Friday 3/18 at Yale's Ingalls Rink in New Haven
(1) Guilford vs (2) Cheshire @ 730pm
-There are a lot of great storylines going on here. After a one-year hiatus, Cheshire has returned to the DII Championship game, that they won in 2009, and they will be skating against SCC-DII rival Guilford. Guilford is in DII for the first year, after having won the DIII Championship just last year. Their offense is hot coming into this game and I think that will be their key to winning as Cheshire clearly has the better goalie in Tyler Carbone. At least one goal, early in the game, will be the difference for Guilford because Cheshire always seems to get better as the game progresses. Also, Guilford will have to play solid defense, especially in the third, to carry the day but I believe they will 4-3. Most people think this game will go to overtime since the teams are so evenly matched and extremely hungry; I think if it goes to OT that favors Cheshire because this team lives for big moments and thrives in high-pressure situations like OT, so if it gets to OT I think Cheshire will win they. It may not always be very impressive, but Cheshire finds a way to win late in games, an extremely dangerous quality in the playoffs. Nonetheless, I think Guilford has the Rams number (3-3 tie on 12/23 and 4-2 win on 2/7) and gets it done in regulation!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Basketball: ALL CLASSES Championship Schedule at Mohegan
For simplicity's sake and so that they are easier to remember, I have combined the boy's and girl's championships into one post and will be listing them in chronological order of when they are taking place at Mohegan Sun Arena!
Friday - Only top four seeds in Class S.
6:00 pm: Boys' CLASS S Championship
(1) Valley Regional (Shoreline runner-up...was upset by Old Lyme) vs (3) Classical Magnet (CSC Champions)
8:00 pm: Girls' CLASS S Championship
(4) Portland (Shoreline runner-up) vs (2) Cromwell
Saturday - Class M contains two Cinderella stories; Class L is where the #1 team in the state for both genders are...and they're in their championship games against other Top Ten teams; Class LL matches up two rivals in each game and both will exciting games that I see coming down to wire!
9:30 am: Girls' CLASS M Championship
(21) Weaver vs (2) Windham (ECC runner-up)
11:30 am: Boys' CLASS M Championship
(1) Career Magnet vs (18) Trinity Catholic
1:30 pm : Girls' CLASS LL Championship
(9) Career Magnet (#7 in the state) vs (2) Mercy (SCC runner-up, #2 in the state)
-Will Mercy be able to beat Career for the third time this season or will Career make the Tigers come in second place for the second straight year?
4:15 pm: Girls' CLASS L Championship
(4) Hillhouse (SCC Champions, #1 in the state) vs (2) E.O. Smith (#10 in the state)
6:15 pm: Boys' CLASS L Championship
(1) Northwest Catholic (#5 in the state) vs (3) New London (ECC Champions, #1 in the state)
8:15 pm: Boys' CLASS LL Championship
(9) Fairfield Prep (plenty of upsets and plenty of luck along the way) vs (2) St. Joesph (#9 in the state)
NOTE: The Class LL Boys' Basketball Championship and Division I Ice Hockey Championship both feature St. Joseph and Fairfield Prep playing each other while SJ was expected to get there FP wasn't for bball and vice versa in hockey. Both are on Saturday but the hockey game is at 2pm (till about 4) at Yale's Ingalls Rink in New Haven and the basketball game is at 815pm (at the earliest, will prob be later if the games before it run later) down at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville so the SJ/FP fans can catch both.
Friday - Only top four seeds in Class S.
6:00 pm: Boys' CLASS S Championship
(1) Valley Regional (Shoreline runner-up...was upset by Old Lyme) vs (3) Classical Magnet (CSC Champions)
8:00 pm: Girls' CLASS S Championship
(4) Portland (Shoreline runner-up) vs (2) Cromwell
Saturday - Class M contains two Cinderella stories; Class L is where the #1 team in the state for both genders are...and they're in their championship games against other Top Ten teams; Class LL matches up two rivals in each game and both will exciting games that I see coming down to wire!
9:30 am: Girls' CLASS M Championship
(21) Weaver vs (2) Windham (ECC runner-up)
11:30 am: Boys' CLASS M Championship
(1) Career Magnet vs (18) Trinity Catholic
1:30 pm : Girls' CLASS LL Championship
(9) Career Magnet (#7 in the state) vs (2) Mercy (SCC runner-up, #2 in the state)
-Will Mercy be able to beat Career for the third time this season or will Career make the Tigers come in second place for the second straight year?
4:15 pm: Girls' CLASS L Championship
(4) Hillhouse (SCC Champions, #1 in the state) vs (2) E.O. Smith (#10 in the state)
6:15 pm: Boys' CLASS L Championship
(1) Northwest Catholic (#5 in the state) vs (3) New London (ECC Champions, #1 in the state)
8:15 pm: Boys' CLASS LL Championship
(9) Fairfield Prep (plenty of upsets and plenty of luck along the way) vs (2) St. Joesph (#9 in the state)
NOTE: The Class LL Boys' Basketball Championship and Division I Ice Hockey Championship both feature St. Joseph and Fairfield Prep playing each other while SJ was expected to get there FP wasn't for bball and vice versa in hockey. Both are on Saturday but the hockey game is at 2pm (till about 4) at Yale's Ingalls Rink in New Haven and the basketball game is at 815pm (at the earliest, will prob be later if the games before it run later) down at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville so the SJ/FP fans can catch both.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Division I Semifinals Results (3/16)
(1) #2 New Canaan 5 vs (6) #9 St. Joseph 6
-It is really tough to beat a team four times. The one time I am really rooting for New Canaan, they go and lose to a team that was in DII just last year. That is very impressive for the St. Joseph Cadets as they lost in the DII Championship 7-5 to Amity last year but now, this year, they have the possibility to win the DI Championship! So how did St. Joseph do it? Tim Nowaki, New Canaan's goalie, had one of his worst games of the season letting in at least two goals that almost any other goalie in the state would have stopped on a normal day. I feel truly bad for him and his team. St. Joseph's fifth goal, however, was all NC's defense fault as Nowaki stopped the original shot and sprawled out to stop the rebound shot to but his defense stood around watching, literally right next to the SJ kid, as if the defensman thought a whistle was going to be blown. However, Christian Keator just kept chipping away and eventually lifted it over Nowaki's pads for the score. Both teams played a fast-paced game, not too physical, but some really good hockey. I counted at least three big penalties that were not called, SJ tripped Reed Harper on a breakaway towards the end of the second, NC hooked a SJ kid early in the third and NC tripped a SJ kid in the last 13 seconds after he won a face-off. Other than that, we saw an exciting game due to the lack of defense on both sides.
St. Joseph scored twice in the first period on goals from Conor Crouse and Par Corcoran. NC responded will to first goal getting tons of shots right after and Corcoran's goal was an easy shot through Nowaki's five-hole that he just didn't close on. The Rams had quality looks and plenty of "almost" opportunities but the Cadets got their good looks by forcing turnovers through hustling and out-working New Canaan. Course started off the second very good for SJ by hitting the post but Dylan Hart responded well for NC by creating offense with his stick-handling skills. New Canaan struck first when Philip Prinns scored 1:31 in. SJ forward Pat Corcoran wasn't going away though as he hit the pipe then put in his own rebound at 3:45 to put SJ back up by 2 (3-1). NC's next goal came because SJ goalie Zach Carrano was simply too aggressive; he lunged out of the net to make a save but he didn't grab the puck and Dylan Hart scooped it up and then buried it less than a minute after SJ's goal. NC stayed aggressive and Hart hit the post shortly thereafter but it was SJ who scored next. Pat Corcoran completed his hat trick at 9:45 into the second period and all three of his goals were assisted by Conor Crouse (1 goal, 3 assists). Exactly one minute later, NC came back again and Charlie Corcoran did it this time, on a pass from Reed Harper and SJ was looking a little tired. Then came the aforementioned trip of Reed Harper that was not called and the second period ended 4-3 in favor of SJ. The third started off all SJ again with the NC hook and SJ's 5th goal, both of which I talked about earlier. So since SJ scored, what did Prep do? Forty-nine seconds later, Dylan Hart scored a beautiful short-handed goal while NCc was actually on the penalty kill due to a Reed Harper penalty. The penalty did still hurt NC, as Matt Julian scored the eventual game-winner at 7:29 of the third period. That goal was also St. Joseph's third goal on as many power plays, making a perfect 3-3 for the game. NC put pressure on Carrano for the rest of the game, and lots of it. They had chances, many chances, even hit the post once but did not score until 2:03 left in the game when Charlie Corcoran assisted Phillip Prinns on another goal. With the score 6-5 and two minutes left, things just got crazier form there. NC continued to assail SJ with shot after shot. The Rams pulled Nowaki with one minute left and SJ got a penalty for roughing with 13.4 seconds left so it was 6-on-4 at one point. Nothing fell however. New Canaan out shot St. Joseph 19-5 in the third period but both teams scored twice and Nowaki picked a really bad day to have an off game. Carrano made 35 saves on SJ's 40 shots while SJ had 28 shots so Nowaki only had 22 saves. Matt Julian and Ryan Parsons also had assists for SJ while Phillip Prinns, Dylan Hart, Tom Krieger, David Crandall and John Ferguson all had assists for NC that I have not yet Props to Dan Nowak who correctly predicted that St. Joseph will now be playing in the championship on Saturday at 2pm!
