Thursday
Hamden @ Amity - postponed yet again, to Fri 12/23 at 230pm
Cheshire 2 @ Guilford 3
-This game did not disappoint as fans got to see a very close and evenly played match-up, much like their meetings last year. In fact, no one scored in the entire first period. However, 4:26 into the second period, Guilford's Jack Fitzgerald ended that by taking a pass from Billy Ring and beating Cheshire's goalie to the lower right corner of the net. Trace Lange answered for the Rams five minutes later but less than two minutes after that, Fitzgerald put his team back on top. Jack got a backhand past Romano, cleaning up the rebound of a shot by Derek Nelson. With 1:27 left in the period, Ben Klanica redirected a shot from Lange to even things up going into the intermission. The third period was much like the first with neither team being able to come through with a goal...until 1:48 left when Nelson just ripped a slap shot from the right circle and it blew by Cheshire's Scott Romano. Guilford can, in part, thank Xavier for the win as the Flacons' win against Cheshire on Wednesday must have knocked Tyler Carbone out of the starting job in goal. Cheshire also has themselves to blame again as they had chances to score again late like in their game against Xavier, specifically Spence Hackett this time, just missing a tip-in goal. Joseph D'Errico also finished with an assist for Cheshire while Matt Horton assisted on all three of Guilford's goals and Billy Ring picked one up on the game-winner as well. Shots were 22-18 in favor of Guilford giving Romano 19 saves and Guilford's Chad Faulkner-Filosa 16.
Fairfield Prep 7 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 2
-David White had a huge game for the Jesuits recording a hat trick and two assists while Christian La Croix had a goal and assist for the Lancers. Matt Brophy and AJ Unker assisted on each of White's goals, finishing with three assists each and then Connor Henry had two goals of his own, the first coming 1:18 into the game. Dean Lockery and Will Brophy had the other two goals for Prep and Nick Bargiello and Andrew Hatton also finished with assists. For Notre Dame-Fairfield, Dave Canfarotta had the other goal (to make the game 1-1 4:24 into the first) while Brendan Walsh and Greg Ferris had assists. Prep played well the whole game, scoring twice in the first, three times in the second and twice more in the third period while ND-Fairfield only scored one goal in each the first and second period. The Jesuits out-shot the Lancers by a tally of 42-25, giving Scott Kline 23 saves and Mike Samulenas 12 for ND-F and Riley Wikman 23 for Prep.
Tri-Town 3 @ East Haven 4 OT
-Another thriller at DiLingo Rink on Thursday, the Easties came through with a late comeback and overtime win against Tri-Town. Tri-Town struck first and they struck early with Zack Palmer and Billy Chevalier assisting a Cullen Roberts goal ninety-five seconds into the game. East Haven put up a goose egg for the period. The Yellow Jackets did, however, tie it up in the second 7:41 in when Tristain Goodwin scored with Rich DeCarlo and Mike Falanga picking up assists on the goal. However, Zack Palme answered for Tri-Town just a little over three minutes later with an unassisted goal. 2:38 into the third period Mitch Cobb put his team up by two goals (Luke Carmier and Billy Chevalier assisted on the effort) but sixteen seconds later Rich DeCarlo, assisted by Matt Longobardi, let everyone know East Haven was still in the game. The two teams battled for ten minutes until Brian Flanagan and Mike Flanaga set up Tristian Goodwin on the equalizer with 2:07 left to play. The game went into overtime and after five minutes and fifty-one seconds, Stephen Marsico got his name on the scoring sheet along with Frank Latalla setting up Rich DeCarlo's game-winner. Zak Bouve (East Haven) and Mitch DiResta (Tri-Town) each had 31 saves making shot 35-34 in favor of the Easties.
Friday
Notre Dame-West Haven 4 @ Darien 1
Hamden 7 @ Amity 2
Staples/Weston/Shelton 3 @ Watertown/Pomperaug 2
Fermi/Enfield 1 @ South Windsor Windsor 5
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Top Games (12/22 and 12/23)
Thursday
Hamden @ Amity @ 515pm
-Postponed from yesterday, but all the same things apply (expect it being the top game in the SCC area): This is only Amity's second game of the season but it is their final tune-up before next week's trip to Maine for some good hockey. This only Hamden's second game as well but their first one was an 2-0 win against FCIAC powerhouse Darien. This is also Hamden's last game before a 9 day break. On paper the Green Dragons are probably the better team but Amity still has a lot of talent. You can't count any team out of a game, especially one in the SCC, played at Bennett Rink, involving the two-time champion ('09 and '10) against a team that usually pulls at least one upset every year and has the talent to do so yet again this year.
Cheshire @ Guilford @ 530
-The game that is the SCC area game of the day easily goes to this rematch of last year's DII championship. Lots of new faces but also some of the same on both sides make revenge a serious factor for Guilford and establishing supremacy one for Cheshire. The Rams would love to prove to the Indians why they are the ones who were moved up to DI this year. This game is actually not a divisional match-up, technically, since Cheshire is in SCC-I now, with an outright champion based on record, and Guilford is still in SCC-II that has a four team tournament at the end of the year to determine their champion. Despite the advantage for Guilford of being at home, I think Cheshire bounces back from their loss to Xavier on Wednesday night and wins this game. Should be close and some good hockey though.
Fairfield Prep @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 6
-Featuring this game because it falls on a Thursday and is therefore one of the better games of the day. Look for ND-Fairfield to hang around in this one for a while but it will be a good test for Fairfield Prep to play a quality game in order to keep pace in DI with the other teams that improved to 3-0 yesterday. There are no days off in the SCC-I, especially if you look at Prep's schedule; the Jesuits almost certainly have the hardest schedule in that state.
