This early in the season, so many games on Saturday will be worth watching.
South Windsor @ Fairfield Prep @ 1pm
-South Windsor better be ready to play in this one as they travel to Bridgeport's Wonderland of Ice to take on the team that beat them up in Simsbury 7-0 last year. Expect that to fuel some serious motivation in the Bobcats as they try to catch Fairfield Prep off guard early in the season. The Jesuits will need keep building on their monumental win over Ridgefield, 3-0, on opening night. South Windsor also sits at 1-0 after their 4-1 opening win against Simsbury so someone will be coming away with their first loss. This is certainly one of the top games of the day.
Darien @ West Haven @ 1
-This may be the first or second best game on Saturday but with so many good ones, there is no need to choose. Darien dropped a tough one 0-2 to Hamden on opening night so they will be both encouraged and motivated by that game. Darien is one of the top teams in the FCIAC this year while West Haven is looking to emerge as one of the top teams in the mighty SCC this year. The Westies rolled over Greenwich 5-0 in their first game and looking to just keep winning led by a potent offense, strong defense and goalie motivated by the expectations for his team this year. Be ready for a good one today at Bennett Rink.
East Haven @ Cheshire @ 2
-Big game right here as Cheshire will look to keep the momentum going from their 7-3 win over Conard on Wednesday as they take on another decent DI team, East Haven. The Easties only managed a 5-5 tie in their first game at home against Stamford so they should be playing with some intensity looking for their first win. You would think East Haven is the favorite in this one since Cheshire just moved up to DI this year but the Yellow Jackets just tied with a still DII team and Cheshire has come out ready to play this season. I think the Rams will come away victorious this one and start earning some respect from other DI teams in the state.
St. Joseph @ Guilford @ 6
-St. Joseph may be the DI team in this game but they are the ones looking for revenge after losing to Guilford early last season. Both teams went on to reach (and subsequently lose) the championship games in their respective divisions. The Cadets lost a lot of talent from last year's squad and Guilford lost some key players too but the Indians didn't lose as much and their advantage in terms of team chemistry this early in the season should result in a W. St. Joseph dropped their opener 2-6 to powerhouse Glastonbury and this will be Guilford's first game of the season.
North Haven @ Simsbury @ 8
-This game may not be the same caliber as the others I have featured but it still has importance. Both of these teams lost their opening games but are still good teams and will need to get back on track. North Haven only lost in the final minutes 0-1 to Xavier while Simsbury lost 1-4 to a good South Windsor squad. I'd pick the Thunderbirds to come out on top but anything can happen at this point in the season, especially at Simsbury's home ice.
Glastonbruy @ Ridgefield @ 850
-On paper this certainly looks to be the best game on the day; I see Glastonbury as the #1 or 2 team in the CCC and Ridgefield is my preseason pick to win the FCIAC so two teams at the top their conference battling out is sure to be some high quality hockey. Ridgefield lost their first game 0-3 to Fairfield Prep, the reigning DI and SCC champions, despite it being a home game but they will now host Glastonbury there as well in pursuit of that first win. Glastonbury picked up a convincing 6-2 win on Wednesday over new-look St. Joseph, last year's DI runner-up. If you can, I would definitely recommend attending this game; wish I could be there.
DII games:
Trumbull @ Newtown @ 5
-The Newtown Nighthawks have just moved up to DII this year and return a solid senior class. Big-time juniors like forward Christian Blais make this team deep and versatile. Coach Paul Esposito has coached most of these players for almost ten years between high school and youth hockey. Their anchor is goalie Mike Allwein who averaged only 2.87 goals against last year. Trumbull made it to Yale last year losing in the DII semi's and return forward Michale Ahearn who scored 19 goals last year. They will also still have a solid tender but some of the new younger forwards will need to step as most of their scoring form last year, aside from Ahearn, graduated. This game right here is good early season test for both teams looking to do well in DII this year. Newtown just barely lost 3-4 at Notre Dame-Fairfield in their opener while Trumbull topped Watertown/Pomperaug 5-2 on Wednesday.
Wethersfield @ Newington/Berlin @ 730
-Really a home game for both teams at Newington Arena, the rink these players grew up on. Wethersfield has high hopes for this year and this is their first game and though they open with a DIII team, N-B is at the top of their division in terms of talent, even though they dropped their first game 2-6 to, now DII, Staples/Weston/Shelton.
East Catholic @ Northwest Catholic @ 815
-A big rivalry between the catholic schools I like to watch every year. These kids know each other and take a lot of pride in choosing the school they attend over the other one. East is the defending CCC-North Champion and Northwest is one of my favorites to win DIII so this should be a very exciting game. East is 1-0 coming off a 6-1 win over St. Bernard/Bacon/NFA (not a very good team) while Northwest is also 1-0 after a big 4-3 win over Newington/Berlin, another top DIII team.
DIII games:
Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown @ Hall/Southington @ 1
-I like R-M-R to do well this year in DIII and this gives them a chance to build on their 3-1 over a middle of the pack DIII team, E.O. Smith/Tolland/Windham, on opening night. Hall/Southington suffered a tough loss 3-4 to a very good Northwest Catholic team in their opener so they will be playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder still looking for their first one after coming so close on Wednesday. Both teams know should know the implications of this game as the result could end up being very decisive in DIII throughout the course of this season.
Joel Barlow @ Masuk @ 6
-Two of the teams that I think will be in top five of DIII this year are facing off in this SWC showdown at The Rinks at Shelton. Joel Barlow, leead by senior forward Mike Mattson, is 1-0 after a commanding 7-1 win over Norwalk/McMahon on Wednesday while this will be Masuk's first game. This game could also end up having major implication in the SWC-II Standings, as both teams will look to challenge Watertown-Pomperaug for the top spot this year.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Results (12/15 and 12/16)
Thursday
West Haven 5 @ Greenwich 0
-Jim Morrissey scored the first goal of the game with just under six minuets left in the first period by deflecting a shot from Josh Robichuaud. West Haven outshot Greenwich 11-2 in the first period but shots were almost even in the second; West Haven ended up outshooting the Cardinals 34-12 in the game. Mike Troiano scored his first goal of the night with four minutes left in the second period off a pass from Morrissey. The third period went back to being all Blue Devils as Austin Hassen assisted a Adam Mink goal and 32 seconds later Troiano converted a breakaway, crediting Kyle Leyerzapf with the assist. Jake Lynch rounded out the scoring with 25 seconds left as Donny Froehlich and Peter Lynch picked up assists on the goal. Justin Shepher only needed 12 saves to get the shutout for West Haven while Vinny Scorese kept Greenwich in the game for at least two periods, finishing with 29 saves. Things don't get any easier for the Cardinals as they travel to West Haven for a game with Notre Dame this Saturday evening and West Haven hosts big-time opponent Darien in the afternoon game at the same rink on the same day.
