-This is the NHC Championship; North Branford comes in with the momentum but Tri-Town is clearly the better team. This game will be good for Tri-Town to work on playing at the top of their game going into their first round match-up with #7 South Windsor.
Daniel Hand (3 seed) vs Guilford (1 seed) @ 6 at Bennett Rink
-This is the SCC-DII Championship. Hand and Guilford played back on 1/22 and Guilford only won 2-1. That, in addition to the fact that Hand is far from a bad team (read Friday's results, they've played every team close) and Guilford is slightly overrated in my mind since they still played a lot of DIII teams this year (not saying they're not good, just not as good as most people think). I expect this to be an extremely good game and, really, what game Bennett Rink isn't?
Watertown-Pomperaug (2 seed) vs Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury (1 seed) @ 720 at Danbury Ice Arena
-This is the SWC Championship game. W-P is a very good team and is coming off their very good win over Newton in the semifinals. B-B-D is technically the number one seed in DII but they did not play that many quality teams during the season. The two played back on 1/15 and B-B-D won 3-2 so anything can happen in this one!
CCC Championships: One, they are all at the Koeppel Community Sports Center (Tinity College) and feature the top two seeds based on division records (not conference).
Newington-Berlin vs Windsor-East Granby Avon @ 2pm
-This is the CCC-South Championship; W-EG-A has notable wins over Enfield, Farmington and Watertown-Pomperaug. Their losses came to Wethersfield, Milford Co-op (W-EG-A beat them later in the season though), Enfield and only 1-3 to Tri-Town. N-B, on the other hand, tied Enfield, lost to Farmington, W-P, East Catholic and twice to W-EG-A: 2-3 on 12/22 and 2-4 on 2/4. They did beat Wethersfield, in OT, but you can see who I'm picking in this one on the bottomof the page.
Farmington vs East Catholic @ 445
-This is the CCC-East Championship; Northwest Catholic was the two seed up until the last minute and this game will help both teams get ready for the DII tournament next Wednesday! On 1/29 East won 4-2 and on 2/16 they won again 5-1. Farmington had a shaky season, losing to NWC and most of the other top CCC teams. However, they split with W-P, beat N-B and have a key win over Conard. East Catholic beat NWC twice, split with Wethersfield and only lost to #8 Glastonbury and Cheshire in OT. On paper, these teams seem similar but I think one clearly stands out above the other and I have them winning this game by at least 2 goals.
#8 Glastonbury vs #7 South Windsor @ 7
-This is the CCC-North Championship and the game we have all been waiting to see again! These two teams spit the regular season series: G-bury 3-1 on 12/22 and SW 4-3 on 1/22. These two teams are almost identical on paper and when you watch them play but I think that my pick, Glastonbury, is just coming into the game hotter 6-0-2 since losing to Conard 1-2 in OT, including ties with Amity and #6 Ridgefield and wins over North Haven and ND-Fairfield. The other team, South Windosr, is 7-1-0 since sliding past Conard 1-0 with a win over #9 West Haven, North Haven and ND-F too, and Tri-Town twice with the loss being #3 Hamden. I think that Glastonbury will also be helped by the underdog mentality and having lost the last meeting between the two it gives them a little extra motivation, not to mention they would like to prove themselves even more before they face #4 Notre Dame-West Haven in their first round game. I feel like South Windsor will just be a little more complacent, knowing they landed the 3 seed in DI and a first round game with Tri-Town, regardless of this game's outcome. One way or the other, I expect a great game as these two face off in the CCC-North Championship for the 3rd straight year (G-bury won in '09 and SW in '10)!
PICKS: NC, Tri-Town, Guilford, W-P, W-EG-A, East, G-bury
#10 St. Joseph (3 seed) vs #2 New Canaan (1 seed) @ 4pm at Terry Connors Rink
-This is the FCIAC Championship and although I'd rather see Ridgefield here instead of St. Joseph, this will still be a very good game! New Canaan can definetly use the good competition as they will face the 16 seed Greenwich next Wednesday so their next quality game will not be until next Saturday. St. Joseph can pull off the upset and would love to get some momentum for their first round game against Amity, arguably the hottest team going into the tournament. Prediction at bottom.
North Branford (3 seed) vs Tri-Town (1 seed) @ 5 at International Skating Center (Simsbury)
-This is the NHC Championship; North Branford comes in with the momentum but Tri-Town is clearly the better team. This game will be good for Tri-Town to work on playing at the top of their game going into their first round match-up with #7 South Windsor.
Daniel Hand (3 seed) vs Guilford (1 seed) @ 6 at Bennett Rink
-This is the SCC-DII Championship. Hand and Guilford played back on 1/22 and Guilford only won 2-1. That, in addition to the fact that Hand is far from a bad team (read Friday's results, they've played every team close) and Guilford is slightly overrated in my mind since they still played a lot of DIII teams this year (not saying they're not good, just not as good as most people think). I expect this to be an extremely good game and, really, what game Bennett Rink isn't?
Watertown-Pomperaug (2 seed) vs Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury (1 seed) @ 720 at Danbury Ice Arena
-This is the SWC Championship game. W-P is a very good team and is coming off their very good win over Newton in the semifinals. B-B-D is technically the number one seed in DII but they did not play that many quality teams during the season. The two played back on 1/15 and B-B-D won 3-2 so anything can happen in this one!
CCC Championships: One, they are all at the Koeppel Community Sports Center (Tinity College) and feature the top two seeds based on division records (not conference).
Newington-Berlin vs Windsor-East Granby Avon @ 2pm
-This is the CCC-South Championship; W-EG-A has notable wins over Enfield, Farmington and Watertown-Pomperaug. Their losses came to Wethersfield, Milford Co-op (W-EG-A beat them later in the season though), Enfield and only 1-3 to Tri-Town. N-B, on the other hand, tied Enfield, lost to Farmington, W-P, East Catholic and twice to W-EG-A: 2-3 on 12/22 and 2-4 on 2/4. They did beat Wethersfield, in OT, but you can see who I'm picking in this one on the bottomof the page.
Farmington vs East Catholic @ 445
-This is the CCC-East Championship; Northwest Catholic was the two seed up until the last minute and this game will help both teams get ready for the DII tournament next Wednesday! On 1/29 East won 4-2 and on 2/16 they won again 5-1. Farmington had a shaky season, losing to NWC and most of the other top CCC teams. However, they split with W-P, beat N-B and have a key win over Conard. East Catholic beat NWC twice, split with Wethersfield and only lost to #8 Glastonbury and Cheshire in OT. On paper, these teams seem similar but I think one clearly stands out above the other and I have them winning this game by at least 2 goals.
#8 Glastonbury vs #7 South Windsor @ 7
-This is the CCC-North Championship and the game we have all been waiting to see again! These two teams spit the regular season series: G-bury 3-1 on 12/22 and SW 4-3 on 1/22. These two teams are almost identical on paper and when you watch them play but I think that my pick, Glastonbury, is just coming into the game hotter 6-0-2 since losing to Conard 1-2 in OT, including ties with Amity and #6 Ridgefield and wins over North Haven and ND-Fairfield. The other team, South Windosr, is 7-1-0 since sliding past Conard 1-0 with a win over #9 West Haven, North Haven and ND-F too, and Tri-Town twice with the loss being #3 Hamden. I think that Glastonbury will also be helped by the underdog mentality and having lost the last meeting between the two it gives them a little extra motivation, not to mention they would like to prove themselves even more before they face #4 Notre Dame-West Haven in their first round game. I feel like South Windsor will just be a little more complacent, knowing they landed the 3 seed in DI and a first round game with Tri-Town, regardless of this game's outcome. One way or the other, I expect a great game as these two face off in the CCC-North Championship for the 3rd straight year (G-bury won in '09 and SW in '10)!
PICKS: NC, Tri-Town, Guilford, W-P, W-EG-A, East, G-bury
Friday, March 4, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's (3/3 and 3/4) Results
Thursday
North Branford 7 vs Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks 1 @ Enfield Twin Rinks
-I was way off on this pick but what fooled me was North Branford plays a relatively tough schedule and that must have prepared them well for this one. The Thunderbirds move on to face Tri-Town in the NHC Championship on Saturday at 4pm @ the International Skating Center in Simsbury.
SWC Semifinals @ Danbury Ice Arena:
Newton 2 vs Watertown-Pomperaug 5
Joel Barlow 1 vs Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury 3
-Championship game is Saturday at 720pm @ the Danbury Ice Arena.
St. Bernard-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy 3 @ Sheehan 4 OT
-How fitting that Sheehan has to go to overtime to win and qualify for the DIII tournament. I will not post the bracket until after is it official since there is so much controversy surrounding it (see other post).
Friday
SCC-DII Semifinals @ Bennett Rink:
Branford 1 vs Guilford 4
-This game was 2-1 heading into the third and a lot closer than the score indicates. Branford, last seed in DII tournament (right now...see other post though), will be a tough out first round.
Daniel Hand 2 vs Cheshire 1
-Hand pulls the shocker...or was it? Wethersfield, a DII team that didn't even make the playoffs, took Cheshire to OT just the other day and Hand has tied Conard, never lost a gmae by more than 3 goals, in fact most were only by one, and only lost 4-5 last time they played Cheshire. Interesting thing to note: only lost 1-2 to Guilford last time they played...the championship will be a very good game!
Championship: Saturday at 6pm @ Bennett Rink.
North Branford 7 vs Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks 1 @ Enfield Twin Rinks
-I was way off on this pick but what fooled me was North Branford plays a relatively tough schedule and that must have prepared them well for this one. The Thunderbirds move on to face Tri-Town in the NHC Championship on Saturday at 4pm @ the International Skating Center in Simsbury.
