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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (2/1)

Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe @ Staples/Weston/Shelton @ 4pm
-S-W-S is having a rough time right now and things don't get any easier as they host FCIAC foe FWL.  FWL is also a top team in DII that S-W-S would like to beat to show that they are serious contenders in their first year in DII

Simsbury @ Daniel Hand @ 6
-Simsbury keeps proving one game at a time that they are serious legitimate team in DI this year.  Facing off with a top DII team that has wins over other DI teams, Daniel Hand, will be a good test for both squads.

#5 Xavier @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 6
-A top five matchup is going down in Bridgeport tonight!  X is coming off a 2-1 win over N Haven over the weekend while Prep is flying high as the champions of the inaugural Jesuit shootout, including a big 2-0 win over BC High (MA).  Prep has beat numbers two through four in the rankings so let's see if Xavier can shake some things up or if Prep extends their win streak to eight.

Bolton/Coventry/Lyman Memorial @ Milford Co-op @ 6
-BCL is an alright team but the main reason this is getting featured is that a win means a trip to the DII state tournament for Milford co-op and a trip to the DIII state tournament for BCL.

Cheshire @ #2 Hamden @ 6
-The big duel to watch in this one is between the pipes.  Tyler Carbone for the Rams and Andy Varga for the Green Dragons are two of the best goalies in the state and they keep their teams in games until their offenses warm up.  I still expect Hamden to win, especially at home, but ti could be a lot closer than many are expecting; Cheshire only lost 1-2 to #4 ND-WH.  Oh yeah, a win for Hamden would be their 8th, officially qualifying them for the DI state tournament.

Westhill @ Trumbull @ 630
-Westhill is hot right now with wins over Stamford and S-W-S in their last two games while Trumbull is one of, in not the, top team in DII so far this year.  However, they only beat 3-8 Wilton 2-1 in their last game and lost 1-2 in OT to Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe in the game before that.

Notre Dame-Fairfield @ #10 West Haven @ 7
-These rankings are in reference to a post I still haven't posted but W Haven made it back into my top ten on Sunday.  They have rebounded from their losses well and pick up quality wins, which they have another opportunity for tonight.  ND-F, on the other hand, just creamed Conard and has some momentum going into Bennett Rink.

N Haven @ #6 Glastonbury @ 730
-N Haven dropped out of my top ten but will still give the Thomahawks a good game up at Trinity College in Hartford.  Very good game, especially for N Haven to face a CCC opponent and CCC area fans to see an SCC team.

Guilford @ Conard @ 730
-Somewhat interesting SCC/CCC game but the bigger thing to watch is that Guilford will qualify for the DII state tournament with a win at Veteran's Memorial Rink tonight.

Branford @ North Branford @ 8
-This game was postponed from way back on 1/21.  Home game for both teams in a local rivalry.  This game is also huge for both teams as they vie for a spot at the very top of DII team this year.  Branford beat Milford co-op 5-4 in OT and Milford co-op beat N Brandord 2-5.  Branford lost 6-7 in OT to Trumbull, a team that Brandord beat 5-4 just over a week prior.  However, Branford beat some other DII teams (Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe, Lyman Hall) by a lot more than N Branford.  The T-Birds are already in the DII tournament but the Hornets will secure a spot as well if they win this technical away game.  Should be a pretty dang good game!

#9 New Canaan @ #3 Ridgefield @ 830
-Top ten and FCIAC battle that is really either team's game to win.  Ridgefield, a fairly dominant team that has not lost since their opener (0-3 to #1 Prep, 11 straight since), plays top teams close.  They only scraped by #5 X at home 5-4 in OT, took down then #2 ND-WH on the road, and then St. Joseph and Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 3-2 each in FCIAC games this season.  Encouraging for the Tigers is that they beat #6 G-bury 5-2 but that was right after the loss to Prep.  Perhaps coming off the close one with FWL will add to their drive and desire against now-ranked New Canaan.  NC tied #5 X 1-1, beat St. Joseph 6-1 and has yet to lose a FCIAC game just like Ridgefield.  Expect the Rams to be on their A game and this is going to be a really good hockey game at the Winter Garden Ice Arena.

#8 Darien @ St. Joseph @ 830
-This is the game that will make FCIAC fans want to be in two places at once.  Again, two of the conference's best teams, both already in the DI state tournament, are facing off and this time the Rinks at Shelton are hosting.  The Blue Wave want to continue their seven game winning streak while both teams look to add on a crucial conference victory to their records.  Going to be another good one in Fairfield County tonight.

DIII teams that make the state tournament with a win:
Northwest Catholic (vs Wethersfield @ 730)
Joel Barlow (@ Shepaug/Litchfield/Nonnewaug @ 815)
Masuk (@ Newtown @ 850)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Results (1/30 and 1/31)

Monday

Windsor/Farmington/Avon 1 @ Newington/Berlin 3
-Huge win for Newington/Berlin and very disappointing loss for Windsor/Farmington/Avon.

Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury 7 @ Staples/Weston/Shelton 1
-More than a loss for S-W-S they got embarrassed by a DIII team in this one.

Masuk 2 @ Joel Barlow 4
-Barlow shows they are still better than Masuk as both teams now sit on the cusp of the DIII tournament with seven wins each.

Tuesday

-no games scheduled

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Top Games (1/30 and 1/31)

Monday

Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ Newington/Berlin @ 4
-N/B picked up a solid win over Hall/Southington on Saturday and they now get to host a fellow CCC-South rival, Windsor/Farmington/Avon.  W/F/A just made the DI tournament and they can continue to prove their worth against a top DIII team in a big-time game for both teams.

Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury @ Staples/Weston/Shelton @ 6
-B-B-D is on top of the work right now becoming the second team in the DIII tournament thus far this season, after their 4-3 OT win against Newtown this weekend.  S-W-S, on the other hand, is last year's DIII runner-up struggling in DII right now after being upset by Westhill making their current losing streak three games.

Masuk @ Joel Barlow @ 740
-SWC and DIII match-up that I featured at the beginning of the season too.  Masuk has done better since losing that game 1-2 so now is their shot at revenge and clinching a berth in the DIII tournament.

Tuesday

-no games scheduled

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Scores (1/28)

#8 South Windsor 1 @ Simsbury 4
-Bobcats are really struggling now and I think this win still looks good for Simsbury.

West Haven 5 @ Amity 2
-Good win for W Haven as they qualify for the DI state tournament and just keep taking things one game at a time.

Windsor/Farmington/Avon 1 @ #7 East Haven 3
-Easties got what they needed to solidify a spot in the top ten in the state.  Windsor/Farmington/Avon is now 1-1-1 in DI despite having already qualified for the DI state tournament.  East Haven hosts Amity next.

#1 Fairfield Prep 3 @ St. Peter's Prep 2 @ Purdential Center (Newark, NJ)
-FP won the inaugural Jesuit shootout and CT hockey looked very good beating a top team from NJ (that beat a good NY team) and a top five team from the great hockey state, Massachusetts.

Notre Dame-Fairfield 8 @ Conard 2
-ND won without Marty Roos for the first time since his resignation and they won big over Conard.

#4 Notre Dame-West Haven 3 @ #2 Hamden 3
-What did you expect, right?  Whenever two really good teams tie, I always bring up what I said that one time how a tie is worse than a win or loss for either side in my opinion.  The same thing applies here but mainly because neither team can say they're better and then Ridgefield can contend that they belong in the #2 spot; rankings will  be very interesting.

Westhill 7 @ Staples/Weston/Sheton 6
-I can't explain it and I wish somebody would but after starting 0-8-1, Westhill has won two straight games against good FCIAC teams: Stamford and now S-W-S.  S-W-S was looking pretty good in their first year in DII and they need to bounce back strong from this loss.

Newtown 3 @ Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury 4 OT
-Took OT but B-B-D got into the DIII state tournament.  The result looks good for Newtown too going forward.

#3 Ridgefield 3 @ Farirfield Warde/Ludlowe 2
-Neither team wanted to lose their first FCIAC game and FWL's strong performance in this one should help them going forward.  I am only looking into it so much because I have to find some reasons for separation but this results lessens Ridgefield's bid a little bit for #2 in the rankings.

Immaculate/New Fairfield 0 @ Watertown/Pomperaug 9
-9-0 win for the defending DIII champions to qualify for the DII tournament in their first year.

#5 Xavier 2 @ #9 North Haven 1
-X picks up the one goal win over North Haven again and shows that even after not playing for over a week, they can still come out and play good enough to beat a top team in the state.  Lookin' good for the Falcons going forward and N Haven can still build on this result.

New Canaan 3 @ Greenwich 1
-NC is back in the DI tournament that many thought they would win last year.  I'm sure the Rams feel good about that and adding another FCIAC win to their record.

Bolton/Coventry/Lyman Memorial 1 @ Rockville/Manchester/Stafford 2
-B-C-L has to wait a little longer to make the DIII tournament as Rockville/Manchester/Stafford got revenge and their fourth win in this one.

#10 Darien 9 @ Norwalk/Brien McMahon 2
-Dairen is in!  The Blue Wave should look to keep going up from here.

Hall/Southington 1 @ Newington/Berlin 4
-N-B gets a good win to continue their dominance of DIII.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Top Games (1/28)

#8 South Windsor vs Simsbury @ 1pm
-The Spartans have won four of their last five games and can certainly upset the Bobcats who are on an injury-induced slide right now.  SW beat Simsbury 4-1 in the first game of the season and it would be good for them to show that they are still better them, even without two players.

West Haven @ Amity @ 1
-The Westies can pick a quality win here as Amity beat N Haven 4-3 in OT and one of the Blue Devils three losses this season is N Haven.  Amity, on the other hand, are winners of two straight and making a push to reach the win threshold by the end of the season to make it to the DI state tournament.

Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ #7 East Haven @ 1
-The Yellow Jackets are coming off an 0-5 loss to #4 ND-WH on Wednesday and tied Daniel Hand 5-5 in their game before that.  Windsor/Farmington/Avon is on a five-game win streak and has already qualified for the DI state tournament.  A win for E Haven would be huge, especially since Windsor/Farmington/Avon beat N Haven 4-1 on Monday and E Haven only beat N Haven 4-3 in OT.