I was a little wrong as ND-Fairfield barely won over Newtown 4-3 and East Haven tied with Stamford 5-5. I think that result is mostly due to Stamford exceeding my preseason expectations for them; both teams scored 5 goals!
Friday
no games of note
West Haven 5 @ Greenwich 0
-Jim Morrissey scored the first goal of the game with just under six minuets left in the first period by deflecting a shot from Josh Robichuaud. West Haven outshot Greenwich 11-2 in the first period but shots were almost even in the second; West Haven ended up outshooting the Cardinals 34-12 in the game. Mike Troiano scored his first goal of the night with four minutes left in the second period off a pass from Morrissey. The third period went back to being all Blue Devils as Austin Hassen assisted a Adam Mink goal and 32 seconds later Troiano converted a breakaway, crediting Kyle Leyerzapf with the assist. Jake Lynch rounded out the scoring with 25 seconds left as Donny Froehlich and Peter Lynch picked up assists on the goal. Justin Shepher only needed 12 saves to get the shutout for West Haven while Vinny Scorese kept Greenwich in the game for at least two periods, finishing with 29 saves. Things don't get any easier for the Cardinals as they travel to West Haven for a game with Notre Dame this Saturday evening and West Haven hosts big-time opponent Darien in the afternoon game at the same rink on the same day.
I was a little wrong as ND-Fairfield barely won over Newtown 4-3 and East Haven tied with Stamford 5-5. I think that result is mostly due to Stamford exceeding my preseason expectations for them; both teams scored 5 goals!
Friday
no games of note
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Top Games (12/15 and 12/16)
Thursday
West Haven @ Greenwich @ 8pm
-West Haven should win this game but they are looking for a solid goalie to replace J.P. Withington to take them far this year. Greenwich has a good program and might be able to hang around in this one for a bit; should be a solid test for West Haven to get things rolling before they host Darien Saturday.
Newtown @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 6 and Stamford @ East Haven @ 730 won't be bad games either but ND and East Haven should both come away with wins.
Friday
no games of note
West Haven @ Greenwich @ 8pm
-West Haven should win this game but they are looking for a solid goalie to replace J.P. Withington to take them far this year. Greenwich has a good program and might be able to hang around in this one for a bit; should be a solid test for West Haven to get things rolling before they host Darien Saturday.
Newtown @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 6 and Stamford @ East Haven @ 730 won't be bad games either but ND and East Haven should both come away with wins.
Friday
no games of note
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Wins and Losses (12/14)
I don't think I predicted a single game wrong. Also, a lot of shut-outs in the big time games; can partially be credited to the fact that this was the first game of the season for all these new teams.
Simsbury 1 @ South Windsor 4
-Exactly what I expected here, encouraging for Simsbury that they scored a goal though. Simsbury host North Haven on Saturday while South Windsor will play in a marquee game at Fairfield Prep on the same day.
North Haven 0 @ Xavier 1
-Some excitement in Middletown on opening night, Jack Gethings scored a powerplay top shelf goal with 3:16 left in the entire game to win the game for Xavier. Credit Bryan Stanton with the assist. Shane Baldwin had 22 saves in his shutout performance while Mike Amarone made 23 saves for North Haven. XAvier will go out to Notre Dame-Fairfield this Saturday to face what is always a solid team and North Haven goes up to Simsbury on Saturday where both teams will be looking for their first win of the season.
Darien 0 @ Hamden 2
-Another low-scoring game on opening night in which both goalies played very well. Andy Varga had 27 saves and the shutout for Hamden while Max Rothston saved 28 shots for Darien but Tyler Carangelo got one by him late in the first period off a Joe O'Connor pass. Bill Reilly also scored for Hamden with 7 seconds left in the game with Brandon Dadio and Jeremy Germain picking up assists. Darien can't feel too bad about this performance at all. Hamden has a week to work on things a bit before traveling to Amity (rink in West Haven though) next Wednesday in what could be a very good game while Darien will play at West Haven (same rink Amity uses, Bennett Rink) this upcoming Saturday, which also looks to be a good game.
New Canaan 0 @ Notre Dame-West Haven 3
-The Green Knights scored one in every period to beat the team that finished last season and FCIAC tournament undefeated. Casey Hoban scored in the first assisted by Anthony Astorino and Ryan Lynch, Greg Zullo in the second courtesy of Colby Cretella and Billy Vizzo and then Vizzo picked up his second assist of the game in the third when Cretella himself scored and Zullo also assisted on that goal. Goalie Paul Sliwinki had 17 saves and New Canaan's Chris Koennecke had 19. ND-WH host Greenwich this Saturday while New Canaan has the weekend off and travels to Darien on Monday in what should be a very good game.
St. Joseph 2 @ Glastonbury 6
-Strong performance by Glastonbury who will look to keep on rolling with this momentum at Ridgefield on Saturday. St. Joseph needs to shake off the loss before they travel out to Guilford on Saturday night, a big game on their schedule after losing to Guilford, a DII team that was undefeated for quite a while, last year.
Cheshire 7 @ Conard 3
-Cheshire making exactly the statement they had to in their opener and quieting some of the doubters. Beating Conard won't win them a DI title or even guarentee they will make the playoffs but a win of this magnitude against a mid-level DI team puts Cheshire exactly where they want to be right now during their first year in DI, 1-0. They have another game against an even better DI team, East Haven, this Saturday at home (Wesleyan's Spurrier-Snyder Rink in Middletown). Conard travels to Trinity Catholic this weekend.
Staples/Weston/Shelton 6 @ Newington/Berlin 2
-That's the kind of win a newly christened DII needs to come away with against an old colleague from DIII. After a week break, S-W-S takes on DII Lyman Hall, a decent team for DII sitting at 1-0 right now after a 5-1 win against a DIII team in their opener. N-B will again face a DII team this Saturday, big-time rival and legitimate player in DII this year, Wethersfield.
Fairfield Prep 3 @ Ridgefield 0
-The game of the day did not disappoint as fans got to see some very good hockey in the first period. Both goalies were on their game and neither team could score. Prep really stepped it up when they were down 2 men for 72 seconds but did not allow Ridgefield to score at all. In the second period is was the same old Prep we are used to, striking three times and out shooting the Tigers 13-2. Conor Peterson scored first for the Jesuits by deflecting a shot by Sean Henry from the blue line. A few minutes later Tom Worsfold scored the rebound from Connor Henry's shot and then Sean Henry scored on a breakaway with 9:03 left in the period. Nate Gliedman still had 35 saves in goal for Ridgefield while Riley Wikman only need 17 saves to secure the shutout and win for Prep. Ridgefield now plays host to Glastonbury on Saturday, a game they will need to be ready to play hard in and Prep moves from a top team in the FCIAC to a top in the CCC as South Windsor comes to the Wonderland of Ice on Saturday seeking revenge for last year's 0-7 blowout at South Windsor Arena.