(2) #1 Fairfield Prep 4 vs (3) #8 South Windsor 1
-No surprise here you say? I would disagree. The first surprise in this game came before the puck even dropped when Jim Burt (forward on Hamden) informed everyone that Fairfield Prep Forward A.J. Unker would not be playing because he broke his foot/toes playing basketball over the weekend. Unker is one of Prep's top goal-scorers and that not only takes away one of Prep's offensive weapons, but it also may disrupt their chemistry as someone else is going to move up to the first line and that throws off every line. The next surprise: David White, Don Carnicky and Bryan Puffer's chemistry on the first line. White scored 4:54 into the game on a powerplay, assisted by Carnicky and Puffer, and it was on for Prep. Two minutes and eight seconds later Puffer scored unassisted; it was looking like things were going to get ugly. However, South Windsor rose to occasion, more specifically Kyle Benson, as he scored himself a nice unassisted goal at the 12:24 as an SW penalty was in its final seconds. SW had chances in the first to score more, in fact they hit the post before Prep even scored, and actually outshot the Jesuits 10-7 in that period.
On to the second, Fairfield Prep picked up a holding penalty early. This gave SW's offense the spark they needed to rain shots on Prep goalie John Galiani, but the man between the posts wasn't letting anything past. Benson had a chance right on the doorstep to bat the puck in after his teammate hit the post, but he couldn't do it. As the period progressed, FP really started to work hard and, the first especially, played really unselfish hockey. The two things combined for a Prep goal, David Griffin assisted by White and Puffer, at 7:04. Griffin did the work himself as he challenged SW goalie Christian Marchi and scored a beauty as he was falling down. On another chance, the Jesuits seemed to be a little too unselfish as they kept passing and no one shot the puck until it was too late. There was another instance too where FP shot and the puck seemed to be loose in front of the goal but Marchi managed to lay on it and get a whistle. Prep dominated the second period and shots were 11-7 in favor of them this time.
The score was 3-1 entering the third and I think everyone, including the Bomb Squad (Prep's cheering section), had a thought in the back of their mind that SW could come back. The Bobcats came out better than they looked in the second and had a pristine opportunity early on. The SW kid took a shot and it was stopped on the goal line by Galiani. SW forward Tyler Glassman was there but he couldn't knock it in; in fact, he may have even knocked it out of the goal before the ref could see where the puck was and possibly call it a goal for the Bobcats. Although there were times where SW shot it right at his chest, Galiani also made some really nice saves in the game like a nasty grab gloveslide that at around this point in the third. Matt Brophy on Prep picked up a holding penalty at 4:49 and, again, that helped give SW the confidence and prospect to get back in the game. Kyle Benson led the charge but many of their shots in the period and on this PP were easily saved by Galiani and, on this PP, Benson missed SW Forward Joseph Bonazelli on a return pass that would have set up Bonazelli, another offensive catalyst for the Bobcats, with the puck wide open. Sen Henry on Prep even got called for an interference penalty at 10:25 but SW just couldn't score. A SW penalty late gave Prep the powerplay to score, Don Carnicky assisted by Tom Worsfold, with 2:35 left to play. That was really the icer for the game as fans started leaving after that and everyone knew Prep had it in the bag. The actual surprise after the game was over, if you think about it, is not that Prep won 4-1 but rather that they only won 4-1 because if Unker played Prep would have at least had more than the measly 28 shots they did in this game. Marchi only had 24 saves on those 28 shots so more shots would most likely have led to more goals. SW also had 28 shots in this game so Prep goal tender John Galiani had 27 saves. On Saturday at 2pm right back at Ingalls, Prep will play in their 8th DI hockey championship in the last 12 years and they've won it six of the seven times they've been here before (lost 6-5 to Hamden last year)!
NOTE: The Class LL Boys' Basketball Championship and Division I Ice Hockey Championship both feature St. Joseph and Fairfield Prep playing each other while SJ was expected to get there FP wasn't for bball and vice versa in hockey. Both are on Saturday but the hockey game is at 2pm (till about 4) at Yale's Ingalls Rink in New Haven and the basketball game is at 815pm (at the earliest, will prob be later if the games before it run later) down at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville so the SJ/FP fans can catch both.
-It is really tough to beat a team four times. The one time I am really rooting for New Canaan, they go and lose to a team that was in DII just last year. That is very impressive for the St. Joseph Cadets as they lost in the DII Championship 7-5 to Amity last year but now, this year, they have the possibility to win the DI Championship! So how did St. Joseph do it? Tim Nowaki, New Canaan's goalie, had one of his worst games of the season letting in at least two goals that almost any other goalie in the state would have stopped on a normal day. I feel truly bad for him and his team. St. Joseph's fifth goal, however, was all NC's defense fault as Nowaki stopped the original shot and sprawled out to stop the rebound shot to but his defense stood around watching, literally right next to the SJ kid, as if the defensman thought a whistle was going to be blown. However, Christian Keator just kept chipping away and eventually lifted it over Nowaki's pads for the score. Both teams played a fast-paced game, not too physical, but some really good hockey. I counted at least three big penalties that were not called, SJ tripped Reed Harper on a breakaway towards the end of the second, NC hooked a SJ kid early in the third and NC tripped a SJ kid in the last 13 seconds after he won a face-off. Other than that, we saw an exciting game due to the lack of defense on both sides.
St. Joseph scored twice in the first period on goals from Conor Crouse and Par Corcoran. NC responded will to first goal getting tons of shots right after and Corcoran's goal was an easy shot through Nowaki's five-hole that he just didn't close on. The Rams had quality looks and plenty of "almost" opportunities but the Cadets got their good looks by forcing turnovers through hustling and out-working New Canaan. Course started off the second very good for SJ by hitting the post but Dylan Hart responded well for NC by creating offense with his stick-handling skills. New Canaan struck first when Philip Prinns scored 1:31 in. SJ forward Pat Corcoran wasn't going away though as he hit the pipe then put in his own rebound at 3:45 to put SJ back up by 2 (3-1). NC's next goal came because SJ goalie Zach Carrano was simply too aggressive; he lunged out of the net to make a save but he didn't grab the puck and Dylan Hart scooped it up and then buried it less than a minute after SJ's goal. NC stayed aggressive and Hart hit the post shortly thereafter but it was SJ who scored next. Pat Corcoran completed his hat trick at 9:45 into the second period and all three of his goals were assisted by Conor Crouse (1 goal, 3 assists). Exactly one minute later, NC came back again and Charlie Corcoran did it this time, on a pass from Reed Harper and SJ was looking a little tired. Then came the aforementioned trip of Reed Harper that was not called and the second period ended 4-3 in favor of SJ. The third started off all SJ again with the NC hook and SJ's 5th goal, both of which I talked about earlier. So since SJ scored, what did Prep do? Forty-nine seconds later, Dylan Hart scored a beautiful short-handed goal while NCc was actually on the penalty kill due to a Reed Harper penalty. The penalty did still hurt NC, as Matt Julian scored the eventual game-winner at 7:29 of the third period. That goal was also St. Joseph's third goal on as many power plays, making a perfect 3-3 for the game. NC put pressure on Carrano for the rest of the game, and lots of it. They had chances, many chances, even hit the post once but did not score until 2:03 left in the game when Charlie Corcoran assisted Phillip Prinns on another goal. With the score 6-5 and two minutes left, things just got crazier form there. NC continued to assail SJ with shot after shot. The Rams pulled Nowaki with one minute left and SJ got a penalty for roughing with 13.4 seconds left so it was 6-on-4 at one point. Nothing fell however. New Canaan out shot St. Joseph 19-5 in the third period but both teams scored twice and Nowaki picked a really bad day to have an off game. Carrano made 35 saves on SJ's 40 shots while SJ had 28 shots so Nowaki only had 22 saves. Matt Julian and Ryan Parsons also had assists for SJ while Phillip Prinns, Dylan Hart, Tom Krieger, David Crandall and John Ferguson all had assists for NC that I have not yet Props to Dan Nowak who correctly predicted that St. Joseph will now be playing in the championship on Saturday at 2pm!