Tri-Town @ East Haven @ 730
-East Haven is having a good year thus far at 2-0-1 with both wins over DI teams (Conard and Cheshire) but the tie with DII Stamford. Tri-Town is currently 1-0 with a commanding 9-1 win over DII Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks in their first game this Saturday. Now they will have to see how they do against another DI team, and a good one at that. East Haven on the other hand has a lot of doubt floating around their program as all three games on their schedule thus far should have been wins for them. There are high expectations for the Yellow Jackets to at least finish in the top half of DI one and that means beating Tri-Town as well. This game is wide open though really as either team looks to be capable of coming out on top, although I do think East Haven still will.
Friday
Notre Dame-West Haven @ Darien @ 150pm
-Two of the elite teams in the state face off at Darien Ice Rink on Friday afternoon. This is about just as big as Fairfield Prep vs Ridgefield as these teams are tops in the SCC and FCIAC respectively. ND-WH is 3-0 right now so a win here would make them the first team in DI to reach 4-0, halfway to clinching a playoff spot. Darien needs the win badly because, despite the talent they have this year, their record is 1-2 due to a 0-2 loss at Hamden and 5-6 loss in OT at West Haven, two of the other top team in the SCC. Although it may seem like ND-WH is the favorite in this one, they only beat New Canaan 3-0 and Darien beat New Canaan 6-1 so at the end of the day, either team can win; don't forget, Darien is the home team.
Hamden @ Amity @ 230 - rescheduled again, originally from 12/21
-see above
Staples/Weston/Shelton @ Watertown/Pomperaug @ 5
-Thursday we had the rematch of the DII championship and now on Friday we have the rematch of the DIII championship. S-W-S is currently 2-0 thus far and W-P is 2-1 and those results don't really indicate anything about who is better this year. Both teams excelled last year in DIII and were bumped up to DII this year so a win is worth 4 points to both teams. W-P won last year's match-up in the championship and honestly it is just as wide open who will win this year.
Fermi/Enfield @ South Windsor @ 645
-This game is so much bigger for Fermi/Enfield than it is for South Windsor. If they can beat South Windsor, a top program in the CCC-North lately which is expected to do well again this year, it would be huge. South Windsor has the opportunity to just pick up a a quality DI, conference win and show the new Fermi/Enfield co-op who is still boss. This looks to be a big game in the CCC area on Friday night.
Hamden @ Amity @ 515pm
-Postponed from yesterday, but all the same things apply (expect it being the top game in the SCC area): This is only Amity's second game of the season but it is their final tune-up before next week's trip to Maine for some good hockey. This only Hamden's second game as well but their first one was an 2-0 win against FCIAC powerhouse Darien. This is also Hamden's last game before a 9 day break. On paper the Green Dragons are probably the better team but Amity still has a lot of talent. You can't count any team out of a game, especially one in the SCC, played at Bennett Rink, involving the two-time champion ('09 and '10) against a team that usually pulls at least one upset every year and has the talent to do so yet again this year.
Cheshire @ Guilford @ 530
-The game that is the SCC area game of the day easily goes to this rematch of last year's DII championship. Lots of new faces but also some of the same on both sides make revenge a serious factor for Guilford and establishing supremacy one for Cheshire. The Rams would love to prove to the Indians why they are the ones who were moved up to DI this year. This game is actually not a divisional match-up, technically, since Cheshire is in SCC-I now, with an outright champion based on record, and Guilford is still in SCC-II that has a four team tournament at the end of the year to determine their champion. Despite the advantage for Guilford of being at home, I think Cheshire bounces back from their loss to Xavier on Wednesday night and wins this game. Should be close and some good hockey though.
Fairfield Prep @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 6
-Featuring this game because it falls on a Thursday and is therefore one of the better games of the day. Look for ND-Fairfield to hang around in this one for a while but it will be a good test for Fairfield Prep to play a quality game in order to keep pace in DI with the other teams that improved to 3-0 yesterday. There are no days off in the SCC-I, especially if you look at Prep's schedule; the Jesuits almost certainly have the hardest schedule in that state.
Tri-Town @ East Haven @ 730
-East Haven is having a good year thus far at 2-0-1 with both wins over DI teams (Conard and Cheshire) but the tie with DII Stamford. Tri-Town is currently 1-0 with a commanding 9-1 win over DII Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks in their first game this Saturday. Now they will have to see how they do against another DI team, and a good one at that. East Haven on the other hand has a lot of doubt floating around their program as all three games on their schedule thus far should have been wins for them. There are high expectations for the Yellow Jackets to at least finish in the top half of DI one and that means beating Tri-Town as well. This game is wide open though really as either team looks to be capable of coming out on top, although I do think East Haven still will.
Friday
Notre Dame-West Haven @ Darien @ 150pm
-Two of the elite teams in the state face off at Darien Ice Rink on Friday afternoon. This is about just as big as Fairfield Prep vs Ridgefield as these teams are tops in the SCC and FCIAC respectively. ND-WH is 3-0 right now so a win here would make them the first team in DI to reach 4-0, halfway to clinching a playoff spot. Darien needs the win badly because, despite the talent they have this year, their record is 1-2 due to a 0-2 loss at Hamden and 5-6 loss in OT at West Haven, two of the other top team in the SCC. Although it may seem like ND-WH is the favorite in this one, they only beat New Canaan 3-0 and Darien beat New Canaan 6-1 so at the end of the day, either team can win; don't forget, Darien is the home team.
Hamden @ Amity @ 230 - rescheduled again, originally from 12/21
-see above
Staples/Weston/Shelton @ Watertown/Pomperaug @ 5
-Thursday we had the rematch of the DII championship and now on Friday we have the rematch of the DIII championship. S-W-S is currently 2-0 thus far and W-P is 2-1 and those results don't really indicate anything about who is better this year. Both teams excelled last year in DIII and were bumped up to DII this year so a win is worth 4 points to both teams. W-P won last year's match-up in the championship and honestly it is just as wide open who will win this year.