12/15 add-in:
St. Joseph 1 1 0 — 2
Glastonbury 1 3 2 — 6
Scoring:
1st—SJ: Zach Usinger (Christian Keator, Matt Julian) 10:22; G: Ethan Holdaway (Drew Mozzer) 12:11; 2nd—G: Drew Mozzer (Ethan Holdaway) :22; Ethan Holdaway 1:00; SJ: Dominic DeRosa 11:53; G: Avery Clair (Drew Mozzer) 13:59; 3rd—G: Drew Mozzer (Ethan Holdaway) :16; Drew Mozzer (Conor Thompson, Ethan Holdaway) 11:07;
Shots—SJ: 28; G: 43;
Saves—SJ: Ron Johnson 37; G: Chase Gabor 26;
S-W-S 6 @ N-B 2
Newington-Berlin 0 1 1 - 2
Scoring:
1st-S-W-S: Aaron Liu (Jack Mendillo, Eric Zurmuehle) 2:59; Wyatt Fern (Matt Weisgerber, Sean Steward) 14:46; 2nd-S-W-S: Sean Steward (Aaron Liu) 5:15; Aaron Liu (Mike Lynch) 12:04; N-B: Brendon Richard (Nick Briganti, Brandon Ralph) 13:05; S-W-S: Aaron Liu (Liam O’Leary) 14:34; 3rd-S-W-S: Liam O’Leary (Tom Meyers) 4:14; N-B: Brendon Richard (Tyler Mangiasico, Mike Davies) 14:57;
Shots-S-W-S: 23; N-B: 19;
Saves-S-W-S: Riley MacDonald 17; N-B: Drew O’Leary 17
Simsbury 1 @ South Windsor 4
-Exactly what I expected here, encouraging for Simsbury that they scored a goal though. Simsbury host North Haven on Saturday while South Windsor will play in a marquee game at Fairfield Prep on the same day.
North Haven 0 @ Xavier 1
-Some excitement in Middletown on opening night, Jack Gethings scored a powerplay top shelf goal with 3:16 left in the entire game to win the game for Xavier. Credit Bryan Stanton with the assist. Shane Baldwin had 22 saves in his shutout performance while Mike Amarone made 23 saves for North Haven. XAvier will go out to Notre Dame-Fairfield this Saturday to face what is always a solid team and North Haven goes up to Simsbury on Saturday where both teams will be looking for their first win of the season.
Darien 0 @ Hamden 2
-Another low-scoring game on opening night in which both goalies played very well. Andy Varga had 27 saves and the shutout for Hamden while Max Rothston saved 28 shots for Darien but Tyler Carangelo got one by him late in the first period off a Joe O'Connor pass. Bill Reilly also scored for Hamden with 7 seconds left in the game with Brandon Dadio and Jeremy Germain picking up assists. Darien can't feel too bad about this performance at all. Hamden has a week to work on things a bit before traveling to Amity (rink in West Haven though) next Wednesday in what could be a very good game while Darien will play at West Haven (same rink Amity uses, Bennett Rink) this upcoming Saturday, which also looks to be a good game.
New Canaan 0 @ Notre Dame-West Haven 3
-The Green Knights scored one in every period to beat the team that finished last season and FCIAC tournament undefeated. Casey Hoban scored in the first assisted by Anthony Astorino and Ryan Lynch, Greg Zullo in the second courtesy of Colby Cretella and Billy Vizzo and then Vizzo picked up his second assist of the game in the third when Cretella himself scored and Zullo also assisted on that goal. Goalie Paul Sliwinki had 17 saves and New Canaan's Chris Koennecke had 19. ND-WH host Greenwich this Saturday while New Canaan has the weekend off and travels to Darien on Monday in what should be a very good game.
St. Joseph 2 @ Glastonbury 6
-Strong performance by Glastonbury who will look to keep on rolling with this momentum at Ridgefield on Saturday. St. Joseph needs to shake off the loss before they travel out to Guilford on Saturday night, a big game on their schedule after losing to Guilford, a DII team that was undefeated for quite a while, last year.
Cheshire 7 @ Conard 3
-Cheshire making exactly the statement they had to in their opener and quieting some of the doubters. Beating Conard won't win them a DI title or even guarentee they will make the playoffs but a win of this magnitude against a mid-level DI team puts Cheshire exactly where they want to be right now during their first year in DI, 1-0. They have another game against an even better DI team, East Haven, this Saturday at home (Wesleyan's Spurrier-Snyder Rink in Middletown). Conard travels to Trinity Catholic this weekend.
Staples/Weston/Shelton 6 @ Newington/Berlin 2
-That's the kind of win a newly christened DII needs to come away with against an old colleague from DIII. After a week break, S-W-S takes on DII Lyman Hall, a decent team for DII sitting at 1-0 right now after a 5-1 win against a DIII team in their opener. N-B will again face a DII team this Saturday, big-time rival and legitimate player in DII this year, Wethersfield.
Fairfield Prep 3 @ Ridgefield 0
-The game of the day did not disappoint as fans got to see some very good hockey in the first period. Both goalies were on their game and neither team could score. Prep really stepped it up when they were down 2 men for 72 seconds but did not allow Ridgefield to score at all. In the second period is was the same old Prep we are used to, striking three times and out shooting the Tigers 13-2. Conor Peterson scored first for the Jesuits by deflecting a shot by Sean Henry from the blue line. A few minutes later Tom Worsfold scored the rebound from Connor Henry's shot and then Sean Henry scored on a breakaway with 9:03 left in the period. Nate Gliedman still had 35 saves in goal for Ridgefield while Riley Wikman only need 17 saves to secure the shutout and win for Prep. Ridgefield now plays host to Glastonbury on Saturday, a game they will need to be ready to play hard in and Prep moves from a top team in the FCIAC to a top in the CCC as South Windsor comes to the Wonderland of Ice on Saturday seeking revenge for last year's 0-7 blowout at South Windsor Arena.