(2) #1 Fairfield Prep 4 vs (3) #8 South Windsor 1
-No surprise here you say? I would disagree. The first surprise in this game came before the puck even dropped when Jim Burt (forward on Hamden) informed everyone that Fairfield Prep Forward A.J. Unker would not be playing because he broke his foot/toes playing basketball over the weekend. Unker is one of Prep's top goal-scorers and that not only takes away one of Prep's offensive weapons, but it also may disrupt their chemistry as someone else is going to move up to the first line and that throws off every line. The next surprise: David White, Don Carnicky and Bryan Puffer's chemistry on the first line. White scored 4:54 into the game on a powerplay, assisted by Carnicky and Puffer, and it was on for Prep. Two minutes and eight seconds later Puffer scored unassisted; it was looking like things were going to get ugly. However, South Windsor rose to occasion, more specifically Kyle Benson, as he scored himself a nice unassisted goal at the 12:24 as an SW penalty was in its final seconds. SW had chances in the first to score more, in fact they hit the post before Prep even scored, and actually outshot the Jesuits 10-7 in that period.
On to the second, Fairfield Prep picked up a holding penalty early. This gave SW's offense the spark they needed to rain shots on Prep goalie John Galiani, but the man between the posts wasn't letting anything past. Benson had a chance right on the doorstep to bat the puck in after his teammate hit the post, but he couldn't do it. As the period progressed, FP really started to work hard and, the first especially, played really unselfish hockey. The two things combined for a Prep goal, David Griffin assisted by White and Puffer, at 7:04. Griffin did the work himself as he challenged SW goalie Christian Marchi and scored a beauty as he was falling down. On another chance, the Jesuits seemed to be a little too unselfish as they kept passing and no one shot the puck until it was too late. There was another instance too where FP shot and the puck seemed to be loose in front of the goal but Marchi managed to lay on it and get a whistle. Prep dominated the second period and shots were 11-7 in favor of them this time.
The score was 3-1 entering the third and I think everyone, including the Bomb Squad (Prep's cheering section), had a thought in the back of their mind that SW could come back. The Bobcats came out better than they looked in the second and had a pristine opportunity early on. The SW kid took a shot and it was stopped on the goal line by Galiani. SW forward Tyler Glassman was there but he couldn't knock it in; in fact, he may have even knocked it out of the goal before the ref could see where the puck was and possibly call it a goal for the Bobcats. Although there were times where SW shot it right at his chest, Galiani also made some really nice saves in the game like a nasty grab gloveslide that at around this point in the third. Matt Brophy on Prep picked up a holding penalty at 4:49 and, again, that helped give SW the confidence and prospect to get back in the game. Kyle Benson led the charge but many of their shots in the period and on this PP were easily saved by Galiani and, on this PP, Benson missed SW Forward Joseph Bonazelli on a return pass that would have set up Bonazelli, another offensive catalyst for the Bobcats, with the puck wide open. Sen Henry on Prep even got called for an interference penalty at 10:25 but SW just couldn't score. A SW penalty late gave Prep the powerplay to score, Don Carnicky assisted by Tom Worsfold, with 2:35 left to play. That was really the icer for the game as fans started leaving after that and everyone knew Prep had it in the bag. The actual surprise after the game was over, if you think about it, is not that Prep won 4-1 but rather that they only won 4-1 because if Unker played Prep would have at least had more than the measly 28 shots they did in this game. Marchi only had 24 saves on those 28 shots so more shots would most likely have led to more goals. SW also had 28 shots in this game so Prep goal tender John Galiani had 27 saves. On Saturday at 2pm right back at Ingalls, Prep will play in their 8th DI hockey championship in the last 12 years and they've won it six of the seven times they've been here before (lost 6-5 to Hamden last year)!
NOTE: The Class LL Boys' Basketball Championship and Division I Ice Hockey Championship both feature St. Joseph and Fairfield Prep playing each other while SJ was expected to get there FP wasn't for bball and vice versa in hockey. Both are on Saturday but the hockey game is at 2pm (till about 4) at Yale's Ingalls Rink in New Haven and the basketball game is at 815pm (at the earliest, will prob be later if the games before it run later) down at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville so the SJ/FP fans can catch both.
Boys' Hockey: Division I Semifinals Preview
All games are Wednesday 3/16 at Yale's Ingalls Rink in New Haven.
(1) #2 New Canaan vs (4) #9 St. Joseph @ 530pm
-Things don't get any easier for New Canaan coming off their win over Glastonbury. St. Joseph is looking for revenge in this game not only for a pair of regular season losses (2-6 on 1/4 and 2-5 on 2/12) but also the 2-3 OT loss to NC in the FCIAC Championship game on 3/5. The New Canaan Rams are coming into the game playing the 25-0 team that they are; Tim Nowaki is doing well in goal, their defense has stepped it up as of late and they have proved they have more offensive weapons than just Charlie Corcoran and Reed Harper. The St. Joseph Cadets are riding hot play from their goalie Zach Carrano into this one after the kid stood on his head (33 saves) in their 3-2 win over Ridgefield in the Semifinals. I think that that ends here or NC at least bends him enough to put the games in the hand of their defense and Nowaki, who just seems to get better each game. Anything can certainly happen since it's the playoffs and these are two very good teams, not to mention St. Joseph has playoff experience. I think New Canaan is back on track after those slip-ups in the FCIAC and they will emerge with their 26th win of the season!
(2) #1 Fairfield Prep vs (3) #8 South Windsor @ 730
-Interestig match-up that not even Conyers picked. Prep won 7-0 way back on 12/18 when the two played a regular season game. Prep certainly will not be over looking SW though after SW just upset Xavier in the quarterfinals. Also, the kids on Prep are smart and know that they need to bring it every game, for the entire game. You know playing at Yale will get both teams pumped too! SW will need to score that crucial first goal again in this one and goalie Christian Marchi will need to be better than he was against Xavier or Glastonbury if the Bobcats want to upset another SCC "giant!" If Prep scores first and the SW defense dwells on it too much, Prep will score again and things will just ugly from there. I'm not expecting 7-0 again as both teams have grown and matured together a lot since 3 months ago but I do still think my number one team in the state will win and be playing in the championship game Saturday at 2pm!
(1) #2 New Canaan vs (4) #9 St. Joseph @ 530pm
-Things don't get any easier for New Canaan coming off their win over Glastonbury. St. Joseph is looking for revenge in this game not only for a pair of regular season losses (2-6 on 1/4 and 2-5 on 2/12) but also the 2-3 OT loss to NC in the FCIAC Championship game on 3/5. The New Canaan Rams are coming into the game playing the 25-0 team that they are; Tim Nowaki is doing well in goal, their defense has stepped it up as of late and they have proved they have more offensive weapons than just Charlie Corcoran and Reed Harper. The St. Joseph Cadets are riding hot play from their goalie Zach Carrano into this one after the kid stood on his head (33 saves) in their 3-2 win over Ridgefield in the Semifinals. I think that that ends here or NC at least bends him enough to put the games in the hand of their defense and Nowaki, who just seems to get better each game. Anything can certainly happen since it's the playoffs and these are two very good teams, not to mention St. Joseph has playoff experience. I think New Canaan is back on track after those slip-ups in the FCIAC and they will emerge with their 26th win of the season!