Fermi/Enfield @ South Windsor @ 645
-This game is so much bigger for Fermi/Enfield than it is for South Windsor. If they can beat South Windsor, a top program in the CCC-North lately which is expected to do well again this year, it would be huge. South Windsor has the opportunity to just pick up a a quality DI, conference win and show the new Fermi/Enfield co-op who is still boss. This looks to be a big game in the CCC area on Friday night.
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Wins and Losses (12/21)
Xavier 4 @ Cheshire 2
-Xavier was simply the better team in this one. The Falcons kept their offensive momentum going and played superb defense, minus a few errors. Cheshire kept the game close for two periods though but Xavier was technically in control throughout, always leading or being tied. In the first period the only scoring was Xavier's Jack Gethings with Bryan Stanton picking up an assist; Gethings has now scored in each of Xavier's three games (and wins) this season. Next, in the second period, Cheshire managed to light the lamp via Tyler Violano, unassisted. Both goals in the first two periods were converted on the only power-play opportunities for each team. However, early in the third Colin Beaudoin scored for Xavier assisted by senior Dakota Carron, both Cheshire natives. The Rams answered though in a personal way as well when Tom Dupont (cousin of Xavier Jr D Dan Dupont) scored unassisted. With about five minutes left to play, Andrew Meoli came through for the Falcons by just finishing a textbook play with Will Stanton, an encouraging sign for the Falcons offense. Cheshire's Walter Cashore should have tied things up at 3 with a slap shot from about twenty feet out but hit the crossbar and that miss became a moot point when Bryan Stanton stole the pick right in front of Cheshire's net and sneaked (snuck is actually grammatically wrong) one by Tyler Carbone to seal the game. Xavier emerges 3-0 and wins the rivalry game as these two teams share home ice and compete in the same conference. Cheshire will look to get back to .500 with a rematch of last year's DII championship game at Guilford tomorrow.
Watertown/Pomperaug 4 @ Windsor/Farmington/Avon 3 OT
-Again, I think you can see why I featured this one. I see positives for both teams coming out of this one though. Obviously, W-P got the win, and six points since it was over a DI team. Windsor/Farmington/Avon stayed with and almost beat a very good team in W-P. However, W-P is not even the best team in DII right now (lost 2-5 to Trumbull) and at the end of the day the Avon co-op lost to them so it gives more backing to my questioning of their DI status this year. After this game (and a 6-1 win over a DIII team), DII seems a fitting place for them.
Hamden @ Amity - postponed to Thursday 12/22 at 5:15pm (West Haven game before was delayed because of traffic and that threw off this game's time too much)
others notes: Staples/Weston/Shelton moved to 2-0 by beating a DII team (Lyman Hall); Notre Dame-West Haven beat Simsbury 4-0 to improve to 3-0 just like Xavier and West Haven kept pace too with a 6-2 win over Trinity Catholic...all three teams are 3-0 with every win over a DI opponent (18 points total); Brandord scored 10 goals in a 10-4 win over Stamford; Trumbull remained undefeated (3-0) by beating Immaculate/New Fairfield and Daniel Hand lost 3-4 in OT to Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe; Greenwich picked up their first W, 4-1 over Westhill.
-Xavier was simply the better team in this one. The Falcons kept their offensive momentum going and played superb defense, minus a few errors. Cheshire kept the game close for two periods though but Xavier was technically in control throughout, always leading or being tied. In the first period the only scoring was Xavier's Jack Gethings with Bryan Stanton picking up an assist; Gethings has now scored in each of Xavier's three games (and wins) this season. Next, in the second period, Cheshire managed to light the lamp via Tyler Violano, unassisted. Both goals in the first two periods were converted on the only power-play opportunities for each team. However, early in the third Colin Beaudoin scored for Xavier assisted by senior Dakota Carron, both Cheshire natives. The Rams answered though in a personal way as well when Tom Dupont (cousin of Xavier Jr D Dan Dupont) scored unassisted. With about five minutes left to play, Andrew Meoli came through for the Falcons by just finishing a textbook play with Will Stanton, an encouraging sign for the Falcons offense. Cheshire's Walter Cashore should have tied things up at 3 with a slap shot from about twenty feet out but hit the crossbar and that miss became a moot point when Bryan Stanton stole the pick right in front of Cheshire's net and sneaked (snuck is actually grammatically wrong) one by Tyler Carbone to seal the game. Xavier emerges 3-0 and wins the rivalry game as these two teams share home ice and compete in the same conference. Cheshire will look to get back to .500 with a rematch of last year's DII championship game at Guilford tomorrow.
Watertown/Pomperaug 4 @ Windsor/Farmington/Avon 3 OT
-Again, I think you can see why I featured this one. I see positives for both teams coming out of this one though. Obviously, W-P got the win, and six points since it was over a DI team. Windsor/Farmington/Avon stayed with and almost beat a very good team in W-P. However, W-P is not even the best team in DII right now (lost 2-5 to Trumbull) and at the end of the day the Avon co-op lost to them so it gives more backing to my questioning of their DI status this year. After this game (and a 6-1 win over a DIII team), DII seems a fitting place for them.
Hamden @ Amity - postponed to Thursday 12/22 at 5:15pm (West Haven game before was delayed because of traffic and that threw off this game's time too much)
others notes: Staples/Weston/Shelton moved to 2-0 by beating a DII team (Lyman Hall); Notre Dame-West Haven beat Simsbury 4-0 to improve to 3-0 just like Xavier and West Haven kept pace too with a 6-2 win over Trinity Catholic...all three teams are 3-0 with every win over a DI opponent (18 points total); Brandord scored 10 goals in a 10-4 win over Stamford; Trumbull remained undefeated (3-0) by beating Immaculate/New Fairfield and Daniel Hand lost 3-4 in OT to Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe; Greenwich picked up their first W, 4-1 over Westhill.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (12/21)
Xavier @ Cheshire @ 530pm
-Home ice for both these teams in a bitter SCC rivalry; expect a large and loud crowd. Xavier is one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in DI and I'm sure Cheshire would like to make a statement by ending that. The Rams are coming off a 2-4 loss to East Haven on Saturday so they should play with little chip on their shoulder whereas Xavier is coming off a 4-2 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield, in which they finally found some offense, so they will be trying to keep the offense coming. I'd say Cheshire wins in terms of offense and goal tending but Xavier has the edge on defense and with coaching but both teams could easily outplay the other in each of those areas and switch. At the end of the day, I think this one will come down to desire; i.e. who wants it more? SCC area game of the evening.