12/15 add-in:
St. Joseph 2 @ Glastonbury 6
Glastonbury 1 3 2 — 6
Scoring:
1st—SJ: Zach Usinger (Christian Keator, Matt Julian) 10:22; G: Ethan Holdaway (Drew Mozzer) 12:11; 2nd—G: Drew Mozzer (Ethan Holdaway) :22; Ethan Holdaway 1:00; SJ: Dominic DeRosa 11:53; G: Avery Clair (Drew Mozzer) 13:59; 3rd—G: Drew Mozzer (Ethan Holdaway) :16; Drew Mozzer (Conor Thompson, Ethan Holdaway) 11:07;
Shots—SJ: 28; G: 43;
Saves—SJ: Ron Johnson 37; G: Chase Gabor 26;
S-W-S 6 @ N-B 2
Staples-Weston-Shelton 2 3 1 - 6
Newington-Berlin 0 1 1 - 2
Scoring:
1st-S-W-S: Aaron Liu (Jack Mendillo, Eric Zurmuehle) 2:59; Wyatt Fern (Matt Weisgerber, Sean Steward) 14:46; 2nd-S-W-S: Sean Steward (Aaron Liu) 5:15; Aaron Liu (Mike Lynch) 12:04; N-B: Brendon Richard (Nick Briganti, Brandon Ralph) 13:05; S-W-S: Aaron Liu (Liam O’Leary) 14:34; 3rd-S-W-S: Liam O’Leary (Tom Meyers) 4:14; N-B: Brendon Richard (Tyler Mangiasico, Mike Davies) 14:57;
Shots-S-W-S: 23; N-B: 19;
Saves-S-W-S: Riley MacDonald 17; N-B: Drew O’Leary 17
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (12/14)
I'm starting hockey from the beginning this season and boy do we have a good opening night on tap. I went ice skating at Rockefeller Center in NYC on Tuesday and that experience really made it feel like winter but another good sign of winter is all the quality high school hockey we should see on Wednesday. Enough with the waiting and let's get back to those rinks!
Simsbury @ South Windsor @ 4pm
-SW should win this one but Simsbury is no walk in the park. I will have my eye this match-up up north to see how both teams look coming out this season. I'd recommend going if you are from the CCC area.
North Haven @ Xavier @ 5
-Similar to the game above it, I'd say Xavier is the favorite in this one but I expect North Haven to be a good team this year as well. This should be a better game than the one above it though because North Haven will be better than Simsbury and SW looks to better than X. Again, I really want to see how both of these teams come out and play in a pretty good opening day game for each.
Darien @ Hamden @ 6
-Interesting FCIAC/SCC crossover that is worth attending to see how good Darien will be this year and what kind of team Hamden looks to be this year, at least initially. No question Hamden will be good but this game can certainly help to answer how good and give an indication of thee same for Darien.
New Canaan @ Notre Dame-West Haven @ 630
-This should be a very good game and people will be talking about this result all season if both of these programs are in the top ten week in and week out this year like they were last year. ND-WH at home for their opener will give them a big edge and I expect them to come out on top of a new-look New Canaan. This is the SCC area game to check out.
St. Joseph @ Glastonbury @ 7
-I expect to see big things from G-bury in this game to really make a statement on opening night against a quality team from the FCIAC, St. Joseph. The Cadets can possibly beat the Tomahawks though so this could shape up to be a good one here. Decent night cap for the CCC area hockey lovers.
Cheshire @ Conard @ 730
-I really want to see how Cheshire looks against a decent DI team on opening night here and also to see how Conard is going to do this year. I actually think Cheshire will win this game but Conard is known as a place conductive to upsets.
Staples/Weston/Shelton @ Newington/Berlin @ 830
-Maybe not as high caliber as these other games but both teams here are starting off with a very good opponent and serve as a reminder that every team needs to come ready to play from day one because every game is important, even the first one.
Fairfield Prep @ Ridgefield @ 830
-Here it is: the big one. I'm sure many people have lost sleep in anticipation over this game, yet another FCIAC/SCC crossover on the first day. Prep is the defending DI champs looking to come out and prove themselves as the best in the state yet again while Ridgefield touts a high-scoring offense favored to win the FCIAC this year. Game of the night for sure and the one hockey fans from the FCIAC area will definitely want to attend.
DIII game: Hall/Southington @ Northwest Catholic @ 730 (both are looking to have good seasons this year)
Simsbury @ South Windsor @ 4pm
-SW should win this one but Simsbury is no walk in the park. I will have my eye this match-up up north to see how both teams look coming out this season. I'd recommend going if you are from the CCC area.
North Haven @ Xavier @ 5
-Similar to the game above it, I'd say Xavier is the favorite in this one but I expect North Haven to be a good team this year as well. This should be a better game than the one above it though because North Haven will be better than Simsbury and SW looks to better than X. Again, I really want to see how both of these teams come out and play in a pretty good opening day game for each.
Darien @ Hamden @ 6
-Interesting FCIAC/SCC crossover that is worth attending to see how good Darien will be this year and what kind of team Hamden looks to be this year, at least initially. No question Hamden will be good but this game can certainly help to answer how good and give an indication of thee same for Darien.
New Canaan @ Notre Dame-West Haven @ 630
-This should be a very good game and people will be talking about this result all season if both of these programs are in the top ten week in and week out this year like they were last year. ND-WH at home for their opener will give them a big edge and I expect them to come out on top of a new-look New Canaan. This is the SCC area game to check out.
St. Joseph @ Glastonbury @ 7
-I expect to see big things from G-bury in this game to really make a statement on opening night against a quality team from the FCIAC, St. Joseph. The Cadets can possibly beat the Tomahawks though so this could shape up to be a good one here. Decent night cap for the CCC area hockey lovers.
Cheshire @ Conard @ 730
-I really want to see how Cheshire looks against a decent DI team on opening night here and also to see how Conard is going to do this year. I actually think Cheshire will win this game but Conard is known as a place conductive to upsets.
Staples/Weston/Shelton @ Newington/Berlin @ 830
-Maybe not as high caliber as these other games but both teams here are starting off with a very good opponent and serve as a reminder that every team needs to come ready to play from day one because every game is important, even the first one.
Fairfield Prep @ Ridgefield @ 830
-Here it is: the big one. I'm sure many people have lost sleep in anticipation over this game, yet another FCIAC/SCC crossover on the first day. Prep is the defending DI champs looking to come out and prove themselves as the best in the state yet again while Ridgefield touts a high-scoring offense favored to win the FCIAC this year. Game of the night for sure and the one hockey fans from the FCIAC area will definitely want to attend.
DIII game: Hall/Southington @ Northwest Catholic @ 730 (both are looking to have good seasons this year)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Teams to Watch in 2011-12
Like I did for the lacrosse season, instead of preseason rankings or capsules that focus on local teams only I will be highlighting teams to watch this upcoming season, in no particular order. You can think of this as preseason rankings except that it's silly to use numbers and try to say who is better than who before the 2011-12 teams play more than a few games (most preseason and early season rankings/polls are based on legacy of schools and expectations for the upcoming year...not factual evidence of how they are playing this year). Last year's records are included in parentheses after each team.