#1 Fairfield Prep @ St. Peter's Prep (NJ) @ Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)
-This is the CHAMPIONSHIP game in the Jesuit shootout and a win for Prep would be huge for all of high school hockey in CT.  Saint Peter's Prep is in NJ's catholic school league but they are not one of the top teams in it, like BC High was in the Super 8 in MA.  In fact, St. Peter's Prep is under .500 but they are the host team and this is their home ice.  Fan support could help them as well but honestly it looks like the Jesuits should win this cool tournament!

Notre Dame-Fairfield @ Conard @ 2
-ND has a shot to pick up a big win here and prove how talented they are against the highly inconsistent Chieftains that did beat #8 South Windsor.

#4 Notre Dame-West Haven @ #2 Hamden @ 230
-This highly anticipated match up should be a really good game but I have my doubts.  Hamden hasn't played in over a week (since last Thursday 1/19) and if they don't come out ready to play we may see a skewed result in a big-time game like New Canaan's win at Hamden last year.  ND-WH is coming off a really good 5-0 win over #7 East Haven on Wednesday so  expect them to be ready to go here in the big-time hockey environment that is Lou Astorino Rink.  Everyone should try to go to this game if they can, it has the potential to be one of the best games of the year and I'm going to say it beforehand, let's hope the refs don't skew the result either!  The other huge thing here is that a win for the Green Dragons make their trip to the DI state tournament official, giving them another motivation to play their best Saturday afternoon.

Newtown @ Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury
-This one gets the feature because a win gets B-B-D in the DIII state tournament.  Newtown is on a three game losing streak but only lost 3-4 at Joel Barlow in their one.  Its not a shoe-in for B-B-D but I still expect them to win.

#3 Ridgefield @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe @ 730
-Here is a solid game for the number three team in the state.  FWL is not THE top team in DII but they are good and have a lot of good wins in the division so I think they can give Ridgefield a good game.  Also, this is a FCIAC showdown that puts both team's current undefeated records in conference play on the line!

Immaculate/New Fairfield @ Watertown/Pomperaug @ 730
-Immaculate/New Fairfield hasn't won a game all year and once W-P wins this SWC game, they will extend their win streak to five, improve to 6-1 in their last seven games and officially make the DII state tournament in their first year in the division.

#5 Xavier @ #9 North Haven @ 730
-Again, here is another top ten match that will be a really good game and is probably being more overshadowed than it should be.  Xavier and N Haven battled in the first game of the season and X came out on top 1-0 with a goal in the final two minuets of the game.  Now, we have both teams searching for big wins for different reasons.  X needs to prove their #5 ranking as the teams around them keep picking up big wins and they are coming off a 1-1 tie with New Canaan in their last game.  In fact, the Falcons are 0-2-1 in their last three games, three of their last five games went to OT and they haven't played a game in almost two weeks (since Monday 1/16).  They will really need to focus on the game at end, playing their best, and capturing that one win they need to officially qualify for the DI state tournament.  North Haven has the talent to upset X, especially if X doesn't play their best, and a win would get them to .500, 6-6.  Despite coming off a 1-4 loss to Windsor/Farmington/Avon, you never know when N Haven will be on their A game.

New Canaan @ Greenwich @ 745
-Featuring this FCIAC game is more for NC than Greenwich as Greenwich is 2-10 and NC is 5-0-1 in their past six games.  A win gets the Rams into the DI state tournament, despite a 0-2 then 2-3 start, but what I am more interested in is the actual score because N only won 5-4 the last time these two teams played each other.

Bolton/Coventry/Lyman Memorial @ Rockville/Manchester/Stafford @ 750
-BCL gets themselves in the DIII state tournament with a win and the Rockville/Manchester/Stafford Rams are 3-7 this year but only lost to BCL 1-2 on Friday 1/13 so lets see who has improved more since then.

#10 Darien @ Norwalk/Brien McMahon @ 810
-Norwalk/Brien McMahon has only won two games all year so Darien should have no problem winning this FCIAC game and qualifying for the DI state tournament.  The Blue Wave started the season 0-2 then 1-3 losing to top teams in the state  but it must have helped get them ready for the season because they are on a six-game win streak since then.

Hall/Southington @ Newington/Berlin @ 830
-DIII game to watch here as Hall/Southingotn is 3-4-1 but has the talent to upset the only team in the DIII state tournament right now, 8-2 Newington/Berlin.

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Results (1/26 adn 1/27)

All shutouts but there was still a lot of good hockey played.

Thursday

Cheshire 0 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 5
-This game is exactly what Prep wanted to prepare for the Jesuit Tournament that they're going to in NJ this weekend.  IT was a solid win over a solid team that was competitive enough to make them better but comfortable enough that it won't put a strain on them playing again on Friday and Saturday.  Here is the box score:
Goals
1st period: FP - David White (Will Brophy) 14:45.  2nd period: FP - David White (AJ Unker) 3:57; David White (AJ Unker) 13:47.  3rd period: FP - Kevin Brown (Nick Bargiello) 1:36; David White (Matt Brophy) 3:46.
Saves: C - Tyler Carbone 40; FP - Chris Gutierrez 6.
Shots: C - 6; FP - 45.

New Canaan 4 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 0
-Good win for NC by way of a solid offensive effort and an even better defensive one to shutout the Lancers; box score:
Goals
1st period: NC - Jake Granito (Tyler Manchuck, Dylan Hart) 14:31.  2nd period: NC - Harry Stanton (Brock Anderson) 14:29.  3rd period: NC - Harry Stanton 1:24; Dylan Hart (Spencer MAnchuck, Jake Granito) 6:48.
Saves: NC - Chris Koennecke 30; ND - Justin Krochko 27.
Shots: NC - 31; ND - 30.

Friday

#1 Fairfield Prep 2 @ Boston College High 0 @ Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)
-Great "upset" win for Prep here at the Jesuit Shootout played at the AmeriHealth Pavilion at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.  To start, both teams came out sluggish and I have to think that was because of how far both of these teams had to travel to get to Newark and the fact that these kids had school earlier in the day too.  BC High picked it up first and Riley Wikman made some good saves to pick up his team.  When BC is physical, it gives them the advantage but they didn't play physical that much.  Fairfield Prep's quickness allowed them to clear quickly (when they could take the puck from BC), shift right over to offense and get a few shots on goal.  Prep had some scoring chances around midway through the period when Evan Antisdale fed Connor Henry but the close-range shot was blocked and then a short while later when Henry hit the inside of the post but the puck did not ricochet into the net.  The Jesuits broke through with a goal at the 13:27 mark when AJ Unker's shot was "redirected" by David White and found its way past the goalie.  Really, it was a scrum goal where the puck was kind of bouncing in front of the goalie but he couldn't react in time react in time to knock it way or cover it up.  The puck wasn't moving quickly, like a normal redirect, but Prep got the goal nonetheless and Henry was credited with an assist on the play as well.  In response, BC played more aggressive, a little more physical and almost scored on a deflection and then a half open net because the goalie was down but the Eagles were no good on both, Prep cleared and the period ended.  BC had some other chances that they lost asa  result of poor puck control.
In the second, BC maintained a margin of more than twice the shots on goal that Prep had, until Chris LaLiberte was called for interference and Prep went on the power play 1:16 into the period.  On the PP, the Jesuits ran the same play three times where they took a shot from the blue line and had a perfect opportunity for a rebound goal but three times they could not get the puck on the rebound to put it home.  Henry had a one-on-one to the side of the net on the power play as well that he failed to convert and was visibly mad about afterwards.  Although they did not score, Prep almost caught all the way up in shots during those two minutes.  At the 4:35 mark, Kevin Brown tripped up a BC player and that sent the Eagles on their first power play.  However, again BC had more chances lost due to mishandling the puck; Prep also did a nice job o clear the puck a few times.  After the PP, the BC players started looking a little down and it just proliferated the lack of a physical game everyone was seeing.  Both teams were soft on their checks and the players were not looking to be that physical in any situation.  Unker started getting hot for Prep when he made a nice move to beat the defenders but his shot on the ice back across was just wide.  BC also became less physical and aggressive on face-offs and, as a result, lost a lot more of them late in the second.  Prep got increasingly more opportunities as a result as well and they nearly scored their second goal when Unker found White between two defensemen and the pass got him alone with the goalie.  He got a great shot but it was just a little too high and went over the crossbar.  #11 for BC High, Tom Besinger, was working hard at the end of the period but the score remained 1-0 FP with the shots on goal 23-20 in favor of BC.
There was a little bit of intensity from both sides to start the third period.  Two minutes and thirty-seven seconds in, FP's Kenny Kochiss hooked a BC player and the Eagles got their second power play opportunity.  Frankly, the BC defensemen aren't good at keeping the puck in the zone and that cost them a bit on this PP.  Their best opportunity was a 2-on-1 in front of the net but miscommunication on the centering pass ended that threat and the power play.  Back on the other end, Unker got the puck across in front of the net to Henry but BC goalie, Peter Cronin made a good play when he slid over in time and save the puck on this bang-bang play.  BC seemed to have no urgency, purpose or plan really.  They were always searching, never finding; always trying, never succeeding.  The Eagles didn't really ever think ahead and seemed to have a low hockey IQ, at least in this game.  An example would be when Bartley Regan made a nice move up ice to beat one defenseman but went along the boards and tried to shoot it from that angle, giving his shot a very low percentage of going in, even without a goalie in the way.  Again, AJ Unker started doing work for Prep and Cronin kept having to make good saves to stop him.  However, he broke through on an easy goal through Cronin's five-hole.  He just beat him I guess but it wasn't really a relatively fast or hard shot, especially not compared to even others that game.  Billy D'Amore and Connor Henry picked up assists on Prep's second and final goal, 10:44 into the third period.  BC must have been having one of their worst games of the year because they looked stagnant, almost like they didn't know what they were doing.  Also, they did a poor job adapting when things didn't go perfectly.  The ran this nice play in the last minute where they tricked all the Prep players as to where the puck was but the player with the puck, couldn't control it well enough to get a quality shot on the half open net.  Another example would be in the last twenty second when Besinger tripped on his own with the puck while the Eagles were 6-on-5 and trying to score.  Riley Wikman had a remarkable 38 saves to get the shutout, his fourth of the year and second in a row, while Cronin finished with 21 saves as shots still ended in favor of BC, 23-38.
So Prep got the huge win and faces the host, Saint Peter's Prep (from Jersey City, NJ) on Saturday at 2pm.  A larger general concern I have for the BC High Eagles is that they have size and speed but don't use their size to win pucks or work down their opponents or handle the puck well enough for their speed to be effective.  They play Canisuis High School from Canisuis, NY in the consolation game at noon on Saturday.  Good job by the Jesuits representing CT in the Jesuit shootout and hopefully they can win it on Saturday and make CT HS Hockey look even better!