SWC Semifinals @ Danbury Ice Arena:
Newton 2 vs Watertown-Pomperaug 5
Joel Barlow 1 vs Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury 3
-Championship game is Saturday at 720pm @ the Danbury Ice Arena.
St. Bernard-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy 3 @ Sheehan 4 OT
-How fitting that Sheehan has to go to overtime to win and qualify for the DIII tournament. I will not post the bracket until after is it official since there is so much controversy surrounding it (see other post).
Friday
SCC-DII Semifinals @ Bennett Rink:
Branford 1 vs Guilford 4
-This game was 2-1 heading into the third and a lot closer than the score indicates. Branford, last seed in DII tournament (right now...see other post though), will be a tough out first round.
Daniel Hand 2 vs Cheshire 1
-Hand pulls the shocker...or was it? Wethersfield, a DII team that didn't even make the playoffs, took Cheshire to OT just the other day and Hand has tied Conard, never lost a gmae by more than 3 goals, in fact most were only by one, and only lost 4-5 last time they played Cheshire. Interesting thing to note: only lost 1-2 to Guilford last time they played...the championship will be a very good game!
Championship: Saturday at 6pm @ Bennett Rink.
Boys' Hockey: POTENTIAL CHANGES IN BRACKETS
There are two things I need to address:
1) St. Bernard-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy may have to forfeit the ENTIRE SEASON for playing with an ineligible player. The IMPACT: Lyman Hall and Immaculate-New Fairfield would each get an additional win, and Milford Co-op would get two additional wins, qualifying all three them for the DII tournament. East Catholic and Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in DII would also pick up another win to add to their points (2 points). This will reshape the DII tourney a lot! Some DIII teams will pick up wins as well because St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA was 12-8. I would say the likelihood of this happening is probable.
2) Westhill received six majors (major penalties) throughout the season and that may disqualify them from the postseason, bumping every team in the DII tournament up one seed. This is not like (1) because they do not have to forfeit any games, they just will not be allowed to play in the state tournament. From what I hear, they will still be allowed to play but if they got just a few more it would have DQ-ed them.
A decision on both will be made by noon Saturday when the official brackets are released on the CIAC website. I will bring you the results and official brackets.
1) St. Bernard-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy may have to forfeit the ENTIRE SEASON for playing with an ineligible player. The IMPACT: Lyman Hall and Immaculate-New Fairfield would each get an additional win, and Milford Co-op would get two additional wins, qualifying all three them for the DII tournament. East Catholic and Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in DII would also pick up another win to add to their points (2 points). This will reshape the DII tourney a lot! Some DIII teams will pick up wins as well because St. Bernard-Bacon-NFA was 12-8. I would say the likelihood of this happening is probable.
2) Westhill received six majors (major penalties) throughout the season and that may disqualify them from the postseason, bumping every team in the DII tournament up one seed. This is not like (1) because they do not have to forfeit any games, they just will not be allowed to play in the state tournament. From what I hear, they will still be allowed to play but if they got just a few more it would have DQ-ed them.
A decision on both will be made by noon Saturday when the official brackets are released on the CIAC website. I will bring you the results and official brackets.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Division II Bracket (unofficial)
This is what the Division II bracket will look like when the CIAC makes it official on Saturday:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=390180
click on "Championship Bracket"
Some things to note:
-Cheshire may be at a disadvantage since they have a week off before they face East Catholic, who will have just played on Wednesday or it may work against East Catholic and make things a lot easier for Cheshire
-Branford can pull the upset on East Catholic but a classic SCC-CCC clash is hard to breakdown. They way in which the two teams match-up is odd and it will be interesting to see how the game goes (I still give the edge to East)
-Guilford has not faced a single of the teams on their half of the bracket yet this season; the only DII teams they faced that made the tournament are Hand, Cheshire 2x and East Catholic
-Trumbull vs Westhill will be interest because it has the potential to be both an upset if Westhill steps their game up like they did against all the good opponents they have beat and almost beat this year but the game also has the potential to be a blow-out, which is what I'm more so expecting
-Hand would love another shot at Wilton (1-2 loss earlier in season) but they have to get past a decent DII CCC team in Farmington first
-The semifinals have a high potential to be all FCIAC and SCC teams (only 2 CCC's teams are in the tournament, 1 NHC team, 4 SCC, 4 FCIAC [3 of top 5, 4 of 8])
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=390180
click on "Championship Bracket"
Some things to note:
-Cheshire may be at a disadvantage since they have a week off before they face East Catholic, who will have just played on Wednesday or it may work against East Catholic and make things a lot easier for Cheshire
-Branford can pull the upset on East Catholic but a classic SCC-CCC clash is hard to breakdown. They way in which the two teams match-up is odd and it will be interesting to see how the game goes (I still give the edge to East)
-Guilford has not faced a single of the teams on their half of the bracket yet this season; the only DII teams they faced that made the tournament are Hand, Cheshire 2x and East Catholic
-Trumbull vs Westhill will be interest because it has the potential to be both an upset if Westhill steps their game up like they did against all the good opponents they have beat and almost beat this year but the game also has the potential to be a blow-out, which is what I'm more so expecting
-Hand would love another shot at Wilton (1-2 loss earlier in season) but they have to get past a decent DII CCC team in Farmington first
-The semifinals have a high potential to be all FCIAC and SCC teams (only 2 CCC's teams are in the tournament, 1 NHC team, 4 SCC, 4 FCIAC [3 of top 5, 4 of 8])
Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Top Games (3/3 and 3/4)
Well pretty much every game is a top game as we continue with conference tournaments. Thursday is officailly the last day of the regular season for the CIAC but hockey will keep going strong into the weekend...Saturday is going to be an awesome day to prepare for the beginning of the state tournaments next Wednesday (play-in games are on Monday).
Thursday
North Branford (3 seed) vs Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks (2 seed) @ 4pm at Enfield Twin Rinks
-The other NHC Semifinal; winner faces Tri-Town on Saturday. S-G-WL has qualified for the DII tournament (9 seed) but NB will be giving it their all in what could be their last game.
SWC Semifinals at Danbury Ice Arena:
3 Newton vs 2 Watertown-Pomperaug @ 5
-Newton lost 4-5 in OT way back on 12/23 so I'm sure both teams are looking forward to playing each other again.
4 Joel Barlow (might be Immaculate-New Fairfield) vs 1 Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury @ 710
St. Bernard-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy @ Sheehan @ 730
-Regular season game that Sheehan must win to make the DIII tournament. After this game, I will make and post the DIII tournament bracket.
Friday
SCC-Division II Semifinals at Bennett Rink:
4 Branford vs 1 Guilford @ 530pm
-The #11 and #1 (last and first) seeds in the DII tournament ironically enough. That alone should tell you who is going to win but the experience should really help Branford in their first round match-up.
3 Daniel Hand vs 2 Cheshire @ 730
-Most likely, these two will not face each other in the DII tournament. Cheshire won the one and only meeting between these two, 5-4 back on 2/17 so anything can happen in this one but I'd still pick the Rams.
PICKS: S-G-WL, Watertown-Pomperaug, B-B-D; Guilford and Cheshire
Thursday
North Branford (3 seed) vs Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks (2 seed) @ 4pm at Enfield Twin Rinks
-The other NHC Semifinal; winner faces Tri-Town on Saturday. S-G-WL has qualified for the DII tournament (9 seed) but NB will be giving it their all in what could be their last game.
SWC Semifinals at Danbury Ice Arena:
3 Newton vs 2 Watertown-Pomperaug @ 5
-Newton lost 4-5 in OT way back on 12/23 so I'm sure both teams are looking forward to playing each other again.
4 Joel Barlow (might be Immaculate-New Fairfield) vs 1 Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury @ 710
St. Bernard-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy @ Sheehan @ 730
-Regular season game that Sheehan must win to make the DIII tournament. After this game, I will make and post the DIII tournament bracket.
Friday
SCC-Division II Semifinals at Bennett Rink:
4 Branford vs 1 Guilford @ 530pm
-The #11 and #1 (last and first) seeds in the DII tournament ironically enough. That alone should tell you who is going to win but the experience should really help Branford in their first round match-up.
3 Daniel Hand vs 2 Cheshire @ 730
-Most likely, these two will not face each other in the DII tournament. Cheshire won the one and only meeting between these two, 5-4 back on 2/17 so anything can happen in this one but I'd still pick the Rams.