Watertown/Pomperaug @ Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ 730 (at the ISCC in Simsbury)
-The reason to keep an eye on this game is that it will be a good test for and prove a lot about each of these teams. W/P is a top team in DII whereas Windsor/Farmington/Avon is co-op of talented players that landed in DI. Not your typical DI-DII matchup by any means. Should be some good hockey as both these teams are coming off big wins (9-1 and 6-1 respectively). CCC area game of the day.
Hamden @ Amity @ 815
-This is only Amity's second game of the season but it is their final tune-up before next week's trip to Maine for some good hockey. This only Hamden's second game as well but their first one was an 2-0 win against FCIAC powerhouse Darien. This is also Hamden's last game before a 10 day break. On paper the Green Dragons are probably the better team but Amity still has a lot of talent. You can't count any team out of a game, especially one in the SCC, played at Bennett Rink, involving the two-time champion ('09 and '10) against a team that usually pulls at least one upset every year and has the talent to do so yet again this year. SCC area game of the nighttime.
-Home ice for both these teams in a bitter SCC rivalry; expect a large and loud crowd. Xavier is one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in DI and I'm sure Cheshire would like to make a statement by ending that. The Rams are coming off a 2-4 loss to East Haven on Saturday so they should play with little chip on their shoulder whereas Xavier is coming off a 4-2 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield, in which they finally found some offense, so they will be trying to keep the offense coming. I'd say Cheshire wins in terms of offense and goal tending but Xavier has the edge on defense and with coaching but both teams could easily outplay the other in each of those areas and switch. At the end of the day, I think this one will come down to desire; i.e. who wants it more? SCC area game of the evening.
Watertown/Pomperaug @ Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ 730 (at the ISCC in Simsbury)
-The reason to keep an eye on this game is that it will be a good test for and prove a lot about each of these teams. W/P is a top team in DII whereas Windsor/Farmington/Avon is co-op of talented players that landed in DI. Not your typical DI-DII matchup by any means. Should be some good hockey as both these teams are coming off big wins (9-1 and 6-1 respectively). CCC area game of the day.
Hamden @ Amity @ 815
-This is only Amity's second game of the season but it is their final tune-up before next week's trip to Maine for some good hockey. This only Hamden's second game as well but their first one was an 2-0 win against FCIAC powerhouse Darien. This is also Hamden's last game before a 10 day break. On paper the Green Dragons are probably the better team but Amity still has a lot of talent. You can't count any team out of a game, especially one in the SCC, played at Bennett Rink, involving the two-time champion ('09 and '10) against a team that usually pulls at least one upset every year and has the talent to do so yet again this year. SCC area game of the nighttime.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Results (12/19 and 12/20)
Monday
New Canaan 1 @ Darien 6
-An official sign that the tides have turned in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
New Canaan 0 1 0 - 1
Darien 2 2 2 - 6
Goals: NC -- Jake Granito. D -- Grayson Horan, Owen Koorbusch, Brendan Hathaway, Nick Bruno, Alec Foresta 2.
Assists: NC -- Henry Stanton. D -- Robert Julenbock, Bruno 2, Thomas Watters 2, Foresta, John Knowlton, Hathaway.
Goalies: NC -- Chris Koennecke (16 saves). D -- Max Rothston (19 saves)
Conard 4 @ East Haven 8
-box score:
Conard 3 0 1 — 4
East Haven 3 2 3 — 8
Scoring: 1st period—Con: Dan Kycia (Dom Sullivan, Jack Wilson) 12.25; EH: Matt Barcomb (Rich DeCarlo, Stephen Marsico) 11.30; Con: Jack Wilson (Dan Kycia) 9.25; EH: Stephen Marsico (Matt Longobardi) 7.48; Con: Dan Kycia (Casey Calvo, Zack Powers) 6.12; 2nd period—EH: Stephen Marsico 13.00; Stephen Marsico 6.53; 3rd period—EH: Jordan Avena (Rich DeCarlo, Tristain Goodwin) 12.14; Stephen Marsico (Matt Longobardi) 10.23; Con: John Palermo (Dom Sullivan) 8.31; EH: Matt Barcomb (Mike Flanaga) 3.52.
Shots—Con: 29; EH: 32.
Saves—EH: Zak Bouve 25; Con: Charlie Fisher 24 .
Tuesday
Wilton 2 @ Newtown 3
-There is a reason I featured this game just like there is a reason Newtown moved up to DII this year, they are good. This game can partially be credited to Newtown coming off a game with Trumbull this weekend and being 0-2 that had them on their A game while this was Wilton's first game of the year. It is always hard to have both your offense and defense clicking and playing like one unit in the first real game of the season but at the end of the day it cost Wilton a loss. The Warriors now have 6 days untill they host Milford co-op at home and Newtown has a whole week before their next game: DIII Rockville/Manchester/Stafford.