Guilford 0 @ North Branford 2
-Great win for N Branford to move ahead of Guilford in the DII rankings and officially qualify for the DII state tournament in March!  Good defenses seemed to dominate this one as Nb's goalie, Kyle Saroca, picked up his second shutout in a row; check out the box score:
Goals
1st period: NB - Alec Martone (Chris Burkle) 2:32.  2nd period: NB - Kyle Deming (Sam Amendola) 1:42.
Saves: G - Chad Faulkner-Filosa 13; NB - Kyle Sarcoa 20.
Shots: G - 20; NB - 15.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Top Games (1/26 and 1/27)

As the end of the week and Janurary creep up on us, there are still some fairly meaningful games left for the "off-days" in h/s hockey.

Cheshire @ Fairfield Prep @ 330pm
-A make-up of a game from last Saturday and I will echo the same sentiment from that write-up.  Cheshire is still searching for that big DI win and I think coming off their 4-0 win over Guilford yesterday helps them in terms of momentum (mentally) but hurts them physically.  They will be looking to catch the Jesuits on an off day but Prep knows this game is now an important SCC-DI match up that will be reflected on both teams' conference records, the only means by which the conference champion is chosen at the end of the season.

New Canaan @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 6
-I woudl define this game as how high will NC rise and how low will ND-F fall.  I read a quote from an ND-F player saying last Thursday's 1-5 loss to #2 Hamden was a good thing because it meant they were moving on from Marty Roos' resignation but the team only has three wins and has struggled against the state's top four and only come within two goals of my other top ten teams.  ND-F has the same problem every year of being talented (they beat defending DIII champion, Watertown/Pomeraug) but playing almost every single one of the traditionally top teams from the SCC, CCC and FCIAC.  They are in the SWC but no one in the SWC is in DI (anymore) so they have no conference schedule obligations.  The Lancers are in need of every win they can get if they want to make the state tournament this year and show that they have truly moved on from Roos.  New Canaan beat ND 3-2 in OT a month ago on 12/27 and has only lost one game since.  In fact, the defending FCIAC champs are 6-1-1 since their 0-2 start and all three losses and their one tie have been against top ten teams.  So now they get another quality test to prove just how good they are yet again this year.

Friday

#1 Fairfield Prep vs Boston College High @ 530pm @ Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)
-BC High is arguably the #1 or #2 team in MA although I believe the Boston Globe Rankings have them at #4.  Prep is hands down the best team in our state and as the defending DI Champions, they can best represent our state at the Jesuit Shootout in Newark, NJ.   Saint Perer's Prep in Jersey City will be hosting this tournament at their home ice, the AmeriHealth Pavilion at the Prudential Center in NJ (where the NJ Devils play).  I think I'm going to take the PATH ride over to this one and hope to have a full write-up for those unable to attend.  Two powerhouses going at it is a simple recipe for good hockey that needs no hyping; both teams' reputations precede them.

Guilford @ North Branford @ 830
-This is a huge game in DII as Guilford is 7-2 and N Branford is 7-4.  Therefore, not only is this game a battle between two of the divisions top programs but the winner also will officially qualify for the DII state tournament, becoming only the second team to do so.

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Wins and Losses (1/25)

Full write-ups and box scores to come later but I figured it best to just get something out there ASAP; lots of good games means lots of good results.

#8 South Windsor 2 @ Fermi/Enfield 3
-Why do the Bobcats do this to me?  I didn't even feature this game since SW won 5-1 the last time these two met and their other results (of both teams) led me to beleive SW was that much better...I guess I was wrong.

#7 East Haven 0 @ #4 Notre Dame-West Haven 5
-Hakuna Matata for ND in this one, a game I thought would be a little bit closer.  It is now safe to say that E Haven is on a little skid and needs to start worrying in order to turn things around and quickly.

Conard 5 @ #6 Glastonbury 6
-So the Chieftains did make it close but G-bury took care of business yet again (like they did against surging Simsbury).

St. Joseph 10 @ Norwalk/Brien McMahon 0
-Dominant for the 2011 DI runner-ups to make it back to the tournament once again.

Daniel Hand 5 @ Branford 2
-So Branford did make it closer...but still lost by multiple goals.

Guilford 0 @ Cheshire 4
-This is the re-match that flip-flopped and in a major way.  Convincing win here by the Rams and I want to credit this one in part to first-year head coach Karl Sundquist since coaching always played a major role in how ready a team is and how well they execute after a long break from competition.

Milford Co-op 2 @ West Haven 9
-Maybe West Haven deserves to move back in the rankings on Sunday? We shall see, plenty of games this week left!

White Plains (NY) 5 @ Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury 4
-The Icecats will have to wait until Saturday for their next chance at qualifying for the DIII state tournament.

Windsor/Farmington/Avon 3 @ East Catholic 2 OT
-Looks the Eagles got up for this big CCC game but Windsor/Farmington/Avon got their berth in the CIAC DI state tournament by way of an OT goal.

Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 2 @ Trumbull 1 OT
-There is a reason I feature games based on my assessments of teams, not just their records (FWL was 3-5 and Trumbull was 8-3, first team to make the DII state tournament).  Just when you thought things at the top of DII were starting to get a little more clear, FWL decided to shake things up yet again and the door remains wide open.

Staples/Weston/Shelton 0 @ #10 Darien 8
-Number ten Darien is looking pretty strong, stronger than number ten in the state one might even say.

Newtown 3 @ Joel Barlow
-Not only did Barlow make this game close but they also avenged an 1-8 loss from two weeks ago.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (1/25)

#7 East Haven @ #4 Notre Dame-West Haven @ 4pm
-To start, ND-WH should 100% win this game.  That is not to say that East Haven can't win but I am saying that with how dominant the Green Knights were early in the season and the way in which they play right there with the top teams in the state, not to mention the big 5-2 win over #6 Glastonbury, a team like East Haven should not give them any trouble.  That being said, what I want to see most from this game is how well East Haven does against one of the state's best teams, especially coming off a 5-5 tie to a DII school.  Bennett Rink looks like it will be a good place to be Wednesday.

Conard @ #6 Glastonbury @ 4
-I'm not going to overlook this game despite G-bury's 11-4 win earlier in the season.  It could just as well be that out of hand again, and honestly it should be, but you never know what you're going to get from Coanrd.  Another big thing to watch is how the Thomahawks respond to their 2-5 loss at the hands of ND-WH in their last game, 9 days ago, and also how they preform knowing that a win would qualify them for the DI state tournament.

St. Joseph @ Norwalk/Brien McMahon @ 6
-Only reason to watch this one: win and you're in for St. Joseph and the DI state tournament this year; the Cadets should have no problem here.

Daniel Hand @ Branford @ 6
-This going to be a thriller at Marty Roos' Northford Ice Pavilion, don't be surprised if he makes an appearance.  Hand beat Branford 7-2 in the first game of the season and they are coming off 5 straight games against DI opponents, the last two of which were an 8-0 win over Conard and 5-5 tie wth #7 East Haven.  The Tigers are a good DII team that just keeps getting better as the season goes on with arguably the hardest schedule in DII.  Branford has the prettier record between these two teams after moving on to take down top DII teams since their loss to Hand.  Also, Branford has played two OT games already this season so they will be ready if they can make this rematch a close one.

Guilford @ Cheshire @ 630
-Speaking of SCC hockey rivalries, how does another rematch of last year's DII Championship game sound?  Guilford actually won this one 3-2 in the second game (Cheshire's fourth) of the season, the first of their current seven game win streak; extending it to eight would make them the second team to qualify for the DII state tournament this year.  Cheshire is 4-1 since their loss to Guilord and Guilford is in fact the only team they lost to that is not in my top ten.  Those losses have all been close too: 2-4 to #7 East Haven and #5 Xavier and 1-2 to #4 Notre Dame-West Haven.  The concerning thing is that the Rams wins (aside from 7-3 over Conard) have been close too: 7-5 and 4-2 over 2011 DIII champion Watertown/Pomperaug, 3-2 over Amity and 2-1in OT over New Milford.  Anything can happen when these two play and both have strong motivations to win (win-streak, revenge, SCC pride, difference in divisions) so fans at Spurrier-Snyder Rink at Wesleyan University in Middletown are in for a really good one!

Milford Co-op @ West Haven @ 630
-The other good game at Bennett Rink on the night features two teams looking to prove something.  Milford co-op is one of the very top teams in DII looking to catch West Haven when they are down and pick up a big win over a DI team.  On the other hand, West Haven can start picking up quality wins again after a 1-3 loss to Simsbury and 1-8 loss to #1 Fairfield Prep in their last two games.  Should be an interesting game.

White Plains (NY) @ Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury @ 640
-Two things I like about this game: (1) I always like to see how our CT teams do against out-of-state competition and (2) a win make Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury the first team to qualify for the DIII state tournament this year.

Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ East Catholic @ 730
-WFA is coming off their huge 4-1 win over #9 North Haven and they should have no problem with DII East Catholic that is 2-5-1 and the win will qualify the new co-op for the DI state tournament in just their first year in the division; something that will be good for these kids after struggling in DII and DIII when they were not all playing together.

Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe @ Trumbull @ 730
-Here's a real good FCIAC and DII game that we are accustomed to late on Wednesday nights.  FWL has some good DII wins and some tough DII losses playing most of the other top DII teams.  Now they will clash with the first DII team to reach 8 wins, Trumbull.  The Golden Eagles have only lost 3 games, two of which were against DI opponents.  They have just been consistent, convincing and beat the top SCC, SWC and FCIAC teams near them at the top, all except for Guilford.

Staples/Weston/Shelton @ #10 Darien
-This is a win Darien needs to help their rising stock.  Last year's DIII runner-up, S-W-S is still a good team this year.  However, I think Darien is better and this game is their chance to prove just how much better.  This is also an always-important FCIAC game for both teams, regardless of the fact it is a DII team at DI one.

Newtown @ Joel Barlow @ 850
-Newtown is only 5-5 overall but they beat Joel Barlow by a score of a 8-1 last time these two teams played (Jan 11).  Look to see if the Falcons, who won five in-a-row to start the season but have lost their last three, can make the re-match any closer.

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Results (1/23 and 1/24)

Monday

#9 North Haven 1 @ Windsor/Farmington/Avon 4
-Big upset here proving that Windsor/Farmington/Avon is legit this year.  North Haven will need to use the rest of their SCC schedule to bounce back from this loss.  Box score:
Goals
1st period: WFA - Connor MCcutcheon (Dan Rider, Kevin Picard) 2:46.  2nd period: WFA - Dan Quirk (Max Leopold, AJ Georger) 10:22.  3rd period: NH - Mike Andreucci (Tyler DeMartin) 2:45; WFA - Max Leopold (Nick Berns, Dan Quirk) 10:55; Dan Quirk (Dominic Bazzano, Tyler Stoll) 14:07.
Saves: NH - Andrew Graziano 11; Mike Amarone 10; WFA - Bryan Bousquet.
Shots: NH - 31; WFA - 25.

Sheehan 1 @ Masuk 3
-box score:
Goals: S - Ryan Kiernan; M - Joe DaMota 2, Charlie Christo.

Tuesday

-no good games
Assists: S - Bill McNamee; M - Tim Cairns, Dan Zakrzewski.
Saves: S - Joe Boyle 14; M - Tom Sqift 25.
Shots: S - 26; M - 17.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Rankings (1/22)

Not too much happened this past week with Saturdays games getting snowed out so here are my rankings, plain and simple; sorry for the delay.

POST-SEASON UPDATE: Two of the elite teams this year qualified for the DI state tournament this past week (Fairfield Prep and Ridgefield) while Trumbull became the first to qualify for the DII state tournament.  We should see a lot of teams lock up their spots in the post-season next week.

#1 Fairfield Prep

#2 Hamden

#3 Ridgefield

#4 Notre Dame-West Haven

#5 Xavier

#6 Glastonbury

#7 East Haven

#8 South Windsor

#9 North Haven

#10 Darien

-No one has a real case to move up or down so the rankings will remain the same for next week.  Saturday really could have shaken things up with East Haven's tie against a strong DII Daniel Hand possibly hurting and Xavier's 1-1 tie with New Canaan possibly reflecting poorly on them.  The reason I did not switch X with Glastonbury is that I don't think X would lose 2-5 to ND-WH like G-bury did this past week.  Also, Green Knights fan, don't think I didn't notice you beating the Thomahawks by the exact same score as the team you lost to, Ridgefield.  Teams on the rise include New Canaan, Cheshire and a little bit of Simsbury while West Haven continues to struggle against good teams (1-8 loss to Prep is a lot) and St. Joseph wins but just barely over good teams from lower divisions.  We have got a really good week of hockey coming up, especially from Wednesday to Saturday!

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Top Games (1/23 and 1/24)

Monday

#9 North Haven @ Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ 510
-I'll tell you, the new CCC co-op has only one loss, one tie and six wins thus far and with their easy schedule, it appears they will make the state tournament as I projected at the beginning of the year.  That means that this is an important DI game for both teams as nine points will be on the line!

Sheehan @ Masuk @ 830
-Good game for an off day.  Two decent DIII teams face off in a game just as important to them as a top ten match-up in DI would mean to both of those teams.  Hope both teams are ready to go in this very late game.

Tuesday

-no good games

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Scores (1/21) with postponements

Northwest Catholic @ Hall/Southington PPD

#2 Hamden @ West Haven PPD

Cheshire @ #1 Fairfield Prep PPD to Thursday 1/26 @ 3pm

Amity @ Fermi/Enfield PPD

Guilford @ Wethersfield PPD

Branford @ North Branford @ 515

#4 Notre Dame-West Haven @ #5 Xavier PPD

#9 North Haven @ #10 Darien PPD
 
Simsbury @ Tri-Town @ 640

Staples/Weston/Shelton @ St. Joseph @ 730

Winsdor/Farmington/Avon @ Newington/Berlin PPD

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Top Games (1/21)

The craziness begins.  As of 1:41am, there are already four cancellations due to the projected 3-6 inches of snow.  Nonetheless, I will highlight the top of the remaining games:

#2 Hamden @ West Haven @ 1pm
-Bennett Rink in West Haven is a tough place to play (especially because of the refs) and this is Hamden's second straight road game against a tough opponent.  West Haven still has the offensive talent to beat even a team as good as Hamden.  That being said, the Green Dragons need to go into W Haven and take care of business if this game doesn't get cancelled.  It bolsters their #2 resume and gives them even more momentum before playing #4 Notre Dame-West Haven next Saturday, 1/28.  Also, the win for Hamden secures their spot in this year's DI state tournament.

Cheshire @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 1
-Cheshire is still looking for that marquee win in DI; however, the only way they get it here is if Prep does not come out ready to play.  Otherwise, the Rams can just use this game to improve as they look to try and beat Guilford, something they were not able to do earlier in the season, in their next game of the season.  This game is also important for Prep because it is a DI SCC game and the result will be added to each team's conference record.

Guilford @ Wethersfield @ 430
-A win here will make the Indians the second team to qualify for the DII state tournaemnt.  Wethersfield won four of their first six games but is on a tow-game skid that has them at 4-4 overall.  Guilford has some quality wins (Branford, Newtown, Cheshire, Fermi/Enfield) and their only loss was their first game fo the year, 2-5 against St. Joesph; they have seven straight wins since then.

Branford @ North Branford @ 515
-Home game for both teams in a local rivalry.  This game is also huge for both teams as they vie for a spot at the very top of DII team this year.  Branford beat Milford co-op 5-4 in OT and Milford co-op beat N Brandord 2-5.  Branford lost 6-7 in OT to Trumbull, a team that Brandord beat 5-4 just over a week prior.  However, Branford beat some other DII teams (Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe, Lyman Hall) by a lot more than N Branford.  Should be a pretty dang good game!

#4 Notre Dame-West Haven @ #5 Xavier @ 6
-This is a huge game for both teams and my rankings.  I have ND-WH ahead of X but the Falcons are certainly capable of beating the Green Knights.  The key to this bitter all-boys private school rivalry for Xavier will be playing very skilled defense, like Ridgefield did, and then for ND-WH it isn't even goal-tending because if their offense plays at the very high level it was at the beginning of the season then not only will they score enough to win but they will also greatly limit the amount of time Xavier gets on offense.  Both teams are seeking a big DI win, an all-important SCC-DI win and some serious bragging rights.  Xavier will also officially qualify for the state tournament with a win here.

#9 North Haven @ #10 Darien @ 630
-A very unique and overlooked match-up features a top ten SCC-FCIAC crossover.  With the way both these teams have been playing, it seems like Darien will beat N Haven, despite my rankings.  The only thing is that they actually need to go out there and do it in order for mo to move them up, based on the lack of other substance to their schedule.  N Haven is certainly not a team to be overlooked though as they beat Simsbury 4-1 and only lost 0-1 to #5 Xavier.  The Blue Wave, on a five-game win streak, will be tough to beat at home if this game gets played on Saturday.

Simsbury @ Tri-Town @ 640
-The thing to watch here will be how Simsbury fares against another fairly good DI opponent now that they have seemed to figure things out.  The winner of this game will emerge as a rising star in the DI field, although if Tri-Town loses, they are still only 4 wins or 3 wins and a tie away from making it to the DI state tournament.

Staples/Weston/Shelton @ St. Joseph @ 730
-Interesting FCIAC match-up and S-W-S is always looking to prove itself against DI and conference opponents.  This is actually their first DI opponent of the season and their only loss this year is two games ago, 2-4 to a Trumbull team that St. Joseph just beat 4-3.  I still think anything can happen in this one although the Cadets are the favorites.

Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ Newington/Berlin @ 830
-This game is very intriguing because the new Windsor/Farmington/Avon co-op is actually 6-1-1 so far this year with their easy schedule and a positive result here brings them one step closer to qualifying for the DI tournament in their first year in the division (although it looks like they will be the last seed because of how weak their wins are).  Nonetheless, winning is always a positive and speaking of winning, a win would make Newington/Berlin the first teams to qualify for the CIAC's DIII tournament.  This could be a pretty good CCC-South game at the Newington Arena.

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Results (1/19 and 1/20)

Thursday

#2 Hamden 5 @ Notre Dame-Fairfield 1
-Good win for the Green Dragons as the Lancers have a pretty rough first night without Marty Roos, only managing score in the last forty seconds of the game.  Here is the box score:
Goals
1st period: H - Bill Reilly (Tyler Carangelo, Joe O'Connor) 10:33; Bill Reilly (Vito Puopolo) 10:53.  2nd period: H - Matt Barnett (Vito Puopolo) 2:44.  3rd period: H - Bill Reilly (Michael Regan,Connor Walsh) 3:35; Tim Lee (Jeremy Germain, Mike Lee) 10:20; ND - Dave Canfarotta (Frank Sullivan) 14:20.
Saves: H - Andy Varga 20; ND - Scott Kline 24.
Shots: H - 29; ND - 21.