PICKS: S-G-WL, Watertown-Pomperaug, B-B-D; Guilford and Cheshire
Boys' Basketball: Conference Tournaments Championships
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
Wednesday 3/2 @ 7pm at TD Bank Sports Center (Quinnipiac University)
#2 Hillhouse 55 vs #1 Career 53
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 @ 7pm at Bulkeley High School
#2 Maloney 70 vs #4 Windsor 85
FAIRFIELD INTERSCHOLASTIC TOURNAMENT
Tuesday 3/1 @ 730pm at The Arena at Harbor Yard
#4 Bassick 57 vs #7 Stamford 51
SHORELINE CONFERENCE
Friday 3/4 @ 7pm at Old Saybrook High School
#1 Valley Regional 61 vs #6 Old Lyme 63 OT
CONSTITUTION STATE CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 @ 6pm at New Haven Athletic Center
#1 Capital Prep 52 vs #2 Calssical Magnet 53
EASTERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
Friday 3/4 @ 7pm at New London High School
#1 New London 80 vs #7 Stonington 41
SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 at Weston High School
#1 Notre Dame-Fairfield 61 vs #3 Pomperaug 52
NAUGATUCK VALLEY LEAGUE
Wednesday 3/2 at Wilby
#1 Holy Cross 61 vs #2 Crosby 77
NORTH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 at Enfield High School
#2 Enfield 44 vs #5 Avon 48
Wednesday 3/2 @ 7pm at TD Bank Sports Center (Quinnipiac University)
#2 Hillhouse 55 vs #1 Career 53
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 @ 7pm at Bulkeley High School
#2 Maloney 70 vs #4 Windsor 85
FAIRFIELD INTERSCHOLASTIC TOURNAMENT
Tuesday 3/1 @ 730pm at The Arena at Harbor Yard
#4 Bassick 57 vs #7 Stamford 51
SHORELINE CONFERENCE
Friday 3/4 @ 7pm at Old Saybrook High School
#1 Valley Regional 61 vs #6 Old Lyme 63 OT
CONSTITUTION STATE CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 @ 6pm at New Haven Athletic Center
#1 Capital Prep 52 vs #2 Calssical Magnet 53
EASTERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
Friday 3/4 @ 7pm at New London High School
#1 New London 80 vs #7 Stonington 41
SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 at Weston High School
#1 Notre Dame-Fairfield 61 vs #3 Pomperaug 52
NAUGATUCK VALLEY LEAGUE
Wednesday 3/2 at Wilby
#1 Holy Cross 61 vs #2 Crosby 77
NORTH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
Thursday 3/3 at Enfield High School
#2 Enfield 44 vs #5 Avon 48
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Boys' Basketball: State Tournaments
Expect much better/quicker results and updates since the state tournament is run by the CIAC and they are very organized with scores being reported as soon as possible, etc.
I'm not going to copy the entire brackets but once it gets smaller I will for each class. In the meantime, here are links to the official brackets on the CIAC web-site:
Class LL: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=LL&year=2011
Class L: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=L&year=2011
Class M: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=M&year=2011
Class S: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=S&year=2011
I'm not going to copy the entire brackets but once it gets smaller I will for each class. In the meantime, here are links to the official brackets on the CIAC web-site:
Class LL: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=LL&year=2011
Class L: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=L&year=2011
Class M: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=M&year=2011
Class S: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=bbb&class=S&year=2011
Boys' Hockey: Division I Bracket (unofficial)
This is what the Division I bracket will look like when the CIAC makes it official on Saturday:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=390172
click on "Championship Bracket"
Some things to note:
-South Windsor lucked out and landed Tri-Town first round (seed before Tri-Town was Amity and after was Darien...both are a lot better teams than Tri-Town)
-St. Jospeh vs Amity first round has upset written all over it. Not only was St. Joseph going to land a seed much higher than they deserve because they have three out of state wins (auto nine points each) but they landed the best team in the bottom 6 of seeds.
-Bottom/Right of bracket is hardest (SW, Xavier, Hamden, Prep, West Haven)
-3 of the top 4 seeds in the Top/Left of the bracket are FCIAC teams.
-Of the top 8 seeds, 4 are SCC, 3 are FCIAC and only 1 is CCC
-Both Prep and Hamden cannot make it to Yale, opening a spot for a team outside the top 4 in the state like Ridgefield or St Joseph (you also can't assume South Windsor will lose to Xavier)
-Xavier has only lost to one team on their side of the bracket, Prep, and Prep could very well lose to Hamden in the quarterfinals
-Potetial Quartfinals match-ups: New Canaan vs ND-WH, Ridgefield vs St. Joseph (4th time this season), Xaveir vs South Windsor and Hamden vs Prep
I hope everyone else is as excited for the state tournament to start next Wednesday as I am!
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=390172
click on "Championship Bracket"
Some things to note:
-South Windsor lucked out and landed Tri-Town first round (seed before Tri-Town was Amity and after was Darien...both are a lot better teams than Tri-Town)
-St. Jospeh vs Amity first round has upset written all over it. Not only was St. Joseph going to land a seed much higher than they deserve because they have three out of state wins (auto nine points each) but they landed the best team in the bottom 6 of seeds.
-Bottom/Right of bracket is hardest (SW, Xavier, Hamden, Prep, West Haven)
-3 of the top 4 seeds in the Top/Left of the bracket are FCIAC teams.
-Of the top 8 seeds, 4 are SCC, 3 are FCIAC and only 1 is CCC
-Both Prep and Hamden cannot make it to Yale, opening a spot for a team outside the top 4 in the state like Ridgefield or St Joseph (you also can't assume South Windsor will lose to Xavier)
-Xavier has only lost to one team on their side of the bracket, Prep, and Prep could very well lose to Hamden in the quarterfinals
-Potetial Quartfinals match-ups: New Canaan vs ND-WH, Ridgefield vs St. Joseph (4th time this season), Xaveir vs South Windsor and Hamden vs Prep
I hope everyone else is as excited for the state tournament to start next Wednesday as I am!
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's (3/2) Wins and Losses
#1 Fairfield Prep 3 @ Amity 0
-The win for Prep is a very good thing and the fact that wasn't a blowout is very encouraging for Amity. Prep will not get the number one seed, however, since North Haven lost last night. Amity could have used the nine points from a win here but one way or the other they will give their first round opponent a run for their money!
Enfield 1 @ Tri-Town 3
-NHC Semifinal game. Tri-town bounced back from their loss to Conard yesterday with a win over an Enfield team that isn't terrible. The other semifinal is tomorrow and the championship will be on Saturday.
Darien 0 vs #2 New Canaan 1 @ Terry Connors Rink
-WOW! That is play-off hockey for you and this means two things going forward: Darien's first round opponent better watch out and New Canaan just showed some vulnerability. Ridgefield/St. Jospeh will be going into Saturday's FCIAC Championship game hyped up because it is a big game, because NC is undefeated and, now, because NC is feeling the pressure and on the verge of slipping up!
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven 0 @ #3 Hamden 2
-I was providing text updates to some friends and will give the summary by posting them here and then adding some notes: Hamden dominated the first period, shots were something like 10-2 and it got a little chippy at the end but it ended 0-0. Hamden goal, number 9 (Bill Reilly), on the redirect of number 28's (R.J. Ugolik) shot from just inside the blue line [11:46 left in the second period]. ND is still napping on the ice. 1-0 after the second; after Hamden's goal, both teams killed a penalty and there are 30 seconds left on another penalty that ND got. The Green Knights (ND) were still lazy and they don't look like they want the game but their passing, handling and offense got a little better. They are leaning on Harney and HARD though as Hamden got at least another 10 shots that period. 4:10 left in the game and ND had a 2 minute powerplay still down 1. Hamden killed the penalty and then with about 1:30 left in the game, ND almost had a goal in front of the goal but, as much as ND fans won't admit it, Hamden Goalie Matt Hoff covered it up well. #4 Paul Amarone scored an empty net goal with around 30 seconds left in the game to seal it for the Green Dragons. ND played one of the laziest games of hockey I have ever seen and if it wasn't for their goalie, Greg Harney, definitely my pick for All-State, this one would not have been close. Hamden also missed 3-4 shots they should have made so ND got lucky there too. Nonetheless, Hamden rolls and no one will want to face the two-time defending champs in the tournament!
#5 Xavier 7 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 4
-Nice to see Xavier's explosive offense again, especially after being tied 1-1 and 3-3 at points in this game. The bad thing to take from this is that goalie Austin Essery and the Falcon's defense let in so many goals. Hopefully the week off doesn't ice the offense or anything (pun intended) and Xavier can keep this momentum heading into the state tournament. Dan Walsh called before the game that he was going to have a hat trick for Xavier on the night and he did exactly that. Charlie Dupont had four assists, Kurt Johnson had a goal and four assists and Mike Rotondo had a goal and an assist. Kade McCartin and Trevor Buchas also scored for the Falcons.
#10 St. Joseph 3 vs #6 Ridgefield 2 @ Terry Connors Rink
-I know I was shocked to see this result but again it speaks to the competitive atmosphere and unpredictability of playoff hockey. I bet those who voted Ridgefield ahead of Xavier (a team that beat them) in the New Haven Register poll that was released today feel really stupid now; that or they will now hop back on the St. Joseph bandwagon and elevate them a rediculous amount. St. Joseph will now face #2 New Canaan Saturday at Terry Connors Rink for the FCIAC Championship.
Others worth noting:
#9 West Haven gets back on track 5-0 at Simsbury. Branford makes the DII tournament with a 9-1 rout of Milford Co-op.
-The win for Prep is a very good thing and the fact that wasn't a blowout is very encouraging for Amity. Prep will not get the number one seed, however, since North Haven lost last night. Amity could have used the nine points from a win here but one way or the other they will give their first round opponent a run for their money!
Enfield 1 @ Tri-Town 3
-NHC Semifinal game. Tri-town bounced back from their loss to Conard yesterday with a win over an Enfield team that isn't terrible. The other semifinal is tomorrow and the championship will be on Saturday.
Darien 0 vs #2 New Canaan 1 @ Terry Connors Rink
-WOW! That is play-off hockey for you and this means two things going forward: Darien's first round opponent better watch out and New Canaan just showed some vulnerability. Ridgefield/St. Jospeh will be going into Saturday's FCIAC Championship game hyped up because it is a big game, because NC is undefeated and, now, because NC is feeling the pressure and on the verge of slipping up!