DIVISION I
Fairfield Prep (21-3)
-It is only fitting to start off with the defending champions and, as expected, they are favorites to win it all again this year. In fact, I would say that they are THE favorites to win Division I this year. 12-year head coach Matt Sather returns 16 varsity players from last year squad captained by senior forward AJ Unker, a 2nd team all-state selection from last year. Junior David White and senior Matt Brophy also highlight the typical fast-paced and fundamentally sound Fairfield Prep offense. Look for seniors Conor Peteronson and Patrick Hayes to step up and become major contributors as well this year. Senior Tom Worsfold is the leader of Prep's defense and will look to have them as physical but also quick as they were last year. The graduation of goalie John Galiani opens up a possible weakness in the Jesuits but senior Riley Wikman and sophomores Matt Beck and Chris Gutierrez are all vying for the staring job and competition maximizes performance.
Notre Dame-West Haven (12-8)
-Another team I expect big things from this season are the Green Knights from ND-WH. They were a top ten team in the state last year with a young team that will just be deeper and more experienced this year. Colby Cretella, Greg Zullo, transfer Billy Vizzo (ND-Fairfield), Eric Austin, Ed Sherman and Jeff Bausch make up a solid offense while Darren Capobianco, Colin Conte and Anthony Astorino are the physical defensemen we have grown accustom to seeing from ND-WH every year. Similar to Prep, the Green Knights have a big hole between the pipes with the departure of Greg Harney to Trinity-Pawling. If they can find a solid goalie, this team is poised to make run deep into the Division I tournament this year.
Hamden (13-7-1)
-The two-time defending champs before Prep won its 14th title last year were the Hamden Green Dragons. They will be relying on the age-old saying in sports: "offense scores points but defense wins games/championships." They return seniors Brandon Daddio and Connor Walsh along with sophomore Mike Lee on defense and senior Andy Varga is ready to fill in goal after the departure of Matt Hoff. Varga is pretty good himself and should have no problem keeping his team in games. The big Q for coach Bill Verneris is offense. His senior forwards are Paul Amarone, Nick Amarone, Connor Walsh, Tim Lee but really only both Amarones were major contributors last year and they will be without Nick Amarone and Mike Lee for at least 10 and 2 games respectively. Forward Jeremy Germaine transferred in from Hamden Hall and knows how to score.
West Haven (12-7-2)
-West Haven is looking to big things this year and could surprise a lot of people. They graduated star goalie J.P. Withington but that spot will be filled by either Justin Shepard or Forest Schell. Also, they have some of the best forwards in the state with Mike Troiano and Adam Mink both back from last year and then three senior defensemen in Kyle Leyerzapf, Mark Berretta and Josh Robichaud. Watch out for the Blue Devils in not only the SCC but also all of Division I.
Xavier (14-8)
-Xavier's strength this year will be their defense headed up by Dan Dupont and Nick Turner but also three other guys that played last year. Even with the transfer of goalie Austin Essery to Canterbury, Steve Romanelli and Shane Baldwin are both talented so whoever emerges as the starter will be a solid tender for the Falcons. Similar to Hamden, their big question will be on offense. They return some lettermen from last year like Will Stanton, Dakota Caron and Dave Brennan but somebody will need to step up and put the puck in the back of the net since 75 percent of their scoring from last year graduated. They did transfer in forward Ryan Mclellan (Hamden Hall) to perhaps be the solution. Coach Scott Gainey has his work cut out for him but still has a shot at making the playoffs, even with playing in the SCC.
Cheshire (16-6-2)
-I'm not going to come out and make the bold prediction that Cheshire will be this year's St. Joseph (move up from DII and make the DI title game in your first year) and put that burden on the Rams. However, they are talented enough to be featured on my teams to watch in DI this year. Since former head coach Jim Riccitelli retired, Cheshire brought in the experienced former coach from Avon, Karl Sundquist. I think the move and timing will actually help this team since the Rams need a DI one coach to get them up to the pace, tempo and skill level that is DI, as soon as possible if they want to contend in the division. Cheshire also lost Owen Powers, Mike Muzyka and Jack Cunningham to prep schools (Choate, Salisbury and Pomfret respectively) but still return 23 of 30 players from last year's DII Championship squad (they also won DII in 2009). In front of the net, senior Tyler Carbone can have a really special season after how he finished out last year. Will Devine and Spencer Hackett still make up Cheshire's defense and Alex Vendetto, Tyler Violano and Joe D'Errico will be the go-to guys on offense this season. Note, Cheshire has changed their home ice back from Northford Ice Pavilion to Spurrier-Snyder Rink at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
South Windsor (19-5)
-Moving up to the north, South Windsor was a final four team in DI last year. The Bobcats return a solid group of forwards led by Joe Bonazelli and David Oullette and experienced defensemen like Dylan Engle. They also have a strong tandem of goalies, Chris Marchi and Ryan Serksnas, although it looks like Marchi will get the start. Look for them to contend in DI again this year and be right at the top of the CCC-North alongside Glastonbury. I give a lot of credit to coach Neil Rodman for really building up this program in the past nine years.
Glastonbury (16-5-2)
-Speaking of the Tomahawks, they are the defending CCC-North Champions. Like the opposite of Xavier, Glastonbury will be leaning heavily on their offense led by one of the only returning All-State players from last year, forward Ethan Holdaway. They also have three very talented skaters in Drew Mozzer, Aaron Mandell and Acery Clair. On defense, they have seniors John Drury and Michael Pizzo but also a very experienced role players from the top to the bottom of their roster like forward ANthony Aspromonti. They have a huge hole to fill in goal left by Chris Hemauser and their options are junior Chase Gabor, sophomore Alex Ment or freshman Kyle Thibodeaux.
New Canaan (25-1)
-The Rams lost 18 players from last year's team but they are still the defending FCIAC Champions with a stellar terrific in Bo Hickey and some returning talent like captains Dylan Hart and Jake Granito. They also have Tyler Manchuck, Ryan Christie and Puck Richardson on offense while Chip Glover and Ritchie Shane head up the defense. In goal, Chris Konnecke and Theo Christian will start out rotating to try and fill the shoes of Tim Nowaki. New Canaan's season could go either way but I still expect them to be a good team and make some noise, at least in the FCIAC tournament.
Ridgefield (17-6-1)
-The Ridgefield Tigers are slight favorites (over Darien and NC) to win the FCIAC this year with St. Joseph losing so many pieces they are not even on my teams to watch, New Canaan being downgraded by graduation and Ridgefield becoming clearly older and better than the young but still talented Greenwich Cardinals.
Darien (11-11)
-The new guys to my watch list (for hockey), Darien, should be able to make a real run his year. They were a lot better than their record indicated last year, as they proved in both the FCIAC (0-1 loss to NC) and Division I (1-2 loss in OT to Prep) tournaments last year. This year they bring in a new head coach, Chris Gerwig, fresh off a 14-year tenure at Trinity Catholic to become their third head coach in four seasons. Gerwig has nine seniors, five juniors and seven sophomores. The three captains highlight their respective positions, forwards Nick Bruno, defenseman Hank Glick and goalie Max Rothston. I still give Ridgefield the nod for best in the FCIAC based on a slightly stronger lineup and more experience being at the top, but Darien has the potential to go very deep this year.