Daniel Hand 5 @ #7 East Haven 5
-A tie is not what East Haven was looking for since it was their second against a DII team this season.  Hand, on the other hand, is looking even better in DII with this strong comeback performance against one of DI's better teams.  The box score looks like this:
Goals
1st period: EH - MAtt Barcomb (Stephen Marsico, Rich DeCarlo) 0:10; H - Mitch Brown 4:20; EH - Stephen Marsico (Matt Longobardi) 7:05; H - Jared Renni (Joe Deane, Mike Deane) 11:47; EH - Matt Longobardi (Tristain Goodwin) 13:51; Rich DeCarlo (Matt Barcomb) 14:52.  2nd period: H - Ryan DeMatteo (Mitch Brown) 5:49; Joe Deane (Nico Capone, Jared Renni) 6:04; Mitch Brown (Ryan DeMatteo) 7:42.  3rd period: EH - Matt Longobardi (Matt Barcomb) 2:55.
Saves: H - Dan Tagliarini 18; EH - Zak Bouce 15.
Shots: H - 20; EH - 23.

Friday

Trumbull 5 @ Norwalk/Brien McMahon 1
-With this FCIAC win, Trumbull becomes the first DII to qualify for the state tournament; congrats!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Top Games (1/19 and 1/20)

Thursday

#2 Hamden @ Notre Dame-Fairfield @ 6
-ND's first game in along time and also the first one of this season without former head coach Marty Roos.  With interim head coach Steve Hetherman away on business, the Lancers will be coached by assistant coaches JR Bria and Josh Seimbida.  Hamden is a very good team but they will be on the road here and could run into some problems if they come out a little overconfident since ND has talent.

Daniel Hand @ #7 East Haven @ 730
-Hand is coming off a huge 8-0 win over DI Conard and they are one of the top teams in DII this year.  East Haven has played, and beated (or tied in one case) many of the other top DII teams.  Milford co-op only lost 4-5 to E Haven though so there is the possibility of an upset for Hand.  I think being at home will really help the Easties since their only loss and and getting taken to OT by North Haven both happened on the road.

Friday

-no good games

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Wins and Losses (1/18) GOODBYE to MARTY ROOS

First off, the big news tonight is the sudden stepping down of CT's all-time winningest boys' hockey coach, Marty Roos of Notre Dame-Fairfield.  In a press release he said: "I always felt that when it came time to step down from coaching, I would know that it was time.  Even though Notre Dame is midseason, I believe that now is the right time.  Assistant coach Steve Hertherman will become the interim head coach.  Roos record was 536-301-19 across 40 years at Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame-Fairfield.  He won the state championship with ND in 1999 and 2006 and came in second to his former team in 2007 and 2008.  I wish coach Roos, at age 76, all the best with the rest of his life.  I also would like to add that a source close to the program said that Roos is only stepping down, NOT RETIRING, and we know he will be active in HS hockey since Mr. Roos owns Milford Ice Pavilion and Northford Ice Pavilion.

Milford Co-op 2 @ St. Bernard/Bacon/NFA 1

West Haven 1 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 8

Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks 4 @ North Branford 3

Trumbull 3 @ St. Joseph 4

Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury 7 @ Joel Barlow 1
-The Falcons really aren't as good as they appeared to be at the beginning of the season.

Tri-Town @ Conard

-write-ups and some box scores to come later

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (1/18)

A little bit lighter schedule than normal for a Wednesday but we still got some quality games and I'm gonna let you know which ones I like best on the day.

Milford Co-op @ St. Bernard/Bacon/NFA @ 530pm
-The things at play here are Milford coming off a two-game losing streak but both were close games against good teams: 4-5 to #7 East Haven and 2-3 in OT to Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks.  St. Bernard/Bacon/NFA is coming off a 3-0 win over Bolton/Coventry/Lyman Memorial, a good fellow DIII team, and they are looking for revenge for a 1-3 loss at Milford co-op earlier in the season, on 12/17.  Its a DII team at a DIII team but its still a good match-up.

West Haven @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 6
-Just because the Blue Devils are not in my top ten anymore, everyone still needs to remember they are talented and a good team.  In fact, I think they match-up very favorably with Prep because W Haven's strength is their offense so they may be able to keep pace with the Jesuits on the scoreboard.  If they get an exception, or even just good, game out of their goalie and their forwards find the holes in Prep's defense effectively, West Haven could pull off the upset.  The Jesuits need to be ready to play if they want to add to their SCC record and already impressive (in fact its the number one most impressive) resume.

Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks @ North Branford @ 6
-Teams change from the beginning of the season and why you need to watch this game is because Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks is coming off their 3-2 OT upset of Milford co-op and North Branford lost to Milford co-op 5-2 in the first game of the season, over a month ago.  SGWL is making quite a case to be around the top of DII (only losy by one goal to bost S-W-S and FWL in their other two DII games).

Trumbull @ St. Joseph @ 630
-I get a feeling this is going to be another one of those quality FCIAC games.  In fact, I think St. Joseph will win this one but the Cadets don't have me convinced and Trumbull's hot while St. Joseph's been playing in a lot of close games lately.  It could be a blowout, either way really, but I think this one would be worth your time if you're looking for a game to catch in the FCIAC area, between FCIAC (not SCC) teams.

Tri-Town @ Conard @ 730
-This game is interesting because both teams have shown a lot of potential this year and play many of the same CCC teams (difference is Tri-Town plays all their other NHC memebers and Conard plays some SCC teams).  I went last year in West Hartofrd and this game is also somewhat of a rival for the two, both get lots of fans considering and the parents show lots of support as well.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Results (1/16 and 1/17)

Monday

#6 Glastonbury 2 @ #4 Notre Dame-West Haven 5
-Solid win for the Green Knights and here's how they did it with four unanswered goals and Sliwinski in net instead of Luc Amatruda:
Goals
1st period: ND - Bill Vizzo (Colby Cretella, Greg Zullo) 6:46.  2nd period: G - Ethan Holdaway 9:10.  3rd period: G - Drew Mozzer 2:18; ND - Bill Vizzo (Cameron Hotchkiss, Colby Cretella) 6:21; Colby Cretella (Darren Capobianco, Cameron Hotchkiss) 7:37; Colby Cretella (Louis Iannotti, Daren Capobianco) 11:49; Colby Cretella (Greg Zullo) 14:28.
Saves: G - Chase Gabor 31; ND - Paul Sliwinski 25.
Shots: G- 27; ND - 36.

Winsor/Farmington/Avon 7 @ Northwest Catholic 3

Guilford 2 @ Fermi/Enfield 1
-Jack Fitzgerald continues to be all over the place on offense for the Indians as they pull out the big win on the road at a DI school; box score:
Goals
1st period: G - Derek Nelson (Jack Fitzgerald, Billy Ring) 6:02; F/E: Brendan LeMire (Avery Boissy) 14:58.  2nd period: G - Jack Fitzgerald 12:45.
Saves: G - Chad Faulkner-Filosa 20; F/E - Aaron Lickwar 28.
Shots: G - 30; F/E - 21.

Xavier 1 @ New Canaan 1
-Selfish play and a slowed pace by the Falcons (as I said might happen on afternoon road game with no school) cost them a win but they did still manage a tie; look at NC's late goal and how few shots X had:
Goals:
3rd period: X - Andrew Meoli (Kade McCartin) 0:38; NC - Jake Granito (Spencer Manchuck).
Saves: X - Shane Baldwin 24; NC - Chris Koennecke 21.
Shots: X - 22; NC - 25.

Tri-Town 3 @ #9 North Haven 5
-This one was pretty tight throughout but North Haven got it done at home on FOUR goals from Ken Broccolli and this is a pretty good win for them, here is the box score:
Goals
1st period: NH - Ken Broccolli (Jimmy Piscitelli) 4:01; TT - Cullen Roberts (Billy Chevalier) 5:40.  2nd period: NH - Chris Lion 2:30; TT - Ronnie Williams (Cullen Roberts) 10:33; NH - Ken Broccolli (Chris Lion, Michael Andreucci) 11:34.  3rd period: TT - Cullen Roberts (Mitch Cobb) 4:54; NH - Ken Broccolli (Karl Anderson) 10:19; Ken Broccolli (Michael Andreucci) 14:40.
Saves: TT - Mitch DiResta 23; NH - Andrew Graziano 22.
Shots: TT - 25; NH - 28.

North Branford 4 @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 3 OT
-FWl scored all its goals in the second period while N Branford spread theirs out, one a period and since that meant overtime, it also meant scoring one in OT for the W; here's the box score:
Goals
1st period: NB - Sam Amendola (Chris Burkle) 13:10.  2nd period: NB - Alec Martone (Chris Burkle, Dylan Podbielski) 4:08; FWL - Mathiu Larouche (Tom Kryspin) 5:46; Conor Scharlop (Peter Simonds) 13:01; Mathiu Larouche (Tom Kryspin, Paul Barlow) 14:59.  3rd period: NB - Alec Martone (Dylan Podbielski) 9:06.  OT: NB - Alec Martone (Chris Burkle) 6:35.

Masuk 0 @ Trumbull 6

Tuesday

-no games

Monday, January 16, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Monday and Tuesday's Top Games (1/16 and 1/17)

With the federal holliday, Martink Luther King Day, there are a considerable amount of games on Monday.  I caution that we could see some unexpected results with the players having the day off from school that will put them out of their daily routine, which is a major factor in high school sports.  Also, if the team has an afternoon game that is earlier than normal (12-2pm) some of the players might not be fully awake and attitude rubs off in such a big team sport as hockey.  Just a little forewarning.

Monday

#6 Glastonbury @ #2 Notre Dame-West Haven @ 12pm
-G-bury has to travel far and this is game at noon, quite early for a kid in the vacation mood.  Being at home helps in a lot of ways but if you have a good coach, he be sure his team is awake following a long bus ride or showing up at their nearby rink.