Fermi/Enfield 6 @ Conard 3
-I was in attendance for this one and this game was pretty sloppy but had some periods of good hockey. The refs at Conard were the same as always: awful. However, Fermi/Enfield jumped out to an early lead in this one and maintained that momentum the entire game. Avery Boissy scored for E/F off a Brendan Lemire pass and then Adam Macsata got one of his own, set up by Jason Despard and Matt Boulette. Fermi/Enfield would have had another goal if the refs did not blow a puck dead that merely hit off Conard' goalie gently but they assumed he had it and it was going to be a faceoff. In reality, the ricochet was right in front of the goal line and an E/F player was right there to put it home. Why the refs blew the while so early, even if it was possessed by Charlie Fisher, Conard's goalie, is a mystery. The zebras also blew some pretty obvious offside calls among other things. At the end of the first, the Chieftains finally scored off all the offense they were generating all period. Captian #24 (either Zachary Wieber or Georgiy Tsyganok I think) had a shot one-on-one with the goalie in front of the net that he should have converted but then Dan Kycia got the job done a few minutes lster off a pass from #24. In the second, Nick Haggerty tied things up for Conard but E/F responded, specifically Avery Boissy again (may have been assisted, didn't catch the number) and then Nick Ferracci set up Adam Macsata's second. In the third, Cam Korona scored a tremendous unassisted goal, during which he looked like a juggernaut, to put his team up by three goals. Dominic Sullivan tried responding for Conard with his own unassisted goal but after a few minutes of back and forth, Cam Korona became the the third player on his team to score two goals with the feed from Avery Boissy and Brendan Lemire. No one scored in the last few minutes of the game and again I featured a game where the seeming "underdog" won but that possibility was exactly why I featured it. Conard doesn't play again until after Christmas, next Wednesday at Glastonbury and Fermi/Enfield travels to South Windsor on Friday, both of which are very important CCC-North games.
New Canaan 1 @ Darien 6
-An official sign that the tides have turned in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
New Canaan 0 1 0 - 1
Darien 2 2 2 - 6
Goals: NC -- Jake Granito. D -- Grayson Horan, Owen Koorbusch, Brendan Hathaway, Nick Bruno, Alec Foresta 2.
Assists: NC -- Henry Stanton. D -- Robert Julenbock, Bruno 2, Thomas Watters 2, Foresta, John Knowlton, Hathaway.
Goalies: NC -- Chris Koennecke (16 saves). D -- Max Rothston (19 saves)
Conard 4 @ East Haven 8
-box score:
Conard 3 0 1 — 4
East Haven 3 2 3 — 8
Scoring: 1st period—Con: Dan Kycia (Dom Sullivan, Jack Wilson) 12.25; EH: Matt Barcomb (Rich DeCarlo, Stephen Marsico) 11.30; Con: Jack Wilson (Dan Kycia) 9.25; EH: Stephen Marsico (Matt Longobardi) 7.48; Con: Dan Kycia (Casey Calvo, Zack Powers) 6.12; 2nd period—EH: Stephen Marsico 13.00; Stephen Marsico 6.53; 3rd period—EH: Jordan Avena (Rich DeCarlo, Tristain Goodwin) 12.14; Stephen Marsico (Matt Longobardi) 10.23; Con: John Palermo (Dom Sullivan) 8.31; EH: Matt Barcomb (Mike Flanaga) 3.52.
Shots—Con: 29; EH: 32.
Saves—EH: Zak Bouve 25; Con: Charlie Fisher 24 .
Tuesday
Wilton 2 @ Newtown 3
-There is a reason I featured this game just like there is a reason Newtown moved up to DII this year, they are good. This game can partially be credited to Newtown coming off a game with Trumbull this weekend and being 0-2 that had them on their A game while this was Wilton's first game of the year. It is always hard to have both your offense and defense clicking and playing like one unit in the first real game of the season but at the end of the day it cost Wilton a loss. The Warriors now have 6 days untill they host Milford co-op at home and Newtown has a whole week before their next game: DIII Rockville/Manchester/Stafford.
Fermi/Enfield 6 @ Conard 3
-I was in attendance for this one and this game was pretty sloppy but had some periods of good hockey. The refs at Conard were the same as always: awful. However, Fermi/Enfield jumped out to an early lead in this one and maintained that momentum the entire game. Avery Boissy scored for E/F off a Brendan Lemire pass and then Adam Macsata got one of his own, set up by Jason Despard and Matt Boulette. Fermi/Enfield would have had another goal if the refs did not blow a puck dead that merely hit off Conard' goalie gently but they assumed he had it and it was going to be a faceoff. In reality, the ricochet was right in front of the goal line and an E/F player was right there to put it home. Why the refs blew the while so early, even if it was possessed by Charlie Fisher, Conard's goalie, is a mystery. The zebras also blew some pretty obvious offside calls among other things. At the end of the first, the Chieftains finally scored off all the offense they were generating all period. Captian #24 (either Zachary Wieber or Georgiy Tsyganok I think) had a shot one-on-one with the goalie in front of the net that he should have converted but then Dan Kycia got the job done a few minutes lster off a pass from #24. In the second, Nick Haggerty tied things up for Conard but E/F responded, specifically Avery Boissy again (may have been assisted, didn't catch the number) and then Nick Ferracci set up Adam Macsata's second. In the third, Cam Korona scored a tremendous unassisted goal, during which he looked like a juggernaut, to put his team up by three goals. Dominic Sullivan tried responding for Conard with his own unassisted goal but after a few minutes of back and forth, Cam Korona became the the third player on his team to score two goals with the feed from Avery Boissy and Brendan Lemire. No one scored in the last few minutes of the game and again I featured a game where the seeming "underdog" won but that possibility was exactly why I featured it. Conard doesn't play again until after Christmas, next Wednesday at Glastonbury and Fermi/Enfield travels to South Windsor on Friday, both of which are very important CCC-North games.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Top Games (12-19 and 12/20)
Monday
New Canaan @ Darien @ 4pm
-Neither team has a win but these are still two of the top teams in the FCIAC and Darien is a top ten team in the state in my opinion. I would say Darien is the slight favorite in this game, plus they are at home, but both teams will be playing hard, looking for that first W. If you are in the area, you could catch some good hockey at Darien Ice Rink.