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven 0 @ #3 Hamden 2
-I was providing text updates to some friends and will give the summary by posting them here and then adding some notes: Hamden dominated the first period, shots were something like 10-2 and it got a little chippy at the end but it ended 0-0. Hamden goal, number 9 (Bill Reilly), on the redirect of number 28's (R.J. Ugolik) shot from just inside the blue line [11:46 left in the second period]. ND is still napping on the ice. 1-0 after the second; after Hamden's goal, both teams killed a penalty and there are 30 seconds left on another penalty that ND got. The Green Knights (ND) were still lazy and they don't look like they want the game but their passing, handling and offense got a little better. They are leaning on Harney and HARD though as Hamden got at least another 10 shots that period. 4:10 left in the game and ND had a 2 minute powerplay still down 1. Hamden killed the penalty and then with about 1:30 left in the game, ND almost had a goal in front of the goal but, as much as ND fans won't admit it, Hamden Goalie Matt Hoff covered it up well. #4 Paul Amarone scored an empty net goal with around 30 seconds left in the game to seal it for the Green Dragons. ND played one of the laziest games of hockey I have ever seen and if it wasn't for their goalie, Greg Harney, definitely my pick for All-State, this one would not have been close. Hamden also missed 3-4 shots they should have made so ND got lucky there too. Nonetheless, Hamden rolls and no one will want to face the two-time defending champs in the tournament!
#5 Xavier 7 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 4
-Nice to see Xavier's explosive offense again, especially after being tied 1-1 and 3-3 at points in this game. The bad thing to take from this is that goalie Austin Essery and the Falcon's defense let in so many goals. Hopefully the week off doesn't ice the offense or anything (pun intended) and Xavier can keep this momentum heading into the state tournament. Dan Walsh called before the game that he was going to have a hat trick for Xavier on the night and he did exactly that. Charlie Dupont had four assists, Kurt Johnson had a goal and four assists and Mike Rotondo had a goal and an assist. Kade McCartin and Trevor Buchas also scored for the Falcons.
#10 St. Joseph 3 vs #6 Ridgefield 2 @ Terry Connors Rink
-I know I was shocked to see this result but again it speaks to the competitive atmosphere and unpredictability of playoff hockey. I bet those who voted Ridgefield ahead of Xavier (a team that beat them) in the New Haven Register poll that was released today feel really stupid now; that or they will now hop back on the St. Joseph bandwagon and elevate them a rediculous amount. St. Joseph will now face #2 New Canaan Saturday at Terry Connors Rink for the FCIAC Championship.
Others worth noting:
#9 West Haven gets back on track 5-0 at Simsbury. Branford makes the DII tournament with a 9-1 rout of Milford Co-op.
Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's (2/28 and 3/1) Results
Monday
North Haven 2 @ East Haven 5
-The Yellow Jackets get the better of this one and may now have enough points to get a more favorable first round match-up, but that is dependent on so many other things that we'll see. North Haven needs to beat West Haven to make states...
Tuesday
North Haven 5 @ West Haven 7
-North Haven fails to get it done and finishes the season 7-13...one win shy of a state tournament berth. West Haven, meanwhile, may not like the five goals they let up but they'll take the W and travel to Simsbury on Wednesday for what they hope results in another six points.
Tri-Town 1 @ Conard 3
-I was in attendance for this one and it was what I have come to expect from northern hockey: a myriad of missed opportunities (I lost count of the missed open net goals or mishandled on a breakaway or etc) and teams with some players that play tough and physical and then others that play timid and avoid/cannot take hits. The game was pretty good and a slew of impossible/LUCKY saves by Tri-Town's goalie is really what kept his team in it (3rd goal was empty netter. On a bad note for Conard though, they leveled a kid then as he was trying to stand back up, checked him in boards again and their kid on the bench opened the door so the Tri-Town kid would fall/get pushed in. Nine points really helps the Conard Chieftans though so I'm sure they are enjoying this win.
NOTE: So, with North Haven's inability to beat the Stavens (East and West Haven), there will be no DI play-in game on Monday 3/7. However, the first round still starts March 9 and be on the look out for possibly a state tournament preview bracket later this week before the official one comes out Saturday.
North Haven 2 @ East Haven 5
-The Yellow Jackets get the better of this one and may now have enough points to get a more favorable first round match-up, but that is dependent on so many other things that we'll see. North Haven needs to beat West Haven to make states...
Tuesday
North Haven 5 @ West Haven 7
-North Haven fails to get it done and finishes the season 7-13...one win shy of a state tournament berth. West Haven, meanwhile, may not like the five goals they let up but they'll take the W and travel to Simsbury on Wednesday for what they hope results in another six points.
Tri-Town 1 @ Conard 3
-I was in attendance for this one and it was what I have come to expect from northern hockey: a myriad of missed opportunities (I lost count of the missed open net goals or mishandled on a breakaway or etc) and teams with some players that play tough and physical and then others that play timid and avoid/cannot take hits. The game was pretty good and a slew of impossible/LUCKY saves by Tri-Town's goalie is really what kept his team in it (3rd goal was empty netter. On a bad note for Conard though, they leveled a kid then as he was trying to stand back up, checked him in boards again and their kid on the bench opened the door so the Tri-Town kid would fall/get pushed in. Nine points really helps the Conard Chieftans though so I'm sure they are enjoying this win.
NOTE: So, with North Haven's inability to beat the Stavens (East and West Haven), there will be no DI play-in game on Monday 3/7. However, the first round still starts March 9 and be on the look out for possibly a state tournament preview bracket later this week before the official one comes out Saturday.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (3/2)
Four games on the day are make-up and three of them are featured here:
#1 Fairfield Prep @ Amity @ 4pm
-The Spartans have beat #9 West Haven, tied #8 Glastonbury and taken #5 Xavier to overtime but they lost to #10 St. Joseph (twice), North Haven, East Haven, Darien and #3 Hamden. Oh yeah, they beat #4 Notre Dame-West Haven on Saturday and have won three straight since tying Glastonbury! Sparty is hot and at home for this match-up with the number one team in the state. Fairfield Prep still has an amazing goalie in John Galiani and the best offense in the state so Amity is going to have to play even better than they did against ND-WH if they want to pull another upset in this one.
Enfield @ Tri-Town @ 5 at ISSC (Simsbury)
-This game is a NHC semifinal and Enfield has nothing else to play for as they did not make the DII tournament so look for this to be a good post-season hockey game.
Darien @ #2 New Canaan @ 530 at Terry Connors Rink (Stamford)
-What does Darien need to do to pull the upset? DEFENSE and lots of shots to put the pressure on Tim Nowacki. However, I still think the Rams come out of this one strong and will be facing the other FCIAC Semifinal winner from tonight on Saturday in the championship. Nice to see the FCIAC teams are staying active before the state tournament as all 8 of the original teams qualified for their respective state tournaments.
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven @ #3 Hamden @ 6
-GAME OF THE WEEK! With all the talk about going green lately, you should check out the Green Knights at the Green Dragons. In a game that sounds like it is from the Middle Ages, two of the top teams in the state will go at it before tournament time. Both play in the SCC and therefore do not have a conference tournament so they will not play until next Wednesday. This game represents a chance for ND to redeem themselves after their 3-4 OT loss to Amity on Saturday and 1-4 loss to Hamden on 1/29. Hamden, on the other hand, would like to stay hot and send a powerful message as they head into the state tournament that have won the past two years.
#5 Xavier @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 715
-This is the last we will see of Marty Ross and the Lancers since Hamden ended their chances at making the tournament on Saturday. Look for them to come out strong as they just playing for pride and looking to make the most of their last game of the season (they don't play in the SWC tournament with all the DII teams). Xavier is trying to get hot for the tournament and follow up their 9-1 slaughter of #9 West Haven. It will also be Xavier's last game for a week and the six points they can get from a win here will help them a lot in terms of seeding (they could jump up and grab the 5 seed from Ridgefield in one of just the many possible scenarios).
#10 St. Joseph @ #6 Ridgefield @ 730 at Terry Connors Rink (Stamford)
-The other FCIAC semifinal features two Top Ten teams that just played last Wednesday actually (4-1 Ridgefield win). This is the post-season now and the winner will move and get a shot at, most likely, the undefeated New Canaan Rams. I expect this to be an extremely good game and Terry Connors Rink hosts two excellent games on the day...I definitely recommend attending both and getting there early if you can.
Others worth noting: Milford Co-op @ Branford @5 (Branford needs to win to make the DII tournament and I'm sure the teams that beat them are rooting for them for the bonus points); #9 West Haven @ Simsbury @ 545 (WH needs a big win here to get back on track going into the state tournament next week)
#1 Fairfield Prep @ Amity @ 4pm
-The Spartans have beat #9 West Haven, tied #8 Glastonbury and taken #5 Xavier to overtime but they lost to #10 St. Joseph (twice), North Haven, East Haven, Darien and #3 Hamden. Oh yeah, they beat #4 Notre Dame-West Haven on Saturday and have won three straight since tying Glastonbury! Sparty is hot and at home for this match-up with the number one team in the state. Fairfield Prep still has an amazing goalie in John Galiani and the best offense in the state so Amity is going to have to play even better than they did against ND-WH if they want to pull another upset in this one.
Enfield @ Tri-Town @ 5 at ISSC (Simsbury)
-This game is a NHC semifinal and Enfield has nothing else to play for as they did not make the DII tournament so look for this to be a good post-season hockey game.
Darien @ #2 New Canaan @ 530 at Terry Connors Rink (Stamford)
-What does Darien need to do to pull the upset? DEFENSE and lots of shots to put the pressure on Tim Nowacki. However, I still think the Rams come out of this one strong and will be facing the other FCIAC Semifinal winner from tonight on Saturday in the championship. Nice to see the FCIAC teams are staying active before the state tournament as all 8 of the original teams qualified for their respective state tournaments.
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven @ #3 Hamden @ 6
-GAME OF THE WEEK! With all the talk about going green lately, you should check out the Green Knights at the Green Dragons. In a game that sounds like it is from the Middle Ages, two of the top teams in the state will go at it before tournament time. Both play in the SCC and therefore do not have a conference tournament so they will not play until next Wednesday. This game represents a chance for ND to redeem themselves after their 3-4 OT loss to Amity on Saturday and 1-4 loss to Hamden on 1/29. Hamden, on the other hand, would like to stay hot and send a powerful message as they head into the state tournament that have won the past two years.