Windsor/Farmington/Avon @ Northwest Catholic @ 12

Guilford @ Fermi/Enfield @ 12
-A really good DII team trying to prove it is better than a lot of the DI schools; the Indians could not beat St. Joseph (2-5 L) but they took down Cheshire 3-2.  Fermi/Enfield is a decent team that I think Cheshire would beat so Guilford should beat them.  However, Fermi/Enfield is DI so that means they should be favored (or Guilford will be moving up to DI soon).

#5 Xavier @ New Canaan @ 2
-Another game at a slightly odd time like 2pm and Xavier has a very far bus ride out to Darien Ice Rink, plus the commute time some of these kids have to their school where the bus leaves from.  Hopefully Coach Scott Gainey has his squad ready to go because I think coaching plays a major role in games like these (similar to a game on a Saturday but this is different because it is an "unexpected" day off) as I said in the G-bury/Nd-WH post.

Tri-Town @ #9 North Haven @ 4
-Tri-Town is  pesky team this year only losing 2-3 to #8 South Windsor, beating Greenwich and taking #7 East Haven to OT before losing 3-4 OT.  N Haven will need to play well to beat Tri-Town but if they do by a large margin it will say a lot about their talent and how well they can bounce back from being upset by Amity.

North Branford @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe @ 445
-It seems like there is one of these top DII games every other day and that makes sense with how many teams are trying to emerge as the best in that division.  Honestly, I don't think we will know until the end of the DII state tournament and even then there might still be room for doubt.  In the meantime, these teams have to battle it our for seeding to put themselves in the best position possible to capture that official title.

Masuk @ Trumbull @ 730

Tuesday

-no games

Boys' Hockey: Rankings (1/15)

Another great week of hockey and now another difficult job of ranking the top ten teams in the state; the bottom is weak but that just means the state is strong.   POST-SEASON UPDATE: South Windsor, Notre Dame-West Haven and East Haven are the first three teams to clinch berths in the state tournament, all doing so this past week and all for the DI tournament.

#1 Fairfield Prep (7-2) (5-0)
-Things are still good on top as the Jesuits won their one and only game this week, 3-1 against Amity on Wednesday.  That gave their coach, Matt Sather, his 200th career win (not all of which were in CT) and showed Prep isn't going to be upset by some bottom-of-the-pack team like North Haven did on Saturday against Amity.  The Jesuits have a solid SCC week up ahead hosting West Haven on Wednesday and Cheshire on Saturday.  Although not top ten games, Prep will be working on their conference record, the only way to win the conference, and preparing for a big showcase at the Prudential Center against other top hockey teams from other state at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Friday 1/27 and Saturday 1/28.

#2 Hamden (6-3) (6-1)
-After thinking long and hard, I have concluded that Hamden deserves to be ahead of both ND-WH and Ridgefield and thus number two in the rankings.  I think they would beat either head-to-head and I'm going to tell you why right now.  Although all three teams have different strengths, weaknesses and overall style, I think each game would come down to a few keys.  Ridgefield plays exceptional defense, I would say even better than ND-WH, but they way that they beat ND were some lapses in defense that I do not think Hamden would make given the same chance.  Therefore, Hamden would not have to score a lot to beat the Tigers, like Xavier needed to do.  Hamden and ND would be an extremely close game, closer than even Ridgefield versus ND was and would be again, but I give the Dragons the edge because I think that game would come down to goalies Luc Amatrud (ND) versus Andy Vargas (Hamden).  That being said, Hamden, just like Prep, never stops getting better, even if it hurts their record, and we have seen that pay off with one of the two winning every year since 2007 (Hamden 2009 + 2010 and Prep 2007, 2008 + 2011) and winning or coming in second every year this millennium except 2002 (06, 03: Hamden 2nd; 05, 04, 01, 00: Prep 1st).  The point is, Hamden's two out-of-state losses this week only made them better since St. John's (Shrewsbury, MA) and Hingham (MA) were #5 and #22 in a state that breeds hockey players.  Hamden also beat #5 Xavier 3-2 on Wednesday, although I think that game should only have 2-2 and that Xavier could beat them again.  Unfortunately, the two teams do not meet again in the regular season though.  Hamden does have two road games this week, at Notre Dame-Fairfield on Thursday and West Haven on Saturday.

#3 Ridgefield (7-1) (5-1)
-Ridgefield did what they had to this week by beating formerly #2 Notre Dame-West Haven fair and square on this past Wednesday and then topping St. Joseph 3-2 on Saturday.  They also blew out Westhill 8-0 on Monday, their third shutout (11-0, 9-0 and now 8-0) and fifth game scoring at least five goals.  The Tigers move into more of their FCIAC schedule this week at Stamford on Wednesday, when I expect they will officially qualify for the state tournament, and then at Greenwich on Thursday.

#4 Notre Dame-West Haven (8-2) (8-2)
-One of my all-time favorite quotes about sports I learned from the show Two-A-Days: "It's not how far you fall, but how high you bounce back."  I think this applies perfectly to ND with regards to their 1-2 loss to Ridgefield.  The Green Knights still have extremely high quality wins over New Canaan, Greenwich, Simsbury, #10 Darien, Amity, #9 North Haven and most recently Notre Dame-Fairfield this past Saturday.  None of those games were decided by any less than three goals for ND.  The Green Knights also have a 2-1 win over Cheshire but their losses are 3-4 to #1 Fairfield Prep and 1-2 to #3 Ridgefield.  That means ND-WH can certainly still vie for the top spot in the state and the rest of their schedule presents them with a chance to bounce back very high from the loss last Wednesday.  This week ND-WH hosts #6 Glastonbury on Monday and Trinity Catholic on Wednesday.  Then, they go to #5 Xavier on Saturday for what will be the game of the week!  Of ND's 7 remaining games after that, 5 are against top ten teams and the other two are ND-F and West Haven, certainly no walk in the park.  Those five games feature the other two Haven's (#7 E Haven and #9 N Haven), a rematch with top dog #1 Fairfield Prep and then the match-up I'm most looking forward to: #2 Hamden, twice (home and away)!  Rush Propst is a great coach.

#5 Xavier (6-4) (4-2)
-"Losing" your only game of the week doesn't look too good does it?  Except when its only by one goal to the now number two Hamden Green Dragons and one of their "goals" didn't even go in the net.  Regardless of that controversy, we must live with the result and it still says that the Falcons can beat Hamden, they just came up a little short on Wednesday.  The exact same thing can be said about X's 4-5 OT loss to now #3 Ridgefield two Saturday's ago, 1/7; to almost beat a team with that defense that took now #4 ND-WH is very impressive.  Notre Dame better watch out for Xavier this Saturday when the two meet at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Xavier's home rink.  The Falcons already beat #9 North Haven and Notre Dame-Fairfield to prove they're good.  They also beat Cheshire by twice the score ND did (4-2 versus 2-1).  The Falcons also have an away game Monday afternoon (2pm) at New Canaan, a good test to get ready for ND (ND has big games that may wear them out before they play Xavier).

#6 Glastonbury (7-1) (7-1)
-Still sitting at 7-1, G-bury is in good position to lock up a spot in the DI tournament this week...but it won't be easy.  They have top-ten games but very far apart.  First off, they go to #4 Notre Dame-West Haven for a showdown that can be a big statement for them.  Then, they don't play again until Saturday at home but it is the fierce CCC-North rivalry with #8 South Windsor.  The Thomahawks did beat surging Simsbury 2-1 last week and DII Wethersfield 6-3 but those games will look like nothing compared to the week they have ahead of them.

#7 East Haven (8-1-1) (8-1-1)
-This is where is gets hard but nine games into the season, I think it is safe to say that the Yellow Jacket have improved from their 5-5 tie with Stamford at the beginning of the season.  West Haven and North Haven have to deal with losing to Simsbury and Amity respectively just this past week.  East Haven's only loss being by one goal to another top team looks pretty good now.  I understand that they haven't played #4 ND-WH, #2 Hamden or #5 Xavier like #9 North Haven but E Haven beat N Haven 4-3 in OT so that gives them the edge for now.

#8 South Windsor (8-2) (6-2)
-So basically I am going to "forgive" so Conard loss because everybody does have a bad day.  I'm not going to forget about it completely (or how weak the CCC is) but SW's 6-1 win over Conard a few days before the loss helps mitigate the loss.  Covering that loss up, SW beat Simsbury 4-1 (making them better than W Haven), a big 5-1 wins over Fermi/Enfield and St. Joseph and then a convincing 7-0 blowout of East Catholic this past Wednesday.  The Bobcats are on the way up and they have a good chance to prove how good they are with their only game this week: Saturday at #6 Glastonbury.

#9 North Haven (4-5) (4-5)
-A 3-4 OT loss to a somewhat talented Amity is bad but not that bad.  N Haven's major problem is a lack of other quality wins now beating West Haven 5-4 isn't as good as it used to be.  N Haven also beat Simsbury 4-1 but Brookfield/Bethe;/Danbury (6-1 W) is a DIII team and Daniel Hand (8-1 W) is a DII team.  Yes those are both good wins but those are North Haven's only four wins and they do have five losses as well now.  They take on pesky Tri-Town on Monday and then go to #10 Darien on Saturday.

#10 Darien (5-3) (5-3)
-Darien didn't move up or down despite South Windsor entrance to the top ten and West Haven's departure because Darien has a predicament similar to North Haven's; the Blue Wave have talent but a weak body of work to prove it.  They beat the solid Notre Dame-Fairfield Lancers twice and in the span of three days but only beat previously win-less Wilton 4-1 and then 2-7 Trinity Catholic 1-0.  What I do like about the Blue Wave is their 6-1 win over New Canaan a team that still looks pretty solid this year and is in my top fifteen.  Darien only lost 5-6 in OT to West Haven, an amazing comeback by the Blue Devils and also only 0-2 to #2 Hamden and 1-4 to #4 ND-WH.  The Blue Wave get their own shot at Greenwich on Wednesday and then a game I'm very excited for against #9 North Haven on Saturday, both of which are at home.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Saturday Scores (1/14)

Daniel Hand 8 @ Conard 0
-More inconsistent play from the Chieftans although Hand was playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder.