(2) #1 Fairfield Prep vs (3) #8 South Windsor @ 730
-Interestig match-up that not even Conyers picked. Prep won 7-0 way back on 12/18 when the two played a regular season game. Prep certainly will not be over looking SW though after SW just upset Xavier in the quarterfinals. Also, the kids on Prep are smart and know that they need to bring it every game, for the entire game. You know playing at Yale will get both teams pumped too! SW will need to score that crucial first goal again in this one and goalie Christian Marchi will need to be better than he was against Xavier or Glastonbury if the Bobcats want to upset another SCC "giant!" If Prep scores first and the SW defense dwells on it too much, Prep will score again and things will just ugly from there. I'm not expecting 7-0 again as both teams have grown and matured together a lot since 3 months ago but I do still think my number one team in the state will win and be playing in the championship game Saturday at 2pm!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Division III Semifinals Results (3/15)
I apologize for not doing a preview but things have been very hectic with LOTS of basketball going on!
(8) Northwest Catholic 0 vs (4) Watertown-Pomperaug 5
-Chris Spagnoletti scored W-P's first two goals and they never looked back. He had a hat-trick on the night and his teammate, Ryan Borsari, assisted Chris's third goal and scored two of his own. Trevor St. Onge got the shutout in goal for the co-op as NWC's season came to an end in the DIII semifinals for the third straight year!
(2) Staples-Weston-Shelton 6 vs (3) Windsor-East Granby-Avon 1
-You though Spagnoletti or Borsari had good games? Well they must have been inspired by watching S-W-S in the game before them because S-W-S forward Kyle Wehmhoff had FIVE GOALS while Tal Laifer also had one. James Demers had the lone goal for W-EG-A or WAVE as they are also known as.
This Championship game, Saturday at 10am, is going be just as good as the DII and DI games, which is saying a lot when you look at the teams playing in those (Guilford/Cheshire and most likely New Canaan/Fairfield Prep)!
(8) Northwest Catholic 0 vs (4) Watertown-Pomperaug 5
-Chris Spagnoletti scored W-P's first two goals and they never looked back. He had a hat-trick on the night and his teammate, Ryan Borsari, assisted Chris's third goal and scored two of his own. Trevor St. Onge got the shutout in goal for the co-op as NWC's season came to an end in the DIII semifinals for the third straight year!
(2) Staples-Weston-Shelton 6 vs (3) Windsor-East Granby-Avon 1
-You though Spagnoletti or Borsari had good games? Well they must have been inspired by watching S-W-S in the game before them because S-W-S forward Kyle Wehmhoff had FIVE GOALS while Tal Laifer also had one. James Demers had the lone goal for W-EG-A or WAVE as they are also known as.
This Championship game, Saturday at 10am, is going be just as good as the DII and DI games, which is saying a lot when you look at the teams playing in those (Guilford/Cheshire and most likely New Canaan/Fairfield Prep)!
Boys' Basketball: Monday and Tuesday Results (3/14 and 3/15)
Monday
CLASS L Quarterfinals:
(9) Bassick (FCIAC Champions, just out of the top ten-would be #12 in the state) 68 @ (1) Northwest Catholic (#5 in the state) 79
(5) Berlin 42 @ (4) Lyman Hall 51
(10) Kennedy 45 @ (2) Maloney (CCC runner-up, #6 in the state) 47
(22) Daniel Hand 56 @ (3) New London (ECC Champions, #1 in the state) 74
CLASS S Quarterfinals:
(8) Kolbe Cathedral 57 @ (1) Valley Regional (Shoreline runner-up) 64
(12) Coginchaug (upset 5 seed Windsor Locks) 55 @ (4) St. Paul Catholic (has Chris Borea) 71
(10) Goodwin Tech 40 @ (2) Capital Prep (CSC runner-up) 73
(6) Litchfield 48 @ (3) Classical Magnet (CSC Champions) 49 OT
The first four bids to Mohegan in boys basketball were given out on Tuesday
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Fairfield Prep 60 vs (5) Ridgefield 55
-Huge upset but the kids from Fairfield got talent and can ball; don't overlook them in the championship!
(2) St. Joseph 62 vs (14) Glastonbury 42
-Glastonbury made it to and lost in the semifinals for both boys' and girls' basketball. We got an all Fairfield County Championship game now!
CLASS M Semifinals:
(1) Career Magnet 49 vs (4) Enfield 37
*****(18) Trinity Catholic 62 vs (3) Notre Dame-Fairfield 59 OT
-The Cinderella story continues as Trinity Catholic continues to "shock the world!"
My post on the Championship games will come after the exact date and times are announced but I expect guys to be on Saturday just like last year.
CLASS L Quarterfinals:
(9) Bassick (FCIAC Champions, just out of the top ten-would be #12 in the state) 68 @ (1) Northwest Catholic (#5 in the state) 79
(5) Berlin 42 @ (4) Lyman Hall 51
(10) Kennedy 45 @ (2) Maloney (CCC runner-up, #6 in the state) 47
(22) Daniel Hand 56 @ (3) New London (ECC Champions, #1 in the state) 74
CLASS S Quarterfinals:
(8) Kolbe Cathedral 57 @ (1) Valley Regional (Shoreline runner-up) 64
(12) Coginchaug (upset 5 seed Windsor Locks) 55 @ (4) St. Paul Catholic (has Chris Borea) 71
(10) Goodwin Tech 40 @ (2) Capital Prep (CSC runner-up) 73
(6) Litchfield 48 @ (3) Classical Magnet (CSC Champions) 49 OT
The first four bids to Mohegan in boys basketball were given out on Tuesday
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Fairfield Prep 60 vs (5) Ridgefield 55
-Huge upset but the kids from Fairfield got talent and can ball; don't overlook them in the championship!
(2) St. Joseph 62 vs (14) Glastonbury 42
-Glastonbury made it to and lost in the semifinals for both boys' and girls' basketball. We got an all Fairfield County Championship game now!
CLASS M Semifinals:
(1) Career Magnet 49 vs (4) Enfield 37
*****(18) Trinity Catholic 62 vs (3) Notre Dame-Fairfield 59 OT
-The Cinderella story continues as Trinity Catholic continues to "shock the world!"
My post on the Championship games will come after the exact date and times are announced but I expect guys to be on Saturday just like last year.
Girls' Basketball: Monday Results (3/14)
The last four tickets to Mohegan for girls basketball were punched on Monday night!
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Career Magnet 52 vs (5) Hall 27
(2) Mercy 64 vs (6) Glastonbury 47
CLASS M Semifinals:
***(1) Lewis Mills 39 vs (21) Weaver 44
(2) Windham 67 vs (6) Tolland 64 OT
My post on the Championship games will come after the exact date and times are announced but I expect girls to be on Friday just like last year.
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Career Magnet 52 vs (5) Hall 27
(2) Mercy 64 vs (6) Glastonbury 47
CLASS M Semifinals:
***(1) Lewis Mills 39 vs (21) Weaver 44
(2) Windham 67 vs (6) Tolland 64 OT
My post on the Championship games will come after the exact date and times are announced but I expect girls to be on Friday just like last year.
Boys' Hockey: Division II Semifinals Results
Exact opposite of my predictions, but with the match-up we got for the championship now, I ain't complaining!
(1) Guilford 4 vs (4) Trumbull 2
-“We came out good and scored that first one, but then we ran out of gas,” Trumbull coach Greg Maxey said...that pretty much sums up the game. Trumbull's Alex Hyde scored 1:53 into the game on a pass from Shaun Kennedy but the Eagles didn't do much after that getting outshout 13-7 in the first period, 14-4 in the second and 10-6 in the third. Guilford made sure to tie the game before the first period ended as defensemen Christian Cattaruzza scored a beautiful rising slap shot from just inside the left side of blue line. The second period saw goals from James Mackey on the rebound from Ryan Moore's shot, only 1:16 into the period and then four minutes and twelve seconds later, while on the penalty kill, Moore fed Billy Ring who scored a short-handed goal. 5:31 into the third, Trumbull made the score interesting when Charles Genster set up freshman Vincent Russello to score a nice backhand but Guilford was still in control hitting two posts and one crossbar in the period. They did finally score the insurance goal when Troy Raccuia beat Trumbull's goalie, Matt Paolini, with only 1:01 left in the game. Paolini is only a sophomore but had 33 saves for his team. Guilford's Luc Amatruda had 15 saves while Derek Nelson, Stephen Petrick, Bily Ring and David DeCaprio all had assists.