Conard @ East Haven @ 730
-If we use Cheshire as the benchmark then East Haven should win this game handily; Conard lost 3-7 to them and East Haven beat them 4-2. However, one should never overlook Conard. Also, East Haven can make a statement with a big win here as they have the talent and schedule to finish with a very good record and make a serious push in DI this year.
Tuesday
Wilton @ Newtown @ 740pm
-This should actually be a really good game. Newtown just moved up to DII this year and is really looking to make a statement with the talent they have. Also, they are 0-2 after losses to ND-Fairfield and Trumbull so that should provide some extra motivation. Wilton is looking to have a very good year in DII again this year; preseason they look like one of the favorites to win the championship. Tuesday will be the Warriors first game of the season and now they have to go back up the talk on the ice. Danbury Ice Arena will be hosting this one, stop if you have the time.
Fermi/Enfield @ Conard @ 8
-A very interesting game in West Hartford, for a Tuesday. The new co-op, Fermi-Enfield sits at 1-1 right now with a 5-1 win over Westhill Saturday and a 2-3 loss last Wednesday to Trnity Catholic in their opener. Conard is 1-2 with 3-7 and 4-8 losses to Cheshire and East Haven respectively but their one win is 5-3 over Trinity Catholic. Those results, coupled with the fact that Conard is coming the East Haven loss just last night but returns home for this game, would make the Chieftains seem like the favorites in this one. However, I don't think they can overlook Fermi/Enfield in this one or it will be a very long 8 days before their next game.
New Canaan @ Darien @ 4pm
-Neither team has a win but these are still two of the top teams in the FCIAC and Darien is a top ten team in the state in my opinion. I would say Darien is the slight favorite in this game, plus they are at home, but both teams will be playing hard, looking for that first W. If you are in the area, you could catch some good hockey at Darien Ice Rink.
Conard @ East Haven @ 730
-If we use Cheshire as the benchmark then East Haven should win this game handily; Conard lost 3-7 to them and East Haven beat them 4-2. However, one should never overlook Conard. Also, East Haven can make a statement with a big win here as they have the talent and schedule to finish with a very good record and make a serious push in DI this year.
Tuesday
Wilton @ Newtown @ 740pm
-This should actually be a really good game. Newtown just moved up to DII this year and is really looking to make a statement with the talent they have. Also, they are 0-2 after losses to ND-Fairfield and Trumbull so that should provide some extra motivation. Wilton is looking to have a very good year in DII again this year; preseason they look like one of the favorites to win the championship. Tuesday will be the Warriors first game of the season and now they have to go back up the talk on the ice. Danbury Ice Arena will be hosting this one, stop if you have the time.
Fermi/Enfield @ Conard @ 8
-A very interesting game in West Hartford, for a Tuesday. The new co-op, Fermi-Enfield sits at 1-1 right now with a 5-1 win over Westhill Saturday and a 2-3 loss last Wednesday to Trnity Catholic in their opener. Conard is 1-2 with 3-7 and 4-8 losses to Cheshire and East Haven respectively but their one win is 5-3 over Trinity Catholic. Those results, coupled with the fact that Conard is coming the East Haven loss just last night but returns home for this game, would make the Chieftains seem like the favorites in this one. However, I don't think they can overlook Fermi/Enfield in this one or it will be a very long 8 days before their next game.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Scores (12/17)
Big games mean big news so here we go:
South Windsor 2 @ Fairfield Prep 6
-A tale of three quarters in Bridgeport ended with some encouragement and disappointment for both teams. South Windsor didn't exactly come ready to play in the first two periods, only managing to score twice in the third period. However, they only lost by four this time to Prep in the regular, unlike 0-7 last year, which they improved to only lose 1-4 to Prep in the DI semifinals. Prep scored one minute and forty-four seconds into the game when Sean Henry scored off a pass from Patrick Henry. The next two goals were David White feeding Matt Brophy and then Brophy feeding White with 45.3 seconds left in the first period. The Jesuits got right back to work in the second with Brophy and Henry feeding teammate Tim Edmonds five minutes and nineteen seconds into the period. Next, AJ Unker got in on the action, assisting Tom Worsfold's goal and Brophy scored his second goal of the game with 56 seconds left in the second, with Worsfold and Nick Bargiello assisting him. Prep played a poor third period, giving many scoring chances to the Bobcats, but they only managed to convert on two. Mike Piccini scored a Joe Bonazelli pass 2:34 in and Dorian LaBox helped Dave Ouellette cut the deficit to 4 at the 8:41 remaining mark but SW couldn't manage to score any power play goals or get many more quality shots after that. Riley Wikman finished with 20 saves for Prep while Chris Marchi had 21 saves and Ryan Serksnas added 8 for SW. The Bobcats have almost a week off to get ready for the new co-op, Fermi/Enfiled coming to South Windsor next Friday. Prep doesn't play again 'till Thursday at Notre Dame-Fairfield.