Notre Dame-Fairfield 2 @ #2 Notre Dame-West Haven 6
-The Green Knights are now officially in the playoffs for the second year in a row and will to keep this momentum going in their third of four straight home games, Monday versus #6 Glastonbury.

Pawling (NY) 7 @ Joel Barlow 2
-I said Pawling was good and they proved to be very good.  Barlow gets another good game next Wednesday versus Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury...their sixth straight game (of eight in a row ) at Danbury Ice Arena, and they haven't all been "home" games.

Hingham (MA) 5 @ #3 Hamden 2
-Like I said before, this is a relative down year for the Green Dragons but they can end this two game skid at Notre Dame-Fairfield next Thursday night.

#7 North Haven 3 @ Amity 4 OT
-I love it when I'm right about upsets, even if it means a heart-breaking loss for North Haven.  Joe Bianchi scored the tying goal in the third and the winning goal in OT for the Spartans.

Watertown/Pomperaug 3 @ Brookfield/Betherl/Danbury 2

Guilford 6 @ Branford 1
-I was surprised that this game wasn't even close, which means that Guilford is ready to take down the rest of DII and prove that this is their year to win it all.

Simsbury 1 @ #6 Glastonbury 2
-They almost did it again but Glastonbury found a way to get this CCC-North win and not be another one of Simsbury's victims.

Staples/Weston/Shelton 2 @ Trumbull 4

Newington/Berlin 6 @ Northwest Catholic 3

#8 East Haven 9 @ Farifield Ware/Ludlowe 3
-East Haven is making quite a case for themselves with a strong win that I kind of except (but its still impressive to see) from every team in the top ten when they play a DII team, even the good ones, unless its like the very best that is probably going to move up to DI soon (i.e. Cheshire last year, Guilford this year). Oh yeah, the Easties also officially qualified for the state tournament with this win and I think they will be higher than their 11-spot ranking from last year.

Stamford 2 @ New Canaan 8
-New Canaan is really on a tear in their past few games with a 6-1 win over St. Joseph, 9-1 over DIII Norwalk/Brien McMahon and now 8-2 over DII Stamford.  They host #5 Xavier on Monday, a huge game on their schedule right now.

St. Joseph 2 @ #4 Ridgefield 3
-In case anyone was wondering why I featured two FCIAC games that were unimportant or going to be blowouts, this is why.  These FCIAC games are always so intense that they end being very close most of the time and you see some wild things happen; we saw it many times last year and I expect to see it again this season.

Funny DII game:
Wilton 4 @ Westhill 0
-I do actually feel really bad for Westhill that they were shutout by a previously win-less team yet they were the team that tied Lyman Hall 3-3, only lost 2-3 in OT to Stamford and scored 4 goals (4-9 loss) against East Haven; Wilton is now the one with the win though.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Saturday's Top Games (1/14)

Lots of games on deck for Saturday, not as big as some past Saturday's this season, but for two teams it is the day they can clinch a spot in the CIACI Division I State Tournament and there are some revenge games from last season being played today.

Daniel Hand @ Conard @ 1pm
-Why I'm interested in this one is that Conard has shown some instances of potential this year in a 3-2 win over South Windsor and a 3-2 win over Fermi/Enfield (I guess also a 2-3 loss to Simsbury).  They now face a good DII team in Daniel Hand but Hand did lose to Fermi/Enfield 2-4.  Also, the Tigers are on a three-game losing streak (all DI opponents, they are 3-1 with an OT loss in DII).  However, this is their best chance of ending that streak since they will face #9 East Haven and Milford co-op next week.  I really can't wait to see who wins this game.

Notre Dame-Fairfield @ #2 Notre Dame-West Haven @ 1
-I like this game for a lot of reasons.  First, at 7-2, a win here means ND-WH would qualify for states and I don't really doubt that they will.  However, ND-F upset them last year and no one saw that coming either and if ND-WH doesn't get over their loss to Ridgefield and channel that anger into getting better, the Lancers have the talent to do it again.  The other interesting aspect to this game is that these two schools would face each other on a more regular basis if CT created a private school league for athletics.  I contemplated it a bit during lacrosse season since both MA and NY (and I think NJ) have one but it has been discussed in earnest, mainly with a focus on basketball by my colleague Dave Rudden (of the CT Post).  I personally am against it because of how spread out the teams are (Manchester to Stmaford) and the inequality amongst them (in all sports) but it is still an interesting discussion.

Pawling (NY) @ Joel Barlow @ 150
-Pawling is 6-3-1 and 4-2-1 in Conference I of Section 1 in NY (4th place) so they are probably a good team.  Barlow could use the out-of-state test to get some more experience and back to their winning ways.  The CIAC has Pawling as a "tier 2 out-of-state opponent" meaning they are equivalent to a DII team in terms of points for a victory (4, 2 for a tie) and remember the bonus points (2 in this case) are automatically awarded if Barlow wins, regardless of if Pawling qualifies for their state tournament.

Hingham (MA) @ #3 Hamden @ 230
-Another big out-of-state opponent for Hamden since Hingham beat them 4-0 last year.  The Hingham Harbormen are #5 in Massachusetts with a 6-2 record.  For reference, St. John's (Shrewsbury, MA) that Hamden just lost to 1-2 on Friday night, is ranked #22 at 6-3-1.  Springfield Cathedral that Fairfield Prep beat 5-0 is #23 (Prep has #2 Boston College High at the Prudential Center and #6 Catholic Memorial in Bridgeport on their schedule still this year and those rankings can still change).  Ranks were generated on 1/8/12 and there are 206 teams; we have 58 in CT (23 in DI, 18 in DII, 17 in DIII).

#7 North Haven @ Amity @ 315
-After W Haven's loss to Simsbury, N Haven needs more good wins to bolster their resume once again.  Amity does not have the best record but I feel like they are ready to pull an upset just like they did last year over ND-WH; they played Cheshire to a 2-3 loss two games ago and only lost 1-3 to #1 Prep in their last game.  NH should watch out but they do know this rink (Bennet Rink) after playing two games there for the West Haven Christmas Tournament earlier this season.

Watertown/Pomperaug @ Brookfield/Betherl/Danbury @ 4
-The Icecats are 6-3, 3-3 in-state, 2-0 SWC and 1-1 in DIII (their division) and this yet another SWC game and also their second game against a DII opponent (first was a 2-1 win, New Milford).  The defending DIII champs (now in DII), W-P, are struggling with their tough schedule at 3-7, 1-3 in DII and 0-1 in the SWC (lost to a very good DII team, Newtown).  This is W-P's chance to start turning things around but the Icecats will be looking to keep on rolling through the SWC.

Guilford @ Branford @ 515
-This is going to be a good one!  The Guilford Indians, the favorite but runner-up last year in both DII and the SCC-II tournament will be taking on a formidable Branford team that has proved to be one of the best in DII thus far and will be looking to avenge a 1-4 loss in last year's SCC-II tournament semifinals.  Guilford has already topped Cheshire 3-2 but Branford has more in-state and the home ice advantage for the only meeting between these two in the regular season.  I couldn't tell you who is going to win this game and that is what makes it one of the best on the day; get out to Northford Ice Pavilion, one of my favorite rinks, if you can!

Simsbury @ #6 Glastonbury @ 6
-Simsbury is on a three-game winning streak (Fermi/Enfield 2-1, Conard 3-2, #8 West Haven 3-1) so it's legitimate, but just barely.  If the Thomahawks want to prove their number six ranking, they will put an end to this streak and do so in convincing fashion (>2 goal margin of victory).

Staples/Weston/Shelton @ Trumbull @ 730
-Another good DII and conference game (FCIAC not SCC this time); that means there is a lot on the line.  S-W-S is competing in DII for the first time this year after finishing second in DIII last year and they are off to a 5-0 start with four of those being good wins.  Trumbull is 5-2 themselves only losing to DI Trinity Catholic and 4-5 to another top DII team, North Branford.  They have a big 7-6 OT win over Branford, two of the same wins as S-W-S (W-P and Lyman Hall) and then a good 3-1 win over Newtown, another team around the top of DII.  I'm sure S-W-S doesn't want to lose their first game (they are the only undefeated team left in any division, although Prep has not lost in-state) but this game is larger than that as it counts for FCIAC (and DII) tournament qualifying and then seeding.

Newington/Berlin @ Northwest Catholic @ 745
-Get ready for a battle here as arguably the top two teams in DIII (certainly top five) duke it out in Simsbury at the ISCC.  N-B beat DII Wethersfield 4-0, Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury 6-2 and then two other DIII teams 5-0 and 4-1.  NWC topped Hall/Southington 4-3, DII East Catholic 3-2, DI Simsbury 4-2, St. Bernard/Bacon/NFA 7-4 and Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown 8-2.  They lost 2-5 to Wethersfield though whereas N-B lost 1-2 to St. Bernard/Bacon/NFA though.  I'd say these two teams are pretty evenly matched but if I had to pick I'd go with Northwest because they have been on fire in their past two games, scoring 15 points to their opponents 6 and N-B has won 5 straight so I think they may be getting a little complacent.  I think both teams know what is on line though and we might just see the best game each team has played all season.

#8 East Haven @ Farifield Ware/Ludlowe @ 8
-As the Easties continue to try their luck against DII team (5-5 tie with Stamford, 5-4 win against Milford co-op on Thursday and FWL is another good one), this one is especially important considering they will qualify for the DI state tournament with either a win or tie (they are 7-1-1).  They did not qualify until 2/5 last year but being the (presumably) third team to qualify this year will put them in pretty good position.

Stamford @ New Canaan @ 840
-NC is on a little bit of a streak with a 6-1 win over St. Joseph (did not count for FCIAC record though) followed by a 9-1 win over fellow FCIAC member Norwalk/Brien McMahon in their past two games.  Stamford is coming off a close 4-5 loss to FWL in their first official FCIAC game but they have the potential to give the Rams a good one on Saturday night.