Others not to sleep on: East Haven (13-8; look to be one of the best offenses in the state with Steve Marsico, Rich Decarlo and Matt Barcomb; defense will be led by Frank Latella; good coach in Lou Pane), North Haven (7-13, missed playoffs by one game last year; new head coach this year: Tom Roche, who also brought in quality assistant coaches; talented line of forwards: Mike Andreucci, Ken Broccoli and Tyler DeMartin), Tri-Town (13-10; senior defensemen Nick Binkowski and Mitch Cobb spearhead the campaign to defend Tri-Town's NHC Championship; senior Billy Chevalier is the top forward and senior Mitch DiResta brings a lot of experience in goal), Amity (9-11-1; the Spartans look strong on offense with Joe Bianchi, Riley Hine, Luke Sacramone and even sophomore Adam Shea; Sparty also has a deep defense with Joe DeGoursey, Alex Viera, Nyg Walker and Nick Santini, all seniors; junior Nick Nuzzolo trying to fill in for Alec Mansfield (graduation) between the pipes rounds out this team that is due for at least one major upset like last year but still has the curse and blessing that is playing in the SCC), Notre Dame-Fairfield (6-13-1; another team that cannot be overlooked year after year and they look to have one of their best teams this year; veteran coach Marty Roos has a strong defense with Frank Sullivan, Frank Zumbo and Greg Ferris protecting goalie Scott Kline [2.66 goals-against average and .910 save % in limited role last year]; biggest obstacle will be scoring but sophomore Christian LaCroix is pretty good and junior Dave Canfarotta transferred in from Salisbury to play forward for the Lancers), Fermi/Enfield (6-13-1; I had to highlight this new co-op of two pretty good hockey schools coming together due to lack of numbers [11 kids at each school] but this alliance puts double the amount of star players on one team, giving Fermi/Enfield a chance to do well in Division I, especially the CCC, this year; Evan Boissy is the star on defense while the big-time forwards are Brendan Lemire and Nick Varner), Windsor/Avon/Farmington (17-5/9-10-2; Avon and Windsor did alright in DIII last year with East Granby as the third member of their co-op but now they add Farmington, a okay team from DII...why this means they will play in DI this year, I do not know; however, they some very talented players like senior forwards Dominic Bazzano, Nick Berns (26 goals, 21 assists last season) and Maz Leopold (19 goals last season) along with senior Tyler Stoll on defense; they have potential led by coach Scott Percival, especially with a schedule of mixed DI, DII and DIII games sure to get them in the post-season but DI is very good so how well they will do in March is a big question).
DIVISION II
DIVISION I
Fairfield Prep (21-3)
-It is only fitting to start off with the defending champions and, as expected, they are favorites to win it all again this year. In fact, I would say that they are THE favorites to win Division I this year. 12-year head coach Matt Sather returns 16 varsity players from last year squad captained by senior forward AJ Unker, a 2nd team all-state selection from last year. Junior David White and senior Matt Brophy also highlight the typical fast-paced and fundamentally sound Fairfield Prep offense. Look for seniors Conor Peteronson and Patrick Hayes to step up and become major contributors as well this year. Senior Tom Worsfold is the leader of Prep's defense and will look to have them as physical but also quick as they were last year. The graduation of goalie John Galiani opens up a possible weakness in the Jesuits but senior Riley Wikman and sophomores Matt Beck and Chris Gutierrez are all vying for the staring job and competition maximizes performance.
Notre Dame-West Haven (12-8)
-Another team I expect big things from this season are the Green Knights from ND-WH. They were a top ten team in the state last year with a young team that will just be deeper and more experienced this year. Colby Cretella, Greg Zullo, transfer Billy Vizzo (ND-Fairfield), Eric Austin, Ed Sherman and Jeff Bausch make up a solid offense while Darren Capobianco, Colin Conte and Anthony Astorino are the physical defensemen we have grown accustom to seeing from ND-WH every year. Similar to Prep, the Green Knights have a big hole between the pipes with the departure of Greg Harney to Trinity-Pawling. If they can find a solid goalie, this team is poised to make run deep into the Division I tournament this year.
Hamden (13-7-1)
-The two-time defending champs before Prep won its 14th title last year were the Hamden Green Dragons. They will be relying on the age-old saying in sports: "offense scores points but defense wins games/championships." They return seniors Brandon Daddio and Connor Walsh along with sophomore Mike Lee on defense and senior Andy Varga is ready to fill in goal after the departure of Matt Hoff. Varga is pretty good himself and should have no problem keeping his team in games. The big Q for coach Bill Verneris is offense. His senior forwards are Paul Amarone, Nick Amarone, Connor Walsh, Tim Lee but really only both Amarones were major contributors last year and they will be without Nick Amarone and Mike Lee for at least 10 and 2 games respectively. Forward Jeremy Germaine transferred in from Hamden Hall and knows how to score.
West Haven (12-7-2)
-West Haven is looking to big things this year and could surprise a lot of people. They graduated star goalie J.P. Withington but that spot will be filled by either Justin Shepard or Forest Schell. Also, they have some of the best forwards in the state with Mike Troiano and Adam Mink both back from last year and then three senior defensemen in Kyle Leyerzapf, Mark Berretta and Josh Robichaud. Watch out for the Blue Devils in not only the SCC but also all of Division I.
Xavier (14-8)
-Xavier's strength this year will be their defense headed up by Dan Dupont and Nick Turner but also three other guys that played last year. Even with the transfer of goalie Austin Essery to Canterbury, Steve Romanelli and Shane Baldwin are both talented so whoever emerges as the starter will be a solid tender for the Falcons. Similar to Hamden, their big question will be on offense. They return some lettermen from last year like Will Stanton, Dakota Caron and Dave Brennan but somebody will need to step up and put the puck in the back of the net since 75 percent of their scoring from last year graduated. They did transfer in forward Ryan Mclellan (Hamden Hall) to perhaps be the solution. Coach Scott Gainey has his work cut out for him but still has a shot at making the playoffs, even with playing in the SCC.