#5 Xavier @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 715
-This is the last we will see of Marty Ross and the Lancers since Hamden ended their chances at making the tournament on Saturday. Look for them to come out strong as they just playing for pride and looking to make the most of their last game of the season (they don't play in the SWC tournament with all the DII teams). Xavier is trying to get hot for the tournament and follow up their 9-1 slaughter of #9 West Haven. It will also be Xavier's last game for a week and the six points they can get from a win here will help them a lot in terms of seeding (they could jump up and grab the 5 seed from Ridgefield in one of just the many possible scenarios).
#10 St. Joseph @ #6 Ridgefield @ 730 at Terry Connors Rink (Stamford)
-The other FCIAC semifinal features two Top Ten teams that just played last Wednesday actually (4-1 Ridgefield win). This is the post-season now and the winner will move and get a shot at, most likely, the undefeated New Canaan Rams. I expect this to be an extremely good game and Terry Connors Rink hosts two excellent games on the day...I definitely recommend attending both and getting there early if you can.
Others worth noting: Milford Co-op @ Branford @5 (Branford needs to win to make the DII tournament and I'm sure the teams that beat them are rooting for them for the bonus points); #9 West Haven @ Simsbury @ 545 (WH needs a big win here to get back on track going into the state tournament next week)
Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Top Games (2/28 and 3/1)
Monday
North Haven @ East Haven @ 730pm
-North Haven needs a win to make states while a win for East Haven earns them an additional six points in terms of their seed in the state tournament.
Tuesday
North Haven @ #9 West Haven @ 630
-North Haven's final shot at qualifying for the DI state tournament while WH could certainly use the six points for themselves and to get their confidence back as they have been struggling lately.
Tri-Town @ Conard @ 8
-Two of the top teams in the northern part of the state take on each other in what should be a very good game. A win is nine points and momentum heading into the state tournament!
North Haven @ East Haven @ 730pm
-North Haven needs a win to make states while a win for East Haven earns them an additional six points in terms of their seed in the state tournament.
Tuesday
North Haven @ #9 West Haven @ 630
-North Haven's final shot at qualifying for the DI state tournament while WH could certainly use the six points for themselves and to get their confidence back as they have been struggling lately.
Tri-Town @ Conard @ 8
-Two of the top teams in the northern part of the state take on each other in what should be a very good game. A win is nine points and momentum heading into the state tournament!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Girls' Basketball: State Tournaments
Expect much better/quicker results and updates since the state tournament is run by the CIAC and they are very organized with scores being reported as soon as possible, etc.
I'm not going to copy the entire brackets but once it gets smaller I will for each class. In the meantime, here are links to the official brackets on the CIAC web-site. I realize some plya-in games have already happened but the first round officailly starts tomorrow so here we go!
Class LL: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=LL&year=2011
Class L: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=L&year=2011
Class M: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=M&year=2011
Class S: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=S&year=2011
For those who are curious, the boys' bball brackets come out on Wednesday...expect a post.
I'm not going to copy the entire brackets but once it gets smaller I will for each class. In the meantime, here are links to the official brackets on the CIAC web-site. I realize some plya-in games have already happened but the first round officailly starts tomorrow so here we go!
Class LL: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=LL&year=2011
Class L: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=L&year=2011
Class M: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=M&year=2011
Class S: http://www.casciac.org/scripts/display_bracket.cgi?sport=gbb&class=S&year=2011
For those who are curious, the boys' bball brackets come out on Wednesday...expect a post.
Boy's Basketball: Conference Tournaments Quarterfinals Results and Seminfinals Schedule
FAIRFIELD INTERSCHOLASTIC CONFERENCE
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
#1 Northwest Catholic 87 VS #9 Glastonbury 48
#3 Hartford Public 53 vs #6 Southington 37
#4 Windsor 50 vs #5 Berlin 39
#2 Maloney 78 vs #7 Weaver 68
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at Bulkeley High School
#2 Maloney 73 vs #3 Hartford Public 67 OT
#1 Northwest Catholic 65 vs #4 Windsor 90
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
#1 Career 55 vs #8 Amity 36
#5 Fairfield Prep 69 vs #4 Lyman Hall 67
#2 Hillhouse 67 vs #10 Cheshire 45
#3 Wilbur Cross 58 vs #6 Xavier 55 (OT)
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at TD Bank Sports Center (Quinnipiac University)
#2 Hillhouse vs #3 Wilbur Cross @ 6pm
#1 Career vs #5 Fairfield Prep @ 745
NORTH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
#5 Avon 62 vs #4 East Granby 38
#3 Granby 41 vs #6 Somers 39
#8 Suffield 44 vs #1 Windsor Locks 41
#7 Ellington 45 vs #2 Enfield 52
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at
#5 Avon 33 vs #8 Suffield 24
#3 Granby 49 vs #2 Enfield 58
SHORELINE CONFERENCE
#1 Valley Regional 74 vs #8 Haddam-Killingworth 43
#7 Westbrook vs #2 Cromwell
#6 Old Lyme vs #3 Hyde
#5 Hale-Ray 53 vs #4 Coginchaug 46
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at higher seed
#1 Valley Regional 70 vs #5 Hale-Ray 45 @ 7pm
#2 Cromwell 71 vs #6 Old Lyme 83
NAUGATUCK VALLEY LEAGUE
#6 Wilby 66 vs #3 St. Paul 65
#2 Crosby 85 vs #7 Woodland 48
#5 Watertown 57 vs #4 Kennedy 38
#1 Holy Cross 56 vs #8 Ansonia 36
SEMIFINALS:
Monday 2/28 at Wilby
#2 Crosby vs #6 Wilby
#1 Holy Cross vs #5 Watertown
SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
#8 Vinal Tech at #1 Capital Prep
#7 University at #2 Classical Magnet
#6 Cheney Tech at #3 Goodwin Tech
#5 Kaynor Tech at #4 Prince Tech
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at New Haven Athletic Center
#2 Classical Magnet 49 vs #6 Cheney Tech 48 OT
#1 Capital Prep 71 vs #5 Kaynor Tech 68
EASTERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
SEMIFINALS:
Wednesday March 2 at New London
6 and 7:30
#5 Plainfield 56 vs #1 New London 96
#6 Waterford 59 vs #7 Stonington 60
Championship March 4 at New London @ 7
Joe Morelli wrote a great article, with PREDICTIONS, for the New Haven Register that I enjoyed very much, although I disagree with some of his picks (I got NWC winning and Bassick losing).
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
#1 Northwest Catholic 87 VS #9 Glastonbury 48
#3 Hartford Public 53 vs #6 Southington 37
#4 Windsor 50 vs #5 Berlin 39
#2 Maloney 78 vs #7 Weaver 68
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at Bulkeley High School
#2 Maloney 73 vs #3 Hartford Public 67 OT
#1 Northwest Catholic 65 vs #4 Windsor 90
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
#1 Career 55 vs #8 Amity 36
#5 Fairfield Prep 69 vs #4 Lyman Hall 67
#2 Hillhouse 67 vs #10 Cheshire 45
#3 Wilbur Cross 58 vs #6 Xavier 55 (OT)
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at TD Bank Sports Center (Quinnipiac University)
#2 Hillhouse vs #3 Wilbur Cross @ 6pm
#1 Career vs #5 Fairfield Prep @ 745
NORTH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
#5 Avon 62 vs #4 East Granby 38
#3 Granby 41 vs #6 Somers 39
#8 Suffield 44 vs #1 Windsor Locks 41
#7 Ellington 45 vs #2 Enfield 52
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at
#5 Avon 33 vs #8 Suffield 24
#3 Granby 49 vs #2 Enfield 58
SHORELINE CONFERENCE
#1 Valley Regional 74 vs #8 Haddam-Killingworth 43
#7 Westbrook vs #2 Cromwell
#6 Old Lyme vs #3 Hyde
#5 Hale-Ray 53 vs #4 Coginchaug 46
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at higher seed
#1 Valley Regional 70 vs #5 Hale-Ray 45 @ 7pm
#2 Cromwell 71 vs #6 Old Lyme 83
NAUGATUCK VALLEY LEAGUE
#6 Wilby 66 vs #3 St. Paul 65
#2 Crosby 85 vs #7 Woodland 48
#5 Watertown 57 vs #4 Kennedy 38
#1 Holy Cross 56 vs #8 Ansonia 36
SEMIFINALS:
Monday 2/28 at Wilby
#2 Crosby vs #6 Wilby
#1 Holy Cross vs #5 Watertown
SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
#8 Vinal Tech at #1 Capital Prep
#7 University at #2 Classical Magnet
#6 Cheney Tech at #3 Goodwin Tech
#5 Kaynor Tech at #4 Prince Tech
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday 3/1 at New Haven Athletic Center
#2 Classical Magnet 49 vs #6 Cheney Tech 48 OT
#1 Capital Prep 71 vs #5 Kaynor Tech 68
EASTERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE
SEMIFINALS:
Wednesday March 2 at New London
6 and 7:30
#5 Plainfield 56 vs #1 New London 96
#6 Waterford 59 vs #7 Stonington 60
Championship March 4 at New London @ 7
Joe Morelli wrote a great article, with PREDICTIONS, for the New Haven Register that I enjoyed very much, although I disagree with some of his picks (I got NWC winning and Bassick losing).