Darien 5 @ West Haven 6 OT
-The other big game of the night went down at Bennett Rink in West Haven on Saturday. I'm going to start at the very beginning and give the game to you in chronological order. The Blue Wave were the first ones to score, when Brendan Hathaway put in the rebound of a shot by Mike Casey and then a minute later Jack Knowlton made it 2-0 by putting a great move on a West Haven defensemen behind the net before beating the goalie with a backhand into the upper left corner. Twenty-four seconds into the second period, Darien scored one again when Nick Bruno picked up a loose puck and put it in the back of the net, George Gregory was credited with an assist. West Haven finally scored three minutes later on a power-play goal by Adam Mink courtesy of a nice two-way pass play involving Mike Troiano and Josh Robinchaud. However, only 69 seconds later, Jack Knowlton, assisted by Hank Glick, scored his second goal of the game and put his team up 4-1 in the second period. Again, the tides turned quickly as Mink and set up Troiano with a perfect pass up the ice (Austin Hansen also received an assist) and then just over a minute later Jim Morrissey beat Darien's goalie unassisted. However, Darien regained the momentum before going into the locker room when Knowlton returned the favor and assisted Gregory at about the 10:30 mark. It has always been said that the great players emerge when it matters most and the third period was all about Mike Troiano. About halfway through the period, shortly after West Haven failed to score even with a 5-on-3, he literally took over as he possessed a loose puck, used three different moves to beat Darien's defense and then score. one minute and twenty-three seconds later, Blue Devil defenseman Kyle Leyerzapf fed Troiano on the break and then Mike beat Darien's goalie with the backhand. Regulation ended in a tie and the stalemate continued in OT until Austin Hansen drew a hooking penalty on Gregory. On the power-play, Robinchaud and Hansen set up a slap shot by Leyerzapf that completed the comeback with 2:52 left to spare. Darien's Max Rothston played well and finished with 24 saves but Justin Shepherd in goal for the Wesites deserves a lot of credit as he held the Blue Wave scoreless in the third period and denied a number of quality shots by Darien's top forwards in OT to give his team a shot. He finished with 24 saves as well with the shots being 30-29 in favor of the home team.
East Haven 4 @ Cheshire 2
-The Yellow Jackets weren't about to fall to 0-1-1. 4-2 at Cheshire is a good win and puts them right back up there as another team no one can overlook on their schedule. Cheshire, on the other hand, now sits as a team between Conard and East Haven, not a bad place to be for your first year in DI. That is not to say that they will stay at that level the whole season but when since they didn't get the job done at home against East Haven they are just inviting the doubt. It could only have been just one bad game, like how the Stamford may have been just one bad game for the Easties, but the same thing applies for both teams: you can't have a bad game in DI. This year, more than any other in my opinion, is so competitive day in and day out across the division. Last year, I talked about parity amongst the top of the division but this year there is a good competitive balance and each game is important for each team. More so than last year, there are no givens, especially this early in the season, and that means a lot of exciting hockey is ahead.
St. Joseph 5 @ Guilford 2
-Speaking of which, I thought this game would be simple math that Guilford won last year and lost less talent than St. Joseph did so they should win this game. Well, I was wrong and would just refer you to the underlined text above this game.
North Haven 4 @ Simsbury 1
-North Haven improves to 1-1 while Simsbury falls to 0-2. North Haven will host a DIII team next Friday and should improve to 2-1 while things just get harder for Simsbury as they host the other Notre Dame, this one from West Haven, on Wednesday.
Glastonbury 2 @ Ridgefield 5
-Wow, Ridgefield is very good this year coming away with the three goal win at the Winter Garden Ice Arena. For a game with an 8:50pm start time, I always wonder how much of a factor that is. For example, if this game was played at 1pm would it have been any closer since it would have been more central in the players' day. One has to remember that these kids are still high school-ers, in terms of having school work and social lives. Nonetheless, the Tigers got a big win Saturday night and would be my #2 team in the state (with Glastonbury at #4, Prep at #1, ND-WH at #2 and WH at #5). You can see why a poll/ranking this early would be kind of frivolous since Glastonbury is 1-1 and Darien is 0-2 but both are much better than a lot of 1-1 teams right now. I will publish my first rankings on New Year's though as I think that will be far enough into the season.
other games to note: ND-WH won 6-1 over Greenwich improving to a 2-0 record, Xavier pulled out a 4-2 win over ND-Fairfield to move to 2-0 as well, Conard beat Trinity Catholic 5-3 and both Tri-Town and Watertown/Pomperaug scored 9 goals in their wins tonight.
DII games:
Trumbull 3 @ Newtown 1
-Trumbull improves to 2-0 and is tied atop DII with Daniel Hand after Hand beat Stamford 4-2 at home today as well.
Wethersfield 0 @ Newington/Berlin 4
East Catholic 2 @ Northwest Catholic 3
-Upset that is really proving NWC's potential for this year. East faces
DIII games:
Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown 1 @ Hall/Southington 4
-Hall/Southington's win puts both teams at 1-1 on the season.
Joel Barlow 2 @ Masuk 1
-All the scoring was done in the first period and you can see why these two teams are in DIII as the teams only combined for 34 shots (17 each); Thierry Jean had 16 saves for Joel Barlow while Masuk's Tom Swift recorded 15. For Masuk, Shane Dushay scored on a Charlie Cristo assist whereas Justin MacDougall and Michael Mattson scored for Barlow with Tim Eng and Patrick Mimms picking up assists. Pat Callahan assisted on both goals for the Falcons.
South Windsor 2 @ Fairfield Prep 6
-A tale of three quarters in Bridgeport ended with some encouragement and disappointment for both teams. South Windsor didn't exactly come ready to play in the first two periods, only managing to score twice in the third period. However, they only lost by four this time to Prep in the regular, unlike 0-7 last year, which they improved to only lose 1-4 to Prep in the DI semifinals. Prep scored one minute and forty-four seconds into the game when Sean Henry scored off a pass from Patrick Henry. The next two goals were David White feeding Matt Brophy and then Brophy feeding White with 45.3 seconds left in the first period. The Jesuits got right back to work in the second with Brophy and Henry feeding teammate Tim Edmonds five minutes and nineteen seconds into the period. Next, AJ Unker got in on the action, assisting Tom Worsfold's goal and Brophy scored his second goal of the game with 56 seconds left in the second, with Worsfold and Nick Bargiello assisting him. Prep played a poor third period, giving many scoring chances to the Bobcats, but they only managed to convert on two. Mike Piccini scored a Joe Bonazelli pass 2:34 in and Dorian LaBox helped Dave Ouellette cut the deficit to 4 at the 8:41 remaining mark but SW couldn't manage to score any power play goals or get many more quality shots after that. Riley Wikman finished with 20 saves for Prep while Chris Marchi had 21 saves and Ryan Serksnas added 8 for SW. The Bobcats have almost a week off to get ready for the new co-op, Fermi/Enfiled coming to South Windsor next Friday. Prep doesn't play again 'till Thursday at Notre Dame-Fairfield.