Cheshire (16-6-2)
-I'm not going to come out and make the bold prediction that Cheshire will be this year's St. Joseph (move up from DII and make the DI title game in your first year) and put that burden on the Rams. However, they are talented enough to be featured on my teams to watch in DI this year. Since former head coach Jim Riccitelli retired, Cheshire brought in the experienced former coach from Avon, Karl Sundquist. I think the move and timing will actually help this team since the Rams need a DI one coach to get them up to the pace, tempo and skill level that is DI, as soon as possible if they want to contend in the division. Cheshire also lost Owen Powers, Mike Muzyka and Jack Cunningham to prep schools (Choate, Salisbury and Pomfret respectively) but still return 23 of 30 players from last year's DII Championship squad (they also won DII in 2009). In front of the net, senior Tyler Carbone can have a really special season after how he finished out last year. Will Devine and Spencer Hackett still make up Cheshire's defense and Alex Vendetto, Tyler Violano and Joe D'Errico will be the go-to guys on offense this season. Note, Cheshire has changed their home ice back from Northford Ice Pavilion to Spurrier-Snyder Rink at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
South Windsor (19-5)
-Moving up to the north, South Windsor was a final four team in DI last year. The Bobcats return a solid group of forwards led by Joe Bonazelli and David Oullette and experienced defensemen like Dylan Engle. They also have a strong tandem of goalies, Chris Marchi and Ryan Serksnas, although it looks like Marchi will get the start. Look for them to contend in DI again this year and be right at the top of the CCC-North alongside Glastonbury. I give a lot of credit to coach Neil Rodman for really building up this program in the past nine years.
Glastonbury (16-5-2)
-Speaking of the Tomahawks, they are the defending CCC-North Champions. Like the opposite of Xavier, Glastonbury will be leaning heavily on their offense led by one of the only returning All-State players from last year, forward Ethan Holdaway. They also have three very talented skaters in Drew Mozzer, Aaron Mandell and Acery Clair. On defense, they have seniors John Drury and Michael Pizzo but also a very experienced role players from the top to the bottom of their roster like forward ANthony Aspromonti. They have a huge hole to fill in goal left by Chris Hemauser and their options are junior Chase Gabor, sophomore Alex Ment or freshman Kyle Thibodeaux.
New Canaan (25-1)
-The Rams lost 18 players from last year's team but they are still the defending FCIAC Champions with a stellar terrific in Bo Hickey and some returning talent like captains Dylan Hart and Jake Granito. They also have Tyler Manchuck, Ryan Christie and Puck Richardson on offense while Chip Glover and Ritchie Shane head up the defense. In goal, Chris Konnecke and Theo Christian will start out rotating to try and fill the shoes of Tim Nowaki. New Canaan's season could go either way but I still expect them to be a good team and make some noise, at least in the FCIAC tournament.
Ridgefield (17-6-1)
-The Ridgefield Tigers are slight favorites (over Darien and NC) to win the FCIAC this year with St. Joseph losing so many pieces they are not even on my teams to watch, New Canaan being downgraded by graduation and Ridgefield becoming clearly older and better than the young but still talented Greenwich Cardinals.
Darien (11-11)
-The new guys to my watch list (for hockey), Darien, should be able to make a real run his year. They were a lot better than their record indicated last year, as they proved in both the FCIAC (0-1 loss to NC) and Division I (1-2 loss in OT to Prep) tournaments last year. This year they bring in a new head coach, Chris Gerwig, fresh off a 14-year tenure at Trinity Catholic to become their third head coach in four seasons. Gerwig has nine seniors, five juniors and seven sophomores. The three captains highlight their respective positions, forwards Nick Bruno, defenseman Hank Glick and goalie Max Rothston. I still give Ridgefield the nod for best in the FCIAC based on a slightly stronger lineup and more experience being at the top, but Darien has the potential to go very deep this year.
Others not to sleep on: East Haven (13-8; look to be one of the best offenses in the state with Steve Marsico, Rich Decarlo and Matt Barcomb; defense will be led by Frank Latella; good coach in Lou Pane), North Haven (7-13, missed playoffs by one game last year; new head coach this year: Tom Roche, who also brought in quality assistant coaches; talented line of forwards: Mike Andreucci, Ken Broccoli and Tyler DeMartin), Tri-Town (13-10; senior defensemen Nick Binkowski and Mitch Cobb spearhead the campaign to defend Tri-Town's NHC Championship; senior Billy Chevalier is the top forward and senior Mitch DiResta brings a lot of experience in goal), Amity (9-11-1; the Spartans look strong on offense with Joe Bianchi, Riley Hine, Luke Sacramone and even sophomore Adam Shea; Sparty also has a deep defense with Joe DeGoursey, Alex Viera, Nyg Walker and Nick Santini, all seniors; junior Nick Nuzzolo trying to fill in for Alec Mansfield (graduation) between the pipes rounds out this team that is due for at least one major upset like last year but still has the curse and blessing that is playing in the SCC), Notre Dame-Fairfield (6-13-1; another team that cannot be overlooked year after year and they look to have one of their best teams this year; veteran coach Marty Roos has a strong defense with Frank Sullivan, Frank Zumbo and Greg Ferris protecting goalie Scott Kline [2.66 goals-against average and .910 save % in limited role last year]; biggest obstacle will be scoring but sophomore Christian LaCroix is pretty good and junior Dave Canfarotta transferred in from Salisbury to play forward for the Lancers), Fermi/Enfield (6-13-1; I had to highlight this new co-op of two pretty good hockey schools coming together due to lack of numbers [11 kids at each school] but this alliance puts double the amount of star players on one team, giving Fermi/Enfield a chance to do well in Division I, especially the CCC, this year; Evan Boissy is the star on defense while the big-time forwards are Brendan Lemire and Nick Varner), Windsor/Avon/Farmington (17-5/9-10-2; Avon and Windsor did alright in DIII last year with East Granby as the third member of their co-op but now they add Farmington, a okay team from DII...why this means they will play in DI this year, I do not know; however, they some very talented players like senior forwards Dominic Bazzano, Nick Berns (26 goals, 21 assists last season) and Maz Leopold (19 goals last season) along with senior Tyler Stoll on defense; they have potential led by coach Scott Percival, especially with a schedule of mixed DI, DII and DIII games sure to get them in the post-season but DI is very good so how well they will do in March is a big question).
DIVISION II
Guilford (20-4-1)
-With last year's champion, Cheshire, forced to move up to DI, I will start with the other half of last year's championship game and the number one seed, almost undefeated team that year. The Guilford Indians lost a lot of talent all around to graduation and the transfer of Luc Amatruda to Notre Dame-West Haven. They will still contend in DII with Billy Ring, Bobby Noonan, Kyle Bejnerowiccz, Jack Fitzgerald, James Mackey on offense, all kids that know how to score, and then two solid defensemen in Derek Nelson and Ryan Moore. If senior goalie Chad Faulkner-Filosa can step up, the Indians should be alright this year but DII is definitely wide open.