(2) Cheshire 2 vs (3) Wilton 1 OT
-What a great way to kick off the 2011 games at Ingalls! Wilton came out strong in the first period, outshooting Cheshire and playing lockout defense. However, one mistake is all it takes and when Cheshire Forward Owen Powers took the puck at mid-ice, split the defense and ripped a shot, he got it right through Wilton goalie Kevin O'Connell's five-hole. Wilton continued to control the game, for the most part, in the second and got their equalizer when Dillon Pastorello took a slap shot from the right circle that O'Connell deflected but Alex Pagliaro was right there to bang home the rebound. The second period ended 1-1. Cheshire got better as the game went on and the third period was a back-and-forth battle between two really good teams in what felt like it was the championship game. Cheshire goalie Tyler Carbone was more than spectacular for the Rams all game long, making impressive saves in every period and keeping his team in it; he finished with 24. Carbone's play must have inspired his team, along with a speech from head coach Jim Riccitelli, because the Rams came out firing in OT and finally put enough pressure on O'Connell (21 saves) to score when Spencer Hackett got behind the net and fed Owen Powers, who one-timed it inside the right post for the victory! It was Cheshire's sixth shot of OT compared to Wilton who only had two in the eight minutes and forty-three seconds that passed before Powers' game-winner.
Cheshire vs Guilford will be an amazing championship game and there is so much to say about it...check back for the preview on Thursday night (game is Friday night at 730pm)!
(1) Guilford 4 vs (4) Trumbull 2
-“We came out good and scored that first one, but then we ran out of gas,” Trumbull coach Greg Maxey said...that pretty much sums up the game. Trumbull's Alex Hyde scored 1:53 into the game on a pass from Shaun Kennedy but the Eagles didn't do much after that getting outshout 13-7 in the first period, 14-4 in the second and 10-6 in the third. Guilford made sure to tie the game before the first period ended as defensemen Christian Cattaruzza scored a beautiful rising slap shot from just inside the left side of blue line. The second period saw goals from James Mackey on the rebound from Ryan Moore's shot, only 1:16 into the period and then four minutes and twelve seconds later, while on the penalty kill, Moore fed Billy Ring who scored a short-handed goal. 5:31 into the third, Trumbull made the score interesting when Charles Genster set up freshman Vincent Russello to score a nice backhand but Guilford was still in control hitting two posts and one crossbar in the period. They did finally score the insurance goal when Troy Raccuia beat Trumbull's goalie, Matt Paolini, with only 1:01 left in the game. Paolini is only a sophomore but had 33 saves for his team. Guilford's Luc Amatruda had 15 saves while Derek Nelson, Stephen Petrick, Bily Ring and David DeCaprio all had assists.
(2) Cheshire 2 vs (3) Wilton 1 OT
-What a great way to kick off the 2011 games at Ingalls! Wilton came out strong in the first period, outshooting Cheshire and playing lockout defense. However, one mistake is all it takes and when Cheshire Forward Owen Powers took the puck at mid-ice, split the defense and ripped a shot, he got it right through Wilton goalie Kevin O'Connell's five-hole. Wilton continued to control the game, for the most part, in the second and got their equalizer when Dillon Pastorello took a slap shot from the right circle that O'Connell deflected but Alex Pagliaro was right there to bang home the rebound. The second period ended 1-1. Cheshire got better as the game went on and the third period was a back-and-forth battle between two really good teams in what felt like it was the championship game. Cheshire goalie Tyler Carbone was more than spectacular for the Rams all game long, making impressive saves in every period and keeping his team in it; he finished with 24. Carbone's play must have inspired his team, along with a speech from head coach Jim Riccitelli, because the Rams came out firing in OT and finally put enough pressure on O'Connell (21 saves) to score when Spencer Hackett got behind the net and fed Owen Powers, who one-timed it inside the right post for the victory! It was Cheshire's sixth shot of OT compared to Wilton who only had two in the eight minutes and forty-three seconds that passed before Powers' game-winner.
Cheshire vs Guilford will be an amazing championship game and there is so much to say about it...check back for the preview on Thursday night (game is Friday night at 730pm)!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Girls' Basketball: Class LL and M Semifinals
4 tickets to Mohegan (Class L and S) have already been awarded in girls' basketball. On Monday 3/14, the other four will be won as well:
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Career Magnet vs (5) Hall @ 6pm at Mark T. Sheehan High School (Wallingford)
-Career is #7 in the state coming off a HUGE upset of 1 seed Trumbull, the FCIAC Champions and #6 team in the state while Hall just upset 4 seed Holy Cross, the NVL Champions and #8 team in the state.
(2) Mercy vs (6) Glastonbury @ 745 at Mark T. Sheehan High School (Wallingford)
-Can Mercy make back-to-back trips to Mohegan? They are the SCC runner-up and #2 team in the state coming off a win over Lauralton Hall, the SWC runner-up. Glastonbury, however, is the CCC Champions and #4 in the state and coming off a huge win over #5 in the state and CCC runner-up Manchester.
CLASS M Semifinals:
(1) Lewis Mills vs (21) Weaver @ 7pm at Plainville High School
-Weaver is the ultimate Cinderella story having taken down 4 seed Ellington by 14 points and 5 seed St. Paul Catholic by 19 points; their closest game of the state tournament was in the first round when they only beat 12 seed Trinity Catholic by 2 points. On the other hand, Lewis Mills has not lost a game all year, although some have been close like their 61-58 win over Kolbe Cathedral in the semifinals, so anything can happen in this one!
(2) Windham vs (6) Tolland @ 7pm at Coventry High School
-Windham is the ECC runner-up but Tolland just upset the 3 seed Plainfield by 17 points.
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Career Magnet vs (5) Hall @ 6pm at Mark T. Sheehan High School (Wallingford)
-Career is #7 in the state coming off a HUGE upset of 1 seed Trumbull, the FCIAC Champions and #6 team in the state while Hall just upset 4 seed Holy Cross, the NVL Champions and #8 team in the state.
(2) Mercy vs (6) Glastonbury @ 745 at Mark T. Sheehan High School (Wallingford)
-Can Mercy make back-to-back trips to Mohegan? They are the SCC runner-up and #2 team in the state coming off a win over Lauralton Hall, the SWC runner-up. Glastonbury, however, is the CCC Champions and #4 in the state and coming off a huge win over #5 in the state and CCC runner-up Manchester.
CLASS M Semifinals:
(1) Lewis Mills vs (21) Weaver @ 7pm at Plainville High School
-Weaver is the ultimate Cinderella story having taken down 4 seed Ellington by 14 points and 5 seed St. Paul Catholic by 19 points; their closest game of the state tournament was in the first round when they only beat 12 seed Trinity Catholic by 2 points. On the other hand, Lewis Mills has not lost a game all year, although some have been close like their 61-58 win over Kolbe Cathedral in the semifinals, so anything can happen in this one!
(2) Windham vs (6) Tolland @ 7pm at Coventry High School
-Windham is the ECC runner-up but Tolland just upset the 3 seed Plainfield by 17 points.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Boys' Basketball: Class L and S Quarterfinals + Class LL and M Semifinals
All games on Monday 3/14:
CLASS L Quarterfinals:
(9) Bassick (FCIAC Champions, just out of the top ten-would be #12 in the state) @ (1) Northwest Catholic (#5 in the state) @ 7pm
(5) Berlin @ (4) Lyman Hall @ 7
(10) Kennedy @ (2) Maloney (CCC runner-up, #6 in the state) @ 7
(22) Daniel Hand @ (3) New London (ECC Champions, #1 in the state) @ 7
-You can expect a blowout, Hand beat (27) East Catholic in the second round by one because East upset (6) Stratford by three...Hand upset (11) Masuk by 20 but first round upsets are more common as teams from weaker conferences are seeded higher than they deserve and vice versa.
CLASS S Quarterfinals:
(8) Kolbe Cathedral @ (1) Valley Regional (Shoreline runner-up) @ 7pm
(12) Coginchaug (upset 5 seed Windsor Locks) @ (4) St. Paul Catholic (has Chris Borea) @ 7
(10) Goodwin Tech @ (2) Capital Prep (CSC runner-up) @ 7
(6) Litchfield @ (3) Classical Magnet (CSC Champions) @7
The first tickets to Mohegan for the boys will be punched; all games Tuesday 3/15:
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Fairfield Prep vs (5) Ridgefield @ 7pm at Wilby High School (Waterbury)
-Prep beat the NVL Champions, #8 in the state and 8 seed Crosby AND 17 seed Xavier who had beat CCC Champions, #2 in the state and 1 seed Windsor. Ridgefield upset Holy Cross, the NVL runner-up and #7 team in the state.