Darien 5 @ West Haven 6 OT
-The other big game of the night went down at Bennett Rink in West Haven on Saturday. I'm going to start at the very beginning and give the game to you in chronological order. The Blue Wave were the first ones to score, when Brendan Hathaway put in the rebound of a shot by Mike Casey and then a minute later Jack Knowlton made it 2-0 by putting a great move on a West Haven defensemen behind the net before beating the goalie with a backhand into the upper left corner. Twenty-four seconds into the second period, Darien scored one again when Nick Bruno picked up a loose puck and put it in the back of the net, George Gregory was credited with an assist. West Haven finally scored three minutes later on a power-play goal by Adam Mink courtesy of a nice two-way pass play involving Mike Troiano and Josh Robinchaud. However, only 69 seconds later, Jack Knowlton, assisted by Hank Glick, scored his second goal of the game and put his team up 4-1 in the second period. Again, the tides turned quickly as Mink and set up Troiano with a perfect pass up the ice (Austin Hansen also received an assist) and then just over a minute later Jim Morrissey beat Darien's goalie unassisted. However, Darien regained the momentum before going into the locker room when Knowlton returned the favor and assisted Gregory at about the 10:30 mark. It has always been said that the great players emerge when it matters most and the third period was all about Mike Troiano. About halfway through the period, shortly after West Haven failed to score even with a 5-on-3, he literally took over as he possessed a loose puck, used three different moves to beat Darien's defense and then score. one minute and twenty-three seconds later, Blue Devil defenseman Kyle Leyerzapf fed Troiano on the break and then Mike beat Darien's goalie with the backhand. Regulation ended in a tie and the stalemate continued in OT until Austin Hansen drew a hooking penalty on Gregory. On the power-play, Robinchaud and Hansen set up a slap shot by Leyerzapf that completed the comeback with 2:52 left to spare. Darien's Max Rothston played well and finished with 24 saves but Justin Shepherd in goal for the Wesites deserves a lot of credit as he held the Blue Wave scoreless in the third period and denied a number of quality shots by Darien's top forwards in OT to give his team a shot. He finished with 24 saves as well with the shots being 30-29 in favor of the home team.
East Haven 4 @ Cheshire 2
-The Yellow Jackets weren't about to fall to 0-1-1. 4-2 at Cheshire is a good win and puts them right back up there as another team no one can overlook on their schedule. Cheshire, on the other hand, now sits as a team between Conard and East Haven, not a bad place to be for your first year in DI. That is not to say that they will stay at that level the whole season but when since they didn't get the job done at home against East Haven they are just inviting the doubt. It could only have been just one bad game, like how the Stamford may have been just one bad game for the Easties, but the same thing applies for both teams: you can't have a bad game in DI. This year, more than any other in my opinion, is so competitive day in and day out across the division. Last year, I talked about parity amongst the top of the division but this year there is a good competitive balance and each game is important for each team. More so than last year, there are no givens, especially this early in the season, and that means a lot of exciting hockey is ahead.
St. Joseph 5 @ Guilford 2
-Speaking of which, I thought this game would be simple math that Guilford won last year and lost less talent than St. Joseph did so they should win this game. Well, I was wrong and would just refer you to the underlined text above this game.
North Haven 4 @ Simsbury 1
-North Haven improves to 1-1 while Simsbury falls to 0-2. North Haven will host a DIII team next Friday and should improve to 2-1 while things just get harder for Simsbury as they host the other Notre Dame, this one from West Haven, on Wednesday.
Glastonbury 2 @ Ridgefield 5
-Wow, Ridgefield is very good this year coming away with the three goal win at the Winter Garden Ice Arena. For a game with an 8:50pm start time, I always wonder how much of a factor that is. For example, if this game was played at 1pm would it have been any closer since it would have been more central in the players' day. One has to remember that these kids are still high school-ers, in terms of having school work and social lives. Nonetheless, the Tigers got a big win Saturday night and would be my #2 team in the state (with Glastonbury at #4, Prep at #1, ND-WH at #2 and WH at #5). You can see why a poll/ranking this early would be kind of frivolous since Glastonbury is 1-1 and Darien is 0-2 but both are much better than a lot of 1-1 teams right now. I will publish my first rankings on New Year's though as I think that will be far enough into the season.
other games to note: ND-WH won 6-1 over Greenwich improving to a 2-0 record, Xavier pulled out a 4-2 win over ND-Fairfield to move to 2-0 as well, Conard beat Trinity Catholic 5-3 and both Tri-Town and Watertown/Pomperaug scored 9 goals in their wins tonight.
DII games:
Trumbull 3 @ Newtown 1
-Trumbull improves to 2-0 and is tied atop DII with Daniel Hand after Hand beat Stamford 4-2 at home today as well.
Wethersfield 0 @ Newington/Berlin 4
East Catholic 2 @ Northwest Catholic 3
-Upset that is really proving NWC's potential for this year. East faces
DIII games:
Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown 1 @ Hall/Southington 4
-Hall/Southington's win puts both teams at 1-1 on the season.
Joel Barlow 2 @ Masuk 1
-All the scoring was done in the first period and you can see why these two teams are in DIII as the teams only combined for 34 shots (17 each); Thierry Jean had 16 saves for Joel Barlow while Masuk's Tom Swift recorded 15. For Masuk, Shane Dushay scored on a Charlie Cristo assist whereas Justin MacDougall and Michael Mattson scored for Barlow with Tim Eng and Patrick Mimms picking up assists. Pat Callahan assisted on both goals for the Falcons.
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