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Rankings (2/27)
As I reflect back on this past week, I cannot help but smile. It was a thrilling and fun-filled week as the girls' bball conference tournaments wrapped up, the boys' started and we played the full of the regular season for hockey. Wrestling class opens were last weekend and state open this weekend with indoor track the weekend before too. Senior nights meant the end of a four-year journey for many student-athletes as next starts with acceptance letters to colleges coming in and will all be received by the end of March. The rankings did not change much at all but this upcoming Wednesday and conference tournaments feature some high-profile match-ups that may shake things up going into the state tournament (first date = Monday, March 7th)!
#1 Fairfield Prep (16-3) 5 wins and 1 loss out of state (all prep schools)
-The team with the best record against DI opponents? The Jesuits from Fairfield Prep. That includes the top-level out of state teams they face, like Catholic Memorial, who they beat 2-1 this past week. They also beat North Haven 7-2 and their only game left now is the Amity Spartans, fresh off a win over ND-WH (who beat Prep), on Wednesday at 4pm @ Bennett Rink in West Haven!
#2 New Canaan (21-0) 1 conference tournament win
-The DI Rams (DII Rams are Cheshire) made the 20-0 regular season official with a 8-0 win on Wednesday over DII Stamford. In the FCIAC Quarterfinals, which do not count for states, they took apart the 8 seed Trumbull 8-0 on Friday. They've got the semifinal on Tuesday against 4 seed Darien who is coming off a 3-2 OT victory over Staples-Weston-Shelton. The championship, where they will likely meet Ridgefield, is Saturday 3/5 @ 6pm @ Terry Connors Rink (Stamford, CT), the same site as for the semi's.
#3 Hamden (11-6-1) 3 losses out of state (all prep schools)
-The Green Dragons may have been quiet last week losing 3-5 to Winchester (MA) and ending ND-Fairfield's post-season hopes 3-1 on Saturday but this week, in their final game, they host ND-WH at Lou Astorino Rink, Wednesday at 6pm. On a day filled with huge hockey games, I'm picking that as the GAME OF THE WEEK, more for ND-WH to rebound going into states than for Hamden to just stay at the top and send the message that the TWO-TIME defending champs are still at the top of their game. I think that the referees should not receive their game checks from Hamden but rather one from each so we see the two most notorious officiating crews (Hamden and West Haven) on the ice at the same time haha. One way or the other, the game should be worth whatever they charge for admission...be sure to get there early!
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven (12-6)
-No, I am not keeping ND-WH at 4 just to make their game with Hamden seem better, like college basketball and football do for the games they carry on TV. Read the description under Xavier for why I went against my "almost guarantee" from a couple weeks ago when I moved X to #5. The Green Knights beat Prep 3-2 last Saturday, as well all know, and they continued to look impressive 7-2 over East Haven on Thursday...then Amity happened. To start, Amity beat Cheshire, Tri-Town and West Haven, tied Glastonbury and only lost to Xavier 1-2 in OT. On senior day/night at Bennett Rink this past Saturday 2/26, they took down ND-WH 4-3 in OT, being up 3-0 late in the second period. Go back and read my Staurday Scores, the game was a thriller that even included a penalty shot! Notre Dame-West Haven now ventures to Hamden on Wednesday for showdown with the two-time defending DI champions as both play their last game before the state tournament starts next Monday.
#5 Xavier (12-7) 1 win 3 losses out of state
-So why, after a 9-1 destruction of West Haven did I not move the Falcons back ahead of ND-WH like I said I most likely would when I moved them down to #5 a few weeks ago? Xavier lost, however illegitimately, 2-4 to Conard on Wednesday and that only was enough to down when you remember: ND-WH beat Prep and Amity is a lot better than Conard...a lot! Xavier also lost 3-4 to St. John's (Shrewsbury, MA) last Monday but they played very well in that loss and not getting the 9 points was disappointing. They finish out at Milford Ice Pavilion on Wednesday against Notre Dame-Fairfield who cannot make the state tournament but can still beat Xavier if they don't play like the #5 team in the state.
#6 Ridgefield (16-4-1) 2 wins out of state, 1 conference tournament win
-Three games last week! The dreaded tie, 3-3 with Glastonbury, on Monday, a nice 4-1 win over St. Joseph on Wednesday and then a 1-2 win over Greenwich in the FCIAC quarterfinals on Saturday. They will, being the 2 seed, will face 3 seed St. Joseph again, on Tuesday in the semifinals at Terry Connors Rink. Look for that to be a very good game as the winner gets a shot at either Darien or more likely New Canaan in the championship on Saturday! I can't comment on possible state tournament match-ups for any of these teams really because even with just about one game left for each team involved, depending on the results, which cannot be safely assumed, bonus points may or may not be awarded for certain teams and then who wins will get lots of points and the standings are so close that basically seeds 5-17, including a possible 19th teams, are WIDE OPEN (NC/Prep=1/2, SW=3, St. Joseph=4)!
NOTE: I apologize for getting this wrong when I first posted this but Prep can get the #1 seed if they beat Amity (they would tie NC at 141 points) and then North Haven makes the playoffs, giving Prep three more points and the number one seed. Neither team can collect bonus from any other teams and NC didn't play North Haven.
#7 South Windsor (17-3) 2 wins out of state
-What did the Bobcats do this past week? They returned to the northern part of the state and crushed Enfield 7-2 then just kept rolling with a 4-2 win past Tri-Town in their season finale. They will be in action again before the state tournament: Saturday at Trinity's Rink in Hartford at a time TBA for the CCC-East Championship against Glastonbury. This is one of the top games of the day as both are top ten teams and for the season series G-bury won 3-1 on 12/22 but SW won 4-3 on 1/22 (neither played on 2/22 ironically). The only game that day that may be better is the FCIAC Championship and the projected SCC-D2 Championship is a close 3rd...we'll see what things look like when we get there.
#8 Glastonbury (14-4-2)
-This is more about their tie with Ridgefield than WH's loss to Xavier (the way X played in that game was the way everyone expected them to be playing this whole season when you have that much talent on one team). It just works out nice that the CCC-East Championship will now be #7 vs #8! After their tie with Ridgefield, the Tomahawks were on fire, taking down Simsbury 6-1 on Wednesday and Fermi 8-3 on Saturday. I know South Windsor thinks they are a lot better than Glastonbury but they better watch out on Saturday, momentum combined with talent and a good goalie is dangerous!
#9 West Haven (10-6-2)
-I feel odd putting the Westies this low and no its not based on the "tradition/past" of their program. This team can play and they showed it all season, tying Hamden, splitting games with ND-WH and their loss to Amity doesn't look bad at all anymore. They even showed it this past week with a big 8-1 win over Milford Co-op on Monday, beating Tri-Town 3-2 Wednesday in OT, and then see the write-up on G-bury for the Xavier game...the Falcons are expected to play that well every game. The Blue Devils actually have two games left (more point to pick up): North Haven at Bennett on Tuesday at 6:30pm and @ Simsbury on Wednesday. Don't forget about West Haven come tournament time.
#10 St. Joseph (17-4) 3 wins out of state, 1 conference tournament win
-I assure you I am not just doing this to make the Ridgefield/St. Joseph FCIAC Semifinal look better. I was actually going to put Amity here based on their other quality wins/results but St. Joseph beat Amity 5-0 and 4-2. Maybe next week for Amity, if they don't get blown out by Prep (a in over Prep would get them at the very least #8, maybe 9 (or 7 or 6 if it's really good) totally dependent on other results but I think this is a good time to point out that Amity won the DII Championship in 2010 and 2009, actually over St. Joseph last year too!). A quick recap of St. Joseph's busy week last week: 4-1 over Cheshire on Monday, 5-1 over Stamford Tuesday, 1-4 to Ridgefield Wednesday but the bounce back 5-4 over Wilton on Friday in the FCIAC Quarterfinals.
I will gladly be your source for all the games and conference tournaments this upcoming week. The FCIAC match-ups are all discussed above, I think NC and Ridgefield will make it to the championship. The SCC-D2 tournament, played Friday, is #1 Guilford vs #4 Branford and #2 Cheshire vs #3 Hand. I think the championship (on Saturday) will be our possible DII championship game as well: Guilford vs Cheshire (already played twice this season, tie and Guilford win). The NHC (Tri-Town's conference) is still waiting on final seeding but they play semifinals on Wednesday then the championship on Saturday: I've got Tri-Town, the only DI and clearly the best team in that conference, winning the whole thing. The SWC will play semifinals on Thursday: Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury has the #1 seed and will face either Joel Barlow or Immaculate-New Fairfield and the other game is #2 Watertown-Pomperaug against #3 Newton [note: Notre Dame-Fairfield plays in this conference but is excluded since they are DI and the other teams are not]. The SWC Championship game is also on Saturday. The CCC-North Championship, Newington-Berlin vs Windsor-East Granby-Avon wil be ehhh but the I really like the CCC-South Championship game: East Catholic vs Northwest Catholic...a very interesting rivalry that will be a lot better game than just any DII vs DIII game. I will make picks for every conference tournament game: check the top games for the day for my breakdown and prediction; sites and times will also be included. After Monday, ITS MARCH!!!!!
#1 Fairfield Prep (16-3) 5 wins and 1 loss out of state (all prep schools)
-The team with the best record against DI opponents? The Jesuits from Fairfield Prep. That includes the top-level out of state teams they face, like Catholic Memorial, who they beat 2-1 this past week. They also beat North Haven 7-2 and their only game left now is the Amity Spartans, fresh off a win over ND-WH (who beat Prep), on Wednesday at 4pm @ Bennett Rink in West Haven!