(2) St. Joseph vs (14) Glastonbury @ 7 at New Haven Athletic Center
-St. Joseph is #9 in the state but Glastonbury beat #9 in the state and 3 seed Hartford Public AND Westhill who had beat SCC Champions, #3 in the state and 6 seed Hillhouse.
CLASS M Semifinals:
(1) Career Magnet vs (4) Enfield @ 7pm at Central Connecticut State University (New Britain)
-Career is the SCC runner-up and #4 team in the state. Enfield is the NCCC runner-up. Both had close wins over only decent opponents in the quarterfinals.
(18) Trnity Catholic vs (3) Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 7 at Masuk High School (Monroe)
-Trnity looks to continue their Cinderella story after upsetting 15 seed Brookfield, 2 seed Nonnewaug the 10 seed Bethel who had beat 7 seed Watertown. ND-F is the SWC Champions and just beat 6 seed and ECC runner-up, Stonington.
CLASS L Quarterfinals:
(9) Bassick (FCIAC Champions, just out of the top ten-would be #12 in the state) @ (1) Northwest Catholic (#5 in the state) @ 7pm
(5) Berlin @ (4) Lyman Hall @ 7
(10) Kennedy @ (2) Maloney (CCC runner-up, #6 in the state) @ 7
(22) Daniel Hand @ (3) New London (ECC Champions, #1 in the state) @ 7
-You can expect a blowout, Hand beat (27) East Catholic in the second round by one because East upset (6) Stratford by three...Hand upset (11) Masuk by 20 but first round upsets are more common as teams from weaker conferences are seeded higher than they deserve and vice versa.
CLASS S Quarterfinals:
(8) Kolbe Cathedral @ (1) Valley Regional (Shoreline runner-up) @ 7pm
(12) Coginchaug (upset 5 seed Windsor Locks) @ (4) St. Paul Catholic (has Chris Borea) @ 7
(10) Goodwin Tech @ (2) Capital Prep (CSC runner-up) @ 7
(6) Litchfield @ (3) Classical Magnet (CSC Champions) @7
The first tickets to Mohegan for the boys will be punched; all games Tuesday 3/15:
CLASS LL Semifinals:
(9) Fairfield Prep vs (5) Ridgefield @ 7pm at Wilby High School (Waterbury)
-Prep beat the NVL Champions, #8 in the state and 8 seed Crosby AND 17 seed Xavier who had beat CCC Champions, #2 in the state and 1 seed Windsor. Ridgefield upset Holy Cross, the NVL runner-up and #7 team in the state.
(2) St. Joseph vs (14) Glastonbury @ 7 at New Haven Athletic Center
-St. Joseph is #9 in the state but Glastonbury beat #9 in the state and 3 seed Hartford Public AND Westhill who had beat SCC Champions, #3 in the state and 6 seed Hillhouse.
CLASS M Semifinals:
(1) Career Magnet vs (4) Enfield @ 7pm at Central Connecticut State University (New Britain)
-Career is the SCC runner-up and #4 team in the state. Enfield is the NCCC runner-up. Both had close wins over only decent opponents in the quarterfinals.
(18) Trnity Catholic vs (3) Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 7 at Masuk High School (Monroe)
-Trnity looks to continue their Cinderella story after upsetting 15 seed Brookfield, 2 seed Nonnewaug the 10 seed Bethel who had beat 7 seed Watertown. ND-F is the SWC Champions and just beat 6 seed and ECC runner-up, Stonington.
Boys' Hockey: Division II Semifinals Preview (3/14)
The season of The Yale Whale is upon us as this upcoming week is full of hockey, all games at Yale's Ingalls in New Haven. DII Semis Monday, DIII Semis Tues, DI Semis Wed, DII Championship Fri night at 730pm, DIII c-ship on Sat at 10am then the DI Championship on Saturday at 2pm. The Division II Semifinals kick things off on Monday 3/14:
(1) Guilford vs (4) Trumbull @ 730pm
-I have Trumbull winning this one, but only by a narrow margin because I just think Guilford wasn't even the undisputed best team in the SCC-DII and Hand proved that to us while Trumbull is the second-best FCIAC team in DII. For DII, the FCIAC is better than the SCC because the FCIAC teams play all the DI FCIAC teams in the regular season while the DII teams play, at most only one or two of the SCC DI teams during the regular season. I am not too confident in that pick anymore after Guilford rolled over Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks 5-1 and Trumbull needed OT to beat Westhill 2-1 in the semifinals.
(2) Cheshire vs (3) Wilton @ 530
-Many of the same thigns mentioned above could apply here but Wilton is better than Trumbull and Cheshire is not as good as Guilford so I have Wilton winning this game pretty easily. What gives Cheshire hope is Wilton only beat East Catholic 2-1 in the semifinals so an upset is far from impossible, especially since this is playoff hockey. The Rams will give Wilton a good game but I'm predicting an all FCIAC final in DII.
PICKS: The only thing I have got wrong in DII is the 8/9 game so I have been doing very good. Although I will actually be rooting for Guilford, I keep things objective and I'm sticking to my original predictions: Trumbull and Wilton.
(1) Guilford vs (4) Trumbull @ 730pm
-I have Trumbull winning this one, but only by a narrow margin because I just think Guilford wasn't even the undisputed best team in the SCC-DII and Hand proved that to us while Trumbull is the second-best FCIAC team in DII. For DII, the FCIAC is better than the SCC because the FCIAC teams play all the DI FCIAC teams in the regular season while the DII teams play, at most only one or two of the SCC DI teams during the regular season. I am not too confident in that pick anymore after Guilford rolled over Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks 5-1 and Trumbull needed OT to beat Westhill 2-1 in the semifinals.
(2) Cheshire vs (3) Wilton @ 530
-Many of the same thigns mentioned above could apply here but Wilton is better than Trumbull and Cheshire is not as good as Guilford so I have Wilton winning this game pretty easily. What gives Cheshire hope is Wilton only beat East Catholic 2-1 in the semifinals so an upset is far from impossible, especially since this is playoff hockey. The Rams will give Wilton a good game but I'm predicting an all FCIAC final in DII.
PICKS: The only thing I have got wrong in DII is the 8/9 game so I have been doing very good. Although I will actually be rooting for Guilford, I keep things objective and I'm sticking to my original predictions: Trumbull and Wilton.
Boys' Basketball: Friday 3/11 Results
I will only comment on one game since it is the only one I attended.
CLASS LL Quarterfinals:
(17) Xavier (beat CCC Champions, #2 in the state and 1 seed Windsor) 59 @ (9) Fairfield Prep (beat NVL Champions, #8 in the state and 8 seed Crosby) 61
-money sure buys you a lot as the officiating in this game really is a disgrace to the profession and CIAC in general...a FP player said "F*** YOU" to a refs face when he fouled out and did not get a technical foul; a FP shot bounced off the shot and was not ruled out of bounds; one ref called a foul on an X player from the other side of the court that he had no angle on while the ref right next to the play saw that it was really a jump ball not a foul; and worst of all, I would like to see the tape, but I'm 80% sure that FP's tip in to win the game was after time expired since the shot was taken with 1.4 left, bounced off the rim before the other FP kid put it back up...just a realy travesty when you expect fairness (or at least close to it) at least in the state tournament!
(5) Ridgefield 62 @ (4) Holy Cross (NVL runner-up, #7 in the state) 52
(7) Brien McMahon 73 @ (2) St. Joseph (#9 in the state) 89
(14) Glastonbury (beat #9 in the state and 3 seed Hartford Public) 55 @ (11) Westhill (beat SCC Champions, #3 in the state and 6 seed Hillhouse) 48
CLASS M Quarterfinals:
(9) Weaver (beat 8 seed Hyde Leadership) 52 vs (1) Career Magnet (SCC runner-up, #4 in the state) 55 at Wilbur Cross High School (New Haven)
(21) Ansonia (beat 12 seed Northwestern and 5 seed Cromwell) 50 @ (4) Enfield (NCCC runner-up) 52
(18) Trinity Catholic (beat 15 seed Brookfield and 2 seed Nonnewaug) 51 @ (10) Bethel (beat 7 seed Watertown) 46
(6) Stonington (ECC sunner-up) 45 @ (3) Notre Dame-Fairfield (SWC Champions) 50
CLASS LL Quarterfinals:
(17) Xavier (beat CCC Champions, #2 in the state and 1 seed Windsor) 59 @ (9) Fairfield Prep (beat NVL Champions, #8 in the state and 8 seed Crosby) 61
-money sure buys you a lot as the officiating in this game really is a disgrace to the profession and CIAC in general...a FP player said "F*** YOU" to a refs face when he fouled out and did not get a technical foul; a FP shot bounced off the shot and was not ruled out of bounds; one ref called a foul on an X player from the other side of the court that he had no angle on while the ref right next to the play saw that it was really a jump ball not a foul; and worst of all, I would like to see the tape, but I'm 80% sure that FP's tip in to win the game was after time expired since the shot was taken with 1.4 left, bounced off the rim before the other FP kid put it back up...just a realy travesty when you expect fairness (or at least close to it) at least in the state tournament!