Hand (12-11-1)
-The Daniel Hand Tigers are, believe it or not, the defending SCC-DII champions. This year they are stacked with talent like goalie Dan Tagliarini, defensemen Eric Williams and Mike Deane and then forwards Joe Deane, Nico Capone and Jarrett Rennie with Capone being the only junior in the group of seniors. However, the forwards will need to step up and score more goals than they did last year since Tyler Bauer and Mike Berestecky, both of whom graduated, scored 63% of the goals last year.
Wilton (12-10-1)
-Only lost 4-5 to DI runner-up St. Joseph in the FCIAC tournament quarterfinals last year and 1-2 in OT to DII Champion Cheshire in the DII semifinals as well. This team will back and ready to contend in both realms again. Leaders are Matt Kobyra on offense and 6'2" sophomore Jon Meissner on defense.
Watertown-Pomperaug (16-7)
-Next up is the reigning DIII Champions, W-P. Forward Ryan Borsari should have no problem scoring points on one end of the ice while goalie Trevor St. Onge just keeps stopping them on the other. St. Onge was good last year but one year older means one year wiser and that is exactly what they will need to make some serious noise in DII.
Staples-Weston-Shelton (16-7)
-Another team that can make an impact right away in DII is DIII runner-up from last year, S-W-S. Their key to success will be a core group of seniors returning from last year's team, namely Andrew Pfefferle, Michael Lynch, Riley MacDonald, Aaron Liu and Forest Savage.
Newtown (15-6)
-The Newtown Nighthawks have just moved up to DII this year and return a solid senior class. Big-time juniors like forward Christian Blais make this team deep and versatile. Coach Paul Esposito has coached most of these players for almost ten years between high school and youth hockey. Their anchor is goalie Mike Allwein who averaged only 2.87 goals against last year.
Trumbull (11-10-2)
-Trumbull made it to Yale last year losing in the DII semi's and return forward Michale Ahearn who scored 19 goals last year. They will also still have a solid tender but some of the new younger forwards will need to step as most of their scoring form last year, aside from Ahearn, graduated.
Others not to sleep on: Wethersfield (6-13-1; Eagles are looking to make a push in the postseason with senior defensemen Brett Fortin and Matt Lis plus junior forward Pat Dowd), East Catholic (13-10; defense will not be a problem with Garrett Richardello, JT Sabin, Evan Cedron and Matt Urrichio but some underclassmen will have to step on offense for the defending CCC-East Champions).
DIVISION III
Northwest Catholic (11-10-2)
-Upset number one seed Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury last year and made it to the DIII semifinals for the third straight year and for the third straight year also lost to the eventual champion, who moved up to the next division each year (St. Joseph in '09, Guilford in '10, Watertown-Pomperaug in '11). They return all but one starter from last year and this could very well be their year. Their first line is one of the best in the division with A.J. Massaro, Jeff Greenwood and Patrick Melanson. Senior Tyler Vaughn is the name to know on defense. Also, goalie Matt Greenwood was a second-team all-state selection last year.
Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown (10-11)
-Experienced team that made the playoffs last year and has only gotten better since. Key returning player is junior Kyle Whalen who tallied 43 points in sophomore season.
Newington-Berlin (15-7-1)
-Defending CCC-North Champs, can never count them out.
Joel Barlow (8-11)
-Led by senior forward Mike Mattson, a second-tem all-state pick last year.
Masuk (5-14-1)
-Very young team last year that came up a little short of states; I expect them to make it and do well this year.
Hand (12-11-1)
-The Daniel Hand Tigers are, believe it or not, the defending SCC-DII champions. This year they are stacked with talent like goalie Dan Tagliarini, defensemen Eric Williams and Mike Deane and then forwards Joe Deane, Nico Capone and Jarrett Rennie with Capone being the only junior in the group of seniors. However, the forwards will need to step up and score more goals than they did last year since Tyler Bauer and Mike Berestecky, both of whom graduated, scored 63% of the goals last year.
Wilton (12-10-1)
-Only lost 4-5 to DI runner-up St. Joseph in the FCIAC tournament quarterfinals last year and 1-2 in OT to DII Champion Cheshire in the DII semifinals as well. This team will back and ready to contend in both realms again. Leaders are Matt Kobyra on offense and 6'2" sophomore Jon Meissner on defense.
Watertown-Pomperaug (16-7)
-Next up is the reigning DIII Champions, W-P. Forward Ryan Borsari should have no problem scoring points on one end of the ice while goalie Trevor St. Onge just keeps stopping them on the other. St. Onge was good last year but one year older means one year wiser and that is exactly what they will need to make some serious noise in DII.
Staples-Weston-Shelton (16-7)
-Another team that can make an impact right away in DII is DIII runner-up from last year, S-W-S. Their key to success will be a core group of seniors returning from last year's team, namely Andrew Pfefferle, Michael Lynch, Riley MacDonald, Aaron Liu and Forest Savage.
Newtown (15-6)
-The Newtown Nighthawks have just moved up to DII this year and return a solid senior class. Big-time juniors like forward Christian Blais make this team deep and versatile. Coach Paul Esposito has coached most of these players for almost ten years between high school and youth hockey. Their anchor is goalie Mike Allwein who averaged only 2.87 goals against last year.
Trumbull (11-10-2)
-Trumbull made it to Yale last year losing in the DII semi's and return forward Michale Ahearn who scored 19 goals last year. They will also still have a solid tender but some of the new younger forwards will need to step as most of their scoring form last year, aside from Ahearn, graduated.
Others not to sleep on: Wethersfield (6-13-1; Eagles are looking to make a push in the postseason with senior defensemen Brett Fortin and Matt Lis plus junior forward Pat Dowd), East Catholic (13-10; defense will not be a problem with Garrett Richardello, JT Sabin, Evan Cedron and Matt Urrichio but some underclassmen will have to step on offense for the defending CCC-East Champions).
DIVISION III
Northwest Catholic (11-10-2)
-Upset number one seed Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury last year and made it to the DIII semifinals for the third straight year and for the third straight year also lost to the eventual champion, who moved up to the next division each year (St. Joseph in '09, Guilford in '10, Watertown-Pomperaug in '11). They return all but one starter from last year and this could very well be their year. Their first line is one of the best in the division with A.J. Massaro, Jeff Greenwood and Patrick Melanson. Senior Tyler Vaughn is the name to know on defense. Also, goalie Matt Greenwood was a second-team all-state selection last year.
Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown (10-11)
-Experienced team that made the playoffs last year and has only gotten better since. Key returning player is junior Kyle Whalen who tallied 43 points in sophomore season.
Newington-Berlin (15-7-1)
-Defending CCC-North Champs, can never count them out.
Joel Barlow (8-11)
-Led by senior forward Mike Mattson, a second-tem all-state pick last year.
Masuk (5-14-1)
-Very young team last year that came up a little short of states; I expect them to make it and do well this year.
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