#2 New Canaan (21-0) 1 conference tournament win
-The DI Rams (DII Rams are Cheshire) made the 20-0 regular season official with a 8-0 win on Wednesday over DII Stamford. In the FCIAC Quarterfinals, which do not count for states, they took apart the 8 seed Trumbull 8-0 on Friday. They've got the semifinal on Tuesday against 4 seed Darien who is coming off a 3-2 OT victory over Staples-Weston-Shelton. The championship, where they will likely meet Ridgefield, is Saturday 3/5 @ 6pm @ Terry Connors Rink (Stamford, CT), the same site as for the semi's.
#3 Hamden (11-6-1) 3 losses out of state (all prep schools)
-The Green Dragons may have been quiet last week losing 3-5 to Winchester (MA) and ending ND-Fairfield's post-season hopes 3-1 on Saturday but this week, in their final game, they host ND-WH at Lou Astorino Rink, Wednesday at 6pm. On a day filled with huge hockey games, I'm picking that as the GAME OF THE WEEK, more for ND-WH to rebound going into states than for Hamden to just stay at the top and send the message that the TWO-TIME defending champs are still at the top of their game. I think that the referees should not receive their game checks from Hamden but rather one from each so we see the two most notorious officiating crews (Hamden and West Haven) on the ice at the same time haha. One way or the other, the game should be worth whatever they charge for admission...be sure to get there early!
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven (12-6)
-No, I am not keeping ND-WH at 4 just to make their game with Hamden seem better, like college basketball and football do for the games they carry on TV. Read the description under Xavier for why I went against my "almost guarantee" from a couple weeks ago when I moved X to #5. The Green Knights beat Prep 3-2 last Saturday, as well all know, and they continued to look impressive 7-2 over East Haven on Thursday...then Amity happened. To start, Amity beat Cheshire, Tri-Town and West Haven, tied Glastonbury and only lost to Xavier 1-2 in OT. On senior day/night at Bennett Rink this past Saturday 2/26, they took down ND-WH 4-3 in OT, being up 3-0 late in the second period. Go back and read my Staurday Scores, the game was a thriller that even included a penalty shot! Notre Dame-West Haven now ventures to Hamden on Wednesday for showdown with the two-time defending DI champions as both play their last game before the state tournament starts next Monday.
#5 Xavier (12-7) 1 win 3 losses out of state
-So why, after a 9-1 destruction of West Haven did I not move the Falcons back ahead of ND-WH like I said I most likely would when I moved them down to #5 a few weeks ago? Xavier lost, however illegitimately, 2-4 to Conard on Wednesday and that only was enough to down when you remember: ND-WH beat Prep and Amity is a lot better than Conard...a lot! Xavier also lost 3-4 to St. John's (Shrewsbury, MA) last Monday but they played very well in that loss and not getting the 9 points was disappointing. They finish out at Milford Ice Pavilion on Wednesday against Notre Dame-Fairfield who cannot make the state tournament but can still beat Xavier if they don't play like the #5 team in the state.
#6 Ridgefield (16-4-1) 2 wins out of state, 1 conference tournament win
-Three games last week! The dreaded tie, 3-3 with Glastonbury, on Monday, a nice 4-1 win over St. Joseph on Wednesday and then a 1-2 win over Greenwich in the FCIAC quarterfinals on Saturday. They will, being the 2 seed, will face 3 seed St. Joseph again, on Tuesday in the semifinals at Terry Connors Rink. Look for that to be a very good game as the winner gets a shot at either Darien or more likely New Canaan in the championship on Saturday! I can't comment on possible state tournament match-ups for any of these teams really because even with just about one game left for each team involved, depending on the results, which cannot be safely assumed, bonus points may or may not be awarded for certain teams and then who wins will get lots of points and the standings are so close that basically seeds 5-17, including a possible 19th teams, are WIDE OPEN (NC/Prep=1/2, SW=3, St. Joseph=4)!
NOTE: I apologize for getting this wrong when I first posted this but Prep can get the #1 seed if they beat Amity (they would tie NC at 141 points) and then North Haven makes the playoffs, giving Prep three more points and the number one seed. Neither team can collect bonus from any other teams and NC didn't play North Haven.
#7 South Windsor (17-3) 2 wins out of state
-What did the Bobcats do this past week? They returned to the northern part of the state and crushed Enfield 7-2 then just kept rolling with a 4-2 win past Tri-Town in their season finale. They will be in action again before the state tournament: Saturday at Trinity's Rink in Hartford at a time TBA for the CCC-East Championship against Glastonbury. This is one of the top games of the day as both are top ten teams and for the season series G-bury won 3-1 on 12/22 but SW won 4-3 on 1/22 (neither played on 2/22 ironically). The only game that day that may be better is the FCIAC Championship and the projected SCC-D2 Championship is a close 3rd...we'll see what things look like when we get there.
#8 Glastonbury (14-4-2)
-This is more about their tie with Ridgefield than WH's loss to Xavier (the way X played in that game was the way everyone expected them to be playing this whole season when you have that much talent on one team). It just works out nice that the CCC-East Championship will now be #7 vs #8! After their tie with Ridgefield, the Tomahawks were on fire, taking down Simsbury 6-1 on Wednesday and Fermi 8-3 on Saturday. I know South Windsor thinks they are a lot better than Glastonbury but they better watch out on Saturday, momentum combined with talent and a good goalie is dangerous!
#9 West Haven (10-6-2)
-I feel odd putting the Westies this low and no its not based on the "tradition/past" of their program. This team can play and they showed it all season, tying Hamden, splitting games with ND-WH and their loss to Amity doesn't look bad at all anymore. They even showed it this past week with a big 8-1 win over Milford Co-op on Monday, beating Tri-Town 3-2 Wednesday in OT, and then see the write-up on G-bury for the Xavier game...the Falcons are expected to play that well every game. The Blue Devils actually have two games left (more point to pick up): North Haven at Bennett on Tuesday at 6:30pm and @ Simsbury on Wednesday. Don't forget about West Haven come tournament time.
#10 St. Joseph (17-4) 3 wins out of state, 1 conference tournament win
-I assure you I am not just doing this to make the Ridgefield/St. Joseph FCIAC Semifinal look better. I was actually going to put Amity here based on their other quality wins/results but St. Joseph beat Amity 5-0 and 4-2. Maybe next week for Amity, if they don't get blown out by Prep (a in over Prep would get them at the very least #8, maybe 9 (or 7 or 6 if it's really good) totally dependent on other results but I think this is a good time to point out that Amity won the DII Championship in 2010 and 2009, actually over St. Joseph last year too!). A quick recap of St. Joseph's busy week last week: 4-1 over Cheshire on Monday, 5-1 over Stamford Tuesday, 1-4 to Ridgefield Wednesday but the bounce back 5-4 over Wilton on Friday in the FCIAC Quarterfinals.
I will gladly be your source for all the games and conference tournaments this upcoming week. The FCIAC match-ups are all discussed above, I think NC and Ridgefield will make it to the championship. The SCC-D2 tournament, played Friday, is #1 Guilford vs #4 Branford and #2 Cheshire vs #3 Hand. I think the championship (on Saturday) will be our possible DII championship game as well: Guilford vs Cheshire (already played twice this season, tie and Guilford win). The NHC (Tri-Town's conference) is still waiting on final seeding but they play semifinals on Wednesday then the championship on Saturday: I've got Tri-Town, the only DI and clearly the best team in that conference, winning the whole thing. The SWC will play semifinals on Thursday: Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury has the #1 seed and will face either Joel Barlow or Immaculate-New Fairfield and the other game is #2 Watertown-Pomperaug against #3 Newton [note: Notre Dame-Fairfield plays in this conference but is excluded since they are DI and the other teams are not]. The SWC Championship game is also on Saturday. The CCC-North Championship, Newington-Berlin vs Windsor-East Granby-Avon wil be ehhh but the I really like the CCC-South Championship game: East Catholic vs Northwest Catholic...a very interesting rivalry that will be a lot better game than just any DII vs DIII game. I will make picks for every conference tournament game: check the top games for the day for my breakdown and prediction; sites and times will also be included. After Monday, ITS MARCH!!!!!
Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Scores (2/26)
Today literally may have been the best day of my life for so many reasons and the three games I saw (two hockey, one basketball) were definetly a major part, along with the people I got to see and spend some quality time with!!!!! Take a moment to thank God for all that he has blessed you with as well.
Conard 7 @ Hall-Southington 0
-What you would expect from a DI vs DIII game but its always interesting to see what will happen in rivalry games where the kids know each other very well/have grown up with each other.
#5 Xavier 9 @ #8 West Haven 1
-This one was almost a shut-out too but Austin Essery lost track of a shot of the puck after he batted down a shot...the puck was right in from of him and Adam Mink put it right through his legs but Xavier already had three goals at that point. Westies Goalie J.P. Withington started strong but about half of the goals scored on him weren't his defense's fault. In fact, he was pulled after about six goals (I don't remember exactly). For Xavier, Forward Kurt Johnson had a hat trick, fellow captain Dan Walsh had two, fellow senior Trevor Buchas also had one, then freshman Andrew Meoli added one and breakout freshman John "Jack" Gethings netted two. The defense played well, earning the team nine points and some serious momentum going into next Wednesday's game at Notre Dame-Fairfield. West Haven has North Haven and Simsbury next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Notre Dame-Fairfield 1 @ #3 Hamden 3
-Withthe loss, ND-F cannot make the DI state tournament and their final game with #5 Xavier next Wednesday won't be as huge (definitely a good thing for Xavier) but, unless I'm mistaken, they still have the SWC semifinals to get ready for. Eric Sugrue saved 44 shots but the three that made it through for the Green Dragons were by C.J. Carignan, Mike Lee and Brandon Dadio. Brioan Sanca scored the lone goal for the Lancers. Hamden finishes their regular season at home at the Lou Astorino Rink next Wednesday with #4 Notre Dame-West Haven (yet another perfect transition into the next game on the day).