(5) Ridgefield 62 @ (4) Holy Cross (NVL runner-up, #7 in the state) 52
(7) Brien McMahon 73 @ (2) St. Joseph (#9 in the state) 89
(14) Glastonbury (beat #9 in the state and 3 seed Hartford Public) 55 @ (11) Westhill (beat SCC Champions, #3 in the state and 6 seed Hillhouse) 48
CLASS M Quarterfinals:
(9) Weaver (beat 8 seed Hyde Leadership) 52 vs (1) Career Magnet (SCC runner-up, #4 in the state) 55 at Wilbur Cross High School (New Haven)
(21) Ansonia (beat 12 seed Northwestern and 5 seed Cromwell) 50 @ (4) Enfield (NCCC runner-up) 52
(18) Trinity Catholic (beat 15 seed Brookfield and 2 seed Nonnewaug) 51 @ (10) Bethel (beat 7 seed Watertown) 46
(6) Stonington (ECC sunner-up) 45 @ (3) Notre Dame-Fairfield (SWC Champions) 50
Girl's Basketball: Thursday 3/10 and Friday 3/11 Results
Thursday
CLASS LL Quarterfinals:
(9) Career Magnet (#7 in the state) 64 @ (1) Trumbull (FCIAC Champions, #6 in the state) 52
(5) Hall 62 @ (4) Holy Cross (NVL Champions, #8 in the state) 54
(10) Lauralton Hall (SWC runner-up) 47 @ (2) Mercy (SCC runner-up, #2 in the state) 60
(6) Glastonbury (#4 in the state) 68 @ (3) Manchester (#5 in the state) 52 [rematch of CCC Championship game that G-bury won 67-53 but they split the two regular season games 51-58 loss then 47-43 win for G-bury]
CLASS M Quarterfinals:
(8) Kolbe Cathedral 58 @ (1) Lewis Mills 61
(21) Weaver 69 @ (4) Ellington 55 (NCCC Champions)
(10) Woodland 44 @ (2) Windham (ECC runner-up) 75
(6) Tolland 57 @ (3) Plainfield 40
Friday
CLASS L Semifinals:
(1) Bacon Academy (ECC Champions, #3 in the state) 34 vs (4) Hillhouse (SCC Champions, #1 in the state) 58 @ Maloney High School (Meriden)
(2) E.O. Smith (#10 in the state) 52 @ (3) Torrington (NVL runner-up) 49 @ Plainville High School
CLASS S Semifinals:
(1) Capital Prep (CSC Champions) 46 vs (4) Portland (Shoreline runner-up) 51 @ East Catholic High School (Manchester)
(2) Cromwell 58 vs (14) Windsor Locks 28 @ East Catholic High School (Manchester)
CLASS LL Quarterfinals:
(9) Career Magnet (#7 in the state) 64 @ (1) Trumbull (FCIAC Champions, #6 in the state) 52
(5) Hall 62 @ (4) Holy Cross (NVL Champions, #8 in the state) 54
(10) Lauralton Hall (SWC runner-up) 47 @ (2) Mercy (SCC runner-up, #2 in the state) 60
(6) Glastonbury (#4 in the state) 68 @ (3) Manchester (#5 in the state) 52 [rematch of CCC Championship game that G-bury won 67-53 but they split the two regular season games 51-58 loss then 47-43 win for G-bury]
CLASS M Quarterfinals:
(8) Kolbe Cathedral 58 @ (1) Lewis Mills 61
(21) Weaver 69 @ (4) Ellington 55 (NCCC Champions)
(10) Woodland 44 @ (2) Windham (ECC runner-up) 75
(6) Tolland 57 @ (3) Plainfield 40
Friday
CLASS L Semifinals:
(1) Bacon Academy (ECC Champions, #3 in the state) 34 vs (4) Hillhouse (SCC Champions, #1 in the state) 58 @ Maloney High School (Meriden)
(2) E.O. Smith (#10 in the state) 52 @ (3) Torrington (NVL runner-up) 49 @ Plainville High School
CLASS S Semifinals:
(1) Capital Prep (CSC Champions) 46 vs (4) Portland (Shoreline runner-up) 51 @ East Catholic High School (Manchester)
(2) Cromwell 58 vs (14) Windsor Locks 28 @ East Catholic High School (Manchester)
Boys' Hockey: Division I Quarterfinals Results (3/12)
(1) #2 New Canaan 3 vs (9) #6 Glastonbury 1 at Northford Ice Pavilion
-This game was closer than the 3-1 final, with NC's third goal only coming on an empty-netter at the end but at the same time Glastonbury was never leading and only found the back of the net when they pulled their goalie and had an extra forward on the ice. Drew Mozzer scored for the Tomahawks with 35 seconds left on an assist by Sean Carfi and Sam Scannel. Mozzer had a few short hand opportunities and Glastonbury Forward Ethan Holdaway had at least two breakaway opportunities to score in the game but all they led to was spectacular saves for New Canaan goalie Tom Nowaki as he recorded 23 saves in the game. Chris Hemhauser made 23 saves as well but the two goals he let in were too much for his offense to match against a New Canaan defense that really stepped it up in this one. The Rams killed all five of Glastonbury's powerplay opportunities and capitalized on their own when they scored midway through the first period. Brian Tohir and David Crandall had goals for NC on assists by Tom Krieger, Dylan Hart and PT Prins and then Reed Harper had the empty net goal at the end. Read the game below to see who NC faces on Wednesday down at Yale...on way or the other its an all FCIAC semifinal now!
(4) #9 St. Joseph 3 vs (5) #6 Ridgefield 2 at Terry Connors Rink (Stamford)
-I apologizing for doubting that St. Joseph would not be making a trip to Yale this year when they have played two games there for each of the past two years (won DIII in 09 and lost DII to Amity in 10). Ridegefield's offense showed up in this one but, unfortunately for them, so did St. Joseph's goalie, Zach Carrano. Carrano made 33 saves on 35 shots and said after the game that the constant pressure, especially Ridgefield's 15 shots in the third period alone, really helped him focus and get in a zone. His first goal allowed since the first period against Conard, came when Matt Flanagan knocked in a rebound 1:43 into the second period. St. Joseph was already happily up on the Tigers having scored twice on their first three shots of the game, Connor Crouse 1:45 and Pat Corcoran 5:05 into the game. Ridgefield's goalie Nate Gliedman settled in after that finishing with 20 saves but Crouse scored on him again, unassisted this time, with 6:43 left in the third. Sean Wilkinson cut the lead to 3-2 with 3:39 left in the game on his own individual effort but the Cadets held on, even when the Tigers pulled their goalie at the end. Crouse, the offensive star of the game, had an assist on St. Joseph's second goal, finishing with three points while Ryan Parsons and Kevin Robitaille also recorded assists. Vinny Rella and Jack Christensen assisted Flanagan's goal for Ridgefield. St. Joseph moves on to face New Canaan in the semifinals at Yale on Wednesday and would love revenge for the 3 times they have lost to the Rams this season, most recently 3-4 in OT of the FCIAC Championship game. Fourth time is the charm?
(2) #1 Fairfield Prep 5 vs (7) #3 Hamden 2 at Bennett Rink (West Haven)
-Want impressive? How does four third period goals on the two-time defending champions to come from behind and win sound? That's exactly what Prep did, coming into the third period down 1-2. Granted the last two goals were empty net, to score on Hamden two minutes and thirty seconds into the third period then again just one minute and twenty-five seconds later is something that just proves Prep is the number one team in the state. What really killed Hamden in the game mentally, physically, and momentum-wise was penalties, mainly C.J. Carnigan who had three minor penalties, the third of which Prep scored the 2-2 tying goal on, and a five minute major/game disqualification for kicking with 7:31 left in the game. Hamden still had a 5-on-3 powerplay late in the game and a few other chances throughout the game but John Galiani's 24 saves, 12 in the third period, were just enough for the Jesuits. Prep had two goals from both Craig Puffer (1st and 3rd) and Bryan Puffer (2nd and 5th) while A.J. Unker also had one, the 4th (empty net). Don Carnicky, Sean Henry, Evvan Antisdale and Connor Henry all had assists. For Hamden, Jim Burt scored the first goal of the game on a pass from Pat Lynch and freshman defenseman Mike Lee gave the Green Dragons their 2-1 lead in the second period, on an assist from Nick Amarone. Fairfield Prep is now headed to the semifinals at Ingalls Rink on Wednesday!
(3) #8 South Windsor 1 vs (6) #4 Xavier 0 at Koppel Community Sports Center at Trinity College (Hartford)
-I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the officiating was even close good when players were getting tripped, hooked and boarded all over the place, not to mention on shot to the head that went completely uncalled; sometimes I wondered if the refs even had whistles. That being said, SW must have read my post because they scored the first, and only, goal and that was all they needed. Tyler Glassman had the goal with Nate Waldeisen picking up the assist although it really just looked like a bunch of scrum. Xavier's offense, well actually their entire team really, looked tired and slow the whole game, getting only 10 shots in the first two periods and only 24 the whole game. I give a lot of credit to SW's defense for playing solid the whole game and only letting Xavier getting decent shots, so as to never really test Marchi in goal. Xavier had their chances nonetheless, Trevor Buchas had a breakaway (got hooked), Dan Walsh had an open look on a power play and another shot that maybe could have got redirected too, and so. Charlie Dupont appeared to be injured and was skating through it but the offense could have used him and Kurt Johnson at 100% (THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY GAME XAVIER DID NOT SCORE A GOAL IN and they played goalies 100x better than Marchi). Austin Essery was a wall in goal with 18 saves and the defense gave it their all in the third allowing only 2 shots that period but the offense just could not score. SW goalie Christian Marchi had 27 saves in the shutout and SW as a team just played a more physical game (sometimes way too physical, whether or not they got called for it) than X. X had a powerplay with 1:47 left and when they pulled their goalie it was 6-4 but, just like the entire game, they just couldn't get it done and SW came out on top. Although most people would agree that Xavier would kill South Windsor if the two played again, just like New Canaan's win over Hamden earlier this season, when you only get one shot you have to come ready play or else you're going home empty handed!
-This game was closer than the 3-1 final, with NC's third goal only coming on an empty-netter at the end but at the same time Glastonbury was never leading and only found the back of the net when they pulled their goalie and had an extra forward on the ice. Drew Mozzer scored for the Tomahawks with 35 seconds left on an assist by Sean Carfi and Sam Scannel. Mozzer had a few short hand opportunities and Glastonbury Forward Ethan Holdaway had at least two breakaway opportunities to score in the game but all they led to was spectacular saves for New Canaan goalie Tom Nowaki as he recorded 23 saves in the game. Chris Hemhauser made 23 saves as well but the two goals he let in were too much for his offense to match against a New Canaan defense that really stepped it up in this one. The Rams killed all five of Glastonbury's powerplay opportunities and capitalized on their own when they scored midway through the first period. Brian Tohir and David Crandall had goals for NC on assists by Tom Krieger, Dylan Hart and PT Prins and then Reed Harper had the empty net goal at the end. Read the game below to see who NC faces on Wednesday down at Yale...on way or the other its an all FCIAC semifinal now!
(4) #9 St. Joseph 3 vs (5) #6 Ridgefield 2 at Terry Connors Rink (Stamford)
-I apologizing for doubting that St. Joseph would not be making a trip to Yale this year when they have played two games there for each of the past two years (won DIII in 09 and lost DII to Amity in 10). Ridegefield's offense showed up in this one but, unfortunately for them, so did St. Joseph's goalie, Zach Carrano. Carrano made 33 saves on 35 shots and said after the game that the constant pressure, especially Ridgefield's 15 shots in the third period alone, really helped him focus and get in a zone. His first goal allowed since the first period against Conard, came when Matt Flanagan knocked in a rebound 1:43 into the second period. St. Joseph was already happily up on the Tigers having scored twice on their first three shots of the game, Connor Crouse 1:45 and Pat Corcoran 5:05 into the game. Ridgefield's goalie Nate Gliedman settled in after that finishing with 20 saves but Crouse scored on him again, unassisted this time, with 6:43 left in the third. Sean Wilkinson cut the lead to 3-2 with 3:39 left in the game on his own individual effort but the Cadets held on, even when the Tigers pulled their goalie at the end. Crouse, the offensive star of the game, had an assist on St. Joseph's second goal, finishing with three points while Ryan Parsons and Kevin Robitaille also recorded assists. Vinny Rella and Jack Christensen assisted Flanagan's goal for Ridgefield. St. Joseph moves on to face New Canaan in the semifinals at Yale on Wednesday and would love revenge for the 3 times they have lost to the Rams this season, most recently 3-4 in OT of the FCIAC Championship game. Fourth time is the charm?
(2) #1 Fairfield Prep 5 vs (7) #3 Hamden 2 at Bennett Rink (West Haven)
-Want impressive? How does four third period goals on the two-time defending champions to come from behind and win sound? That's exactly what Prep did, coming into the third period down 1-2. Granted the last two goals were empty net, to score on Hamden two minutes and thirty seconds into the third period then again just one minute and twenty-five seconds later is something that just proves Prep is the number one team in the state. What really killed Hamden in the game mentally, physically, and momentum-wise was penalties, mainly C.J. Carnigan who had three minor penalties, the third of which Prep scored the 2-2 tying goal on, and a five minute major/game disqualification for kicking with 7:31 left in the game. Hamden still had a 5-on-3 powerplay late in the game and a few other chances throughout the game but John Galiani's 24 saves, 12 in the third period, were just enough for the Jesuits. Prep had two goals from both Craig Puffer (1st and 3rd) and Bryan Puffer (2nd and 5th) while A.J. Unker also had one, the 4th (empty net). Don Carnicky, Sean Henry, Evvan Antisdale and Connor Henry all had assists. For Hamden, Jim Burt scored the first goal of the game on a pass from Pat Lynch and freshman defenseman Mike Lee gave the Green Dragons their 2-1 lead in the second period, on an assist from Nick Amarone. Fairfield Prep is now headed to the semifinals at Ingalls Rink on Wednesday!
(3) #8 South Windsor 1 vs (6) #4 Xavier 0 at Koppel Community Sports Center at Trinity College (Hartford)
-I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the officiating was even close good when players were getting tripped, hooked and boarded all over the place, not to mention on shot to the head that went completely uncalled; sometimes I wondered if the refs even had whistles. That being said, SW must have read my post because they scored the first, and only, goal and that was all they needed. Tyler Glassman had the goal with Nate Waldeisen picking up the assist although it really just looked like a bunch of scrum. Xavier's offense, well actually their entire team really, looked tired and slow the whole game, getting only 10 shots in the first two periods and only 24 the whole game. I give a lot of credit to SW's defense for playing solid the whole game and only letting Xavier getting decent shots, so as to never really test Marchi in goal. Xavier had their chances nonetheless, Trevor Buchas had a breakaway (got hooked), Dan Walsh had an open look on a power play and another shot that maybe could have got redirected too, and so. Charlie Dupont appeared to be injured and was skating through it but the offense could have used him and Kurt Johnson at 100% (THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY GAME XAVIER DID NOT SCORE A GOAL IN and they played goalies 100x better than Marchi). Austin Essery was a wall in goal with 18 saves and the defense gave it their all in the third allowing only 2 shots that period but the offense just could not score. SW goalie Christian Marchi had 27 saves in the shutout and SW as a team just played a more physical game (sometimes way too physical, whether or not they got called for it) than X. X had a powerplay with 1:47 left and when they pulled their goalie it was 6-4 but, just like the entire game, they just couldn't get it done and SW came out on top. Although most people would agree that Xavier would kill South Windsor if the two played again, just like New Canaan's win over Hamden earlier this season, when you only get one shot you have to come ready play or else you're going home empty handed!
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