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven 3 @ Amity 4 OT
-Boy was I glad that I stayed at Bennett Rink for this one. I saw my first ever penalty shot in high school hockey...I didn't even think they were allowed to call that in HS! Starting out at the beginning, Amity came out strong on their Senior Day/Night and struck first. That gave them enough confidence to keep playing sound D, creating opportunities to keep the pressure on Harney and net two more. ND-WH Goalie Greg Harney did not have his best game; Amity scored six to eight West Hartford goals (shots that hit off the post) but Harney had a few nice saves. ND's defense was almost non-existent and their penalty kill was nowhere near it's normal level. The Green Knights put one in the net at the end of the 2nd to make it 3-1 and give them some hope going into the break. In the third, it was all green and gold as ND scored again and then with about three left, on a one-on-one breakaway, an ND forward got in the zone but the Amity defenseman slid and took him took him out with his stick. A whistle blew, the refs talked it over and instead of two mins for tripping, they awarded the legendary penalty shot. The place was teeming with anticipation and excitement as everyone was either guessing what move the ND forward was going to do or hoping for a goal/no goal, or just trying to believe that what you were seeing was really happening!!!!! Classic move, actually the same way ND scored one of their other goals, I will explain this in the eastiest terms to understand: Forward went to the right of goal (facing net), body faked enough to get Amity goalie Alec Mansfield to committ and go for save, ND forward kept control of puck as he brought it back across to the left and shot it in for the easy goal net to sprawled out goalie. ND-WH had the momentum from there but the Amity Spartans kept their composure and even had a few more chances before regulation ended. Like in regulation, Mansfield and especially Amity's defense kept the Green Knights offense to a minimum of shots and the goal led to their offensive opportunities. It may not have been pretty, but a shot followed up by put-back right through Harney's five hole just one minute and thirty-five seconds into extra time did it for the two-time DII champions. The crowd erupted as ND-WH sat still and silent in shock ("we beat Prep, this wasn't supposed to happen"). Amity is technically king of Bennett Rink since they also beat West Haven; you do not want to draw the Spartans in the first round of the state tournament! On a final note, I must give credit where credit is due: Xavier Defensemen Dan Dupont said to me before the puck dropped that the game would end in an upset and yet again, he was oh so right. As previously mentioned, ND-WH closes out the regular season on Wednesday at Lou Astorino against #3 Hamden; as for Amity, take welcome #1 Fairfield Prep into Bennett...anyone bettin that Sparty can do it again? We are going to have an awesome last Wednesday to the regular season!
Tri-Town 2 @ #7 South Windsor 4
-Quality win and nine points for the Bobcats in their last game of the season. Tri-Town's final game? At Conard next Tuesday for another showdown between top northern CT teams that have both made the DI tournament as well.
Staples-Weston-Shelton 2 @ Darien 3 OT
-Another game that was a lot closer than expected as it was FCIAC QuarterfinL playoff hockey. This is exactly the reason that S-W-S is my pick for DIII despite not having the best record of teams in the tournament: they hold their against DI tournament teams, even beating (Greenwich) or taking them to OT (Darien) [not to mention they beat top DII teams]. Darien gets another game to gear up for their road game in the first round of states...it should be a big help.
Greenwich 1 @ #6 Ridegield 2
-You may have thought me crazy for putting these two games that looked like they were gonna be blow outs as top games of the night but need I say anything more than FCIAC tournament. There is just something about playoff hockey that really changes a lot. That being said, next week is going to be very exciting as the SCC DI teams finish up with some games against each year, needless to say those will be good, and then the other leagues have conference tournaments that are sure not to disappoint.
DII game: Cheshire 7 @ Lyman Hall 3 (LH needed the win to get into the DII tournament but their season ended on an L. Cheshire will finish the season at Trinity's Rink in Hartford against Wethersfield.)
Other game worth noting: North Haven 6 @ Brandord 4 (N Haven gets one step closer to qualifying for the DI tournament; they need one win or two ties in their two remaining games: East Haven on Monday and #8 West Haven on Tuesday, both on the road.)
Rankings and Basketball to come on Sunday!
Conard 7 @ Hall-Southington 0
-What you would expect from a DI vs DIII game but its always interesting to see what will happen in rivalry games where the kids know each other very well/have grown up with each other.
#5 Xavier 9 @ #8 West Haven 1
-This one was almost a shut-out too but Austin Essery lost track of a shot of the puck after he batted down a shot...the puck was right in from of him and Adam Mink put it right through his legs but Xavier already had three goals at that point. Westies Goalie J.P. Withington started strong but about half of the goals scored on him weren't his defense's fault. In fact, he was pulled after about six goals (I don't remember exactly). For Xavier, Forward Kurt Johnson had a hat trick, fellow captain Dan Walsh had two, fellow senior Trevor Buchas also had one, then freshman Andrew Meoli added one and breakout freshman John "Jack" Gethings netted two. The defense played well, earning the team nine points and some serious momentum going into next Wednesday's game at Notre Dame-Fairfield. West Haven has North Haven and Simsbury next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Notre Dame-Fairfield 1 @ #3 Hamden 3
-Withthe loss, ND-F cannot make the DI state tournament and their final game with #5 Xavier next Wednesday won't be as huge (definitely a good thing for Xavier) but, unless I'm mistaken, they still have the SWC semifinals to get ready for. Eric Sugrue saved 44 shots but the three that made it through for the Green Dragons were by C.J. Carignan, Mike Lee and Brandon Dadio. Brioan Sanca scored the lone goal for the Lancers. Hamden finishes their regular season at home at the Lou Astorino Rink next Wednesday with #4 Notre Dame-West Haven (yet another perfect transition into the next game on the day).
#4 Notre Dame-West Haven 3 @ Amity 4 OT
-Boy was I glad that I stayed at Bennett Rink for this one. I saw my first ever penalty shot in high school hockey...I didn't even think they were allowed to call that in HS! Starting out at the beginning, Amity came out strong on their Senior Day/Night and struck first. That gave them enough confidence to keep playing sound D, creating opportunities to keep the pressure on Harney and net two more. ND-WH Goalie Greg Harney did not have his best game; Amity scored six to eight West Hartford goals (shots that hit off the post) but Harney had a few nice saves. ND's defense was almost non-existent and their penalty kill was nowhere near it's normal level. The Green Knights put one in the net at the end of the 2nd to make it 3-1 and give them some hope going into the break. In the third, it was all green and gold as ND scored again and then with about three left, on a one-on-one breakaway, an ND forward got in the zone but the Amity defenseman slid and took him took him out with his stick. A whistle blew, the refs talked it over and instead of two mins for tripping, they awarded the legendary penalty shot. The place was teeming with anticipation and excitement as everyone was either guessing what move the ND forward was going to do or hoping for a goal/no goal, or just trying to believe that what you were seeing was really happening!!!!! Classic move, actually the same way ND scored one of their other goals, I will explain this in the eastiest terms to understand: Forward went to the right of goal (facing net), body faked enough to get Amity goalie Alec Mansfield to committ and go for save, ND forward kept control of puck as he brought it back across to the left and shot it in for the easy goal net to sprawled out goalie. ND-WH had the momentum from there but the Amity Spartans kept their composure and even had a few more chances before regulation ended. Like in regulation, Mansfield and especially Amity's defense kept the Green Knights offense to a minimum of shots and the goal led to their offensive opportunities. It may not have been pretty, but a shot followed up by put-back right through Harney's five hole just one minute and thirty-five seconds into extra time did it for the two-time DII champions. The crowd erupted as ND-WH sat still and silent in shock ("we beat Prep, this wasn't supposed to happen"). Amity is technically king of Bennett Rink since they also beat West Haven; you do not want to draw the Spartans in the first round of the state tournament! On a final note, I must give credit where credit is due: Xavier Defensemen Dan Dupont said to me before the puck dropped that the game would end in an upset and yet again, he was oh so right. As previously mentioned, ND-WH closes out the regular season on Wednesday at Lou Astorino against #3 Hamden; as for Amity, take welcome #1 Fairfield Prep into Bennett...anyone bettin that Sparty can do it again? We are going to have an awesome last Wednesday to the regular season!
Tri-Town 2 @ #7 South Windsor 4
-Quality win and nine points for the Bobcats in their last game of the season. Tri-Town's final game? At Conard next Tuesday for another showdown between top northern CT teams that have both made the DI tournament as well.
Staples-Weston-Shelton 2 @ Darien 3 OT
-Another game that was a lot closer than expected as it was FCIAC QuarterfinL playoff hockey. This is exactly the reason that S-W-S is my pick for DIII despite not having the best record of teams in the tournament: they hold their against DI tournament teams, even beating (Greenwich) or taking them to OT (Darien) [not to mention they beat top DII teams]. Darien gets another game to gear up for their road game in the first round of states...it should be a big help.
Greenwich 1 @ #6 Ridegield 2
-You may have thought me crazy for putting these two games that looked like they were gonna be blow outs as top games of the night but need I say anything more than FCIAC tournament. There is just something about playoff hockey that really changes a lot. That being said, next week is going to be very exciting as the SCC DI teams finish up with some games against each year, needless to say those will be good, and then the other leagues have conference tournaments that are sure not to disappoint.
DII game: Cheshire 7 @ Lyman Hall 3 (LH needed the win to get into the DII tournament but their season ended on an L. Cheshire will finish the season at Trinity's Rink in Hartford against Wethersfield.)
Other game worth noting: North Haven 6 @ Brandord 4 (N Haven gets one step closer to qualifying for the DI tournament; they need one win or two ties in their two remaining games: East Haven on Monday and #8 West Haven on Tuesday, both on the road.)
Rankings and Basketball to come on Sunday!
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