St. Joseph @ #4 Ridgefield @ 850
-Another game that might not be that close but St. Joseph knows how to win, they are 5-3 with some good wins (Guilford and Greenwich).  Also, they only lost to top teams (#6 Glastonbury, New Canaan, "#11" South Windsor).  Ridgefield did beat #5 Glastonbury by three goals and is coming off a 2-1 win over #2 Notre Dame-West Haven but this is a big conference game now and St. Joseph did surprise New Canaan in last year's DI tournament after losing to them 3 times and being a huge underdog in the game.  Also, I think it is key for Ridgefield to show how they play coming off such a big win and how much they will now distance themselves from lesser teams.  Every little factor counts in the new rankings coming out on Sunday!

Funny DII game:
Wilton @ Westhill @ 640
-The bottom of DII, both these team are win-less (0-7 and 0-5-1 respectively) so there's a good chance that will end Saturday night...but is could be a close one haha.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Results (1/12 and 1/13)

Thursday

Milford Co-op 4 @ #9 East Haven 5
-I highlighted this game for a reason and it is a little disappointing for the Yellow Jackets that they couldn't win by more but a win is a win and Milford is a good team so they added to their resume.  Very good job by Milford co-op to almost beat a top ten team and this helps their case for being the top DII team this year.  Box score:
Goals
1st period: EH - Matt Longobardi (Rich DeCarlo) 7:49; M - Craig Wargo (TJ Olsson, Zach White) 8:38.  2nd period: EH - Tristain Goodwin (Matt Longobardi, Matt Barcomb) 5:00.  3rd period: EH - Tristain Goodwin (Mark Meyerholz) 0:58; M - Zach White (Craig Wargo) 3:45; EH - Rich DeCarlo (Jordan Avena) 3:53; M - Craig Wargo 7:11; TJ Olsson (John Mclenithan, Ben Levalle) 9:28; EH - Matt Barcomb 12:01.
Saves: M - Matt White 30; EH - Zak Bouve 27.
Shots: M - 31; EH - 35.

Friday

Hamden 1 @ St. John's (Shrewsbury, MA) 2
-Since this was an out-of-state team, I am going to try and translate what it means to Hamden in-state and it just furthers my claim that Xavier really can beat Hamden since X was up 2-0 and 3-1 on this same St. John's team.  X also gave Hamden a hell of game on Saturday night in which both teams looked pretty even in terms of talent and which team is better is really a toss up.

Boys' Hockey: Thursday and Friday's Top Games (1/12 and 1/13)

Thursday

Milford Co-op @ #9 East Haven @ 730
-This Milford co-op team still has only lost once this season, 4-5 in OT to a very good DII Branford team.  East Haven has also only lost once, 3-4 to #8 West Haven, but they did tie 5-5 with Stamford, a team that lost 4-10 to Branford.  I think the Easties have improved since that tie but part of proving how much they improved and building a case to jump West Haven in my next rankings lies in if they can beat a top DII team like Milford co-op and if so, by how much.

Friday

#3 Hamden @ St. John's (Shrewsbury, MA) @ 710 at Holy Cross College
-Hamden goes up to Holy Cross College to take on the same St. John's team that #5 Xavier almost beat (2-0 after two, 3-1 in the third) but lost 3-5.  The Green Dragons are pretty even in skill with Xavier but present a slightly different style that I think is actually better suited to play with a physical Massachusetts team like St. John's.  The thing is, I expect St. John's to bring the intensity for all three periods this time since they are not traveling all the way down to CT.  I think Hamden still has a good shot to win this game and the score will be probably be about 4-3 whether Hamden is the 4 or the 3.

DIII game: Rockville/Manchester/Stafford @ Bolton/Coventry/Lyman Memorial @ 820
-Two DIII teams that are in the middle to top of the division and look pretty evenly matched on paper.  The winner will be in good position in DIII.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Wins and Losses (1/11)

I said it was a huge day and now that it is said and done, there is even bigger news.  One team qualified for the post-season, there were some really big upsets, another team is no longer perfect, and some very close, controversial games at the top!

#4 Ridgefield 2 @ #2 Notre Dame-West Haven 1
-The first period in this one ended 0-0 but there were positives for both teams.  Ridgefield was winning the physical battle and their superb defense was making up for their poor puck control.  Notre Dame spent more time on offense but shots were probably about even as Ridgefield took more shots while on offense but were of less quality than the few ND managed to get off on Ridgefield's stifling defense.
The second period is when the West Haven very suspect officiating really started to show.  Ridgefield was not doing good on offense and they made their job harder when #14 was picked up an interference at the 6:00 mark.  Darren Capobianco got a solid shot on goal but the goalie made a pad save and ND only had one more good shot during that power play.  #9 on Ridgefield had a quality opportunity right after that power play and then the action really started to pick up.  Ridgefield had a good 2-on-2, ND 3-on-2 the other way then Ridgefield 3-on-1.  Finally, with 3:15 remaining, Ridgefield #9 and #6 rushed the net and lit the lamp on a beautiful exchange, 9 to 6 then back to 9 to beat ND goalie Luc Amatruda.  Unfortunately, #6 picked up a stupid penalty after the goal for cross-checking so ND started off their second power play of the game on the post-goal faceoff.  The Green Knights had a spectacular chance when the puck popped out of a play at the net and was in front of the open side of the net with an ND player right there.  However, Ridgefield's goalie, #30, along with his defense denied that goal by making hard for the ND skater to get his stick on the puck and then blocking off its path to the net.  Shortly thereafter, Alex Esposito made a good play for ND in front of the net but his shot hit the left post about halfway up and did not go in.  One of many blown or inconsistent calls in the game was highlighted by an ND player touching the puck on his way off the ice and ND not getting called for having too many men on the ice (they had six skaters on at that point).
In the third period, ND came out strong again and Colby Cretella had his shot at a goal, three time in fact, when he got the puck right in front of the goal and he tried the left (stick side for the goalie) but it was blocked back to him, through the five-hole but his stick was restricted by a defenseman and then around on the right (glove side) but was somehow denied once again; it was ten seconds that had everyone on the edge of their seats.  Like so many other times in this game, the puck just wouldn't go in the net for the Green Knights and there seemed to be an obstacle other than the Ridgefield defensemen and goalie.  Ridgefield responded at around the six-minute mark when #17 rushed the goal and slapped a shot by Amatruda from the left circle that did hit the inside of the right post but stayed in the net.  From there, you could really see anger, hunger and intensity in the ND players.  There was another scrum in front of the Ridgefield net but no goal for ND yet again.  #16 for the Tigers got called for a cross-check (more like a bump in front of the net that was not called a penalty at any other point in the game) and ND got their third power play of the game with 4:41 remaining in the third period.  The Green Knights had some good opportunities like hitting the left side of the right post but the puck ricocheted out.  However, ND-WH finally scored at the 12:04 mark, a power play goal for Greg Zullo on a rebound from a shot that went across the net and the goalie and defense couldn't get there this time, as they had many other times in the game.  As they did in their game against Prep, ND applied a lot of 6-on-5 pressure and got many shots on goal, coming very close to scoring but in the end Ridgefield almost scored an open net goal when they cleared the puck and time expired on ND's comeback with the score remaining 2-1 in favor of the Tigers.
Big win here for Ridgefield that can be credited almost entirely to their defense shutting down ND's offense.  It took some home referees to manufacture an ND goal (as is often the case in West Haven) and Ridgefield got very lucky on their "snipe" goal that beat Amatruda, a goal I was surprised to see get by him.  The score should have been 1-0 but still a clear win for the Tigers that proves they are better than the Green Knights right now but anything can happen going forward.

Conard 3 @ Fermi/Enfield 2
-Another revenge win for Conard as Fermi/Enfield had beat them 6-3 earlier in the season, on 12/20.

East Catholic 0 @ South Windsor 7
-At 8-2 overall, South Windsor was the first team in any division to qualify for the postseason this year.  Once you see all the other results from tonight, look for the Bobcats to possibly rise back into the top ten rankings next week.

#7 North Haven 8 @ Daniel Hand 1
-This is a good win for two reasons now.  Besides proving they are much better than a DII team, even a good one, as any top ten DI team should, this also distances North Haven from a team like West Haven that only beat Hand 5-4 and had a very disappointed result tonight that is later in this post.

Amity 1 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 3
-Although how close this game could be something to note, the bigger story here is Fairfield Prep coach Matt Sather (class of 1993) picking up his 200th in his coaching career; congratulations!

#5 Xavier 2 @ #3 Hamden 3
-I arrived near the end of the first period of this one and received a breakdown of why Hamden was up 1-0.  About midway through the first period, Nick Turner on Xavier was called for a penalty and Hamden capitalized on this power play, but it wasn't hard.  A Green Dragon defense took the puck to the middle of the ice and shot a laser by Xavier goalie Shane Baldwin uncontested from between the circles.  Hamden seemed to have a handle on the rest of the period with Xavier showing some promising moments but the score was 1-0 going into the first intermission.  Connor Walsh also picked up a stupid interference penalty for a late hit after the horn sounded so that gave Xavier a power play to start the second period.
Xavier got nothing on their power play but they had some good opportunities early in the period, most of which involved scrum in front of the net.  This was a result of a slap shot or centering pass that Xavier kept trying to put home because Hamden could not quickly or easily cover up or clear the puck.  I don't exactly know how to describe this situation and I wish there was a replay of this shot, as there is of a shot in the Cheshire and Guilford 2011 DII Championship game, but Hamden saucered a nice shot just out of reach of Baldwin but it ricocheted off the cross bar and bounced out to the almost the blue line in a matter of two or three seconds.  After some gasps and shouts from the crowd, a Hamden referee decided to call a goal for Hamden and then talked over the call with the other official and both quickly decided to proceed with that decision.  I don't know how any explanation could have satisfied Xavier's coach Scott Gainey since the only explanation (after discussing it with hockey players that have played at this rink) of how that shot was a goal was that it hit off the middle post, inside the net.  However, that post is in the middle of the net and the shot was to the upper right corner of the net so that could not be possible.  Nonetheless, as fans have seen in West Hartford, the officials literally gave the home team a goal in this one and that's just the way it is at the end of the day.  After that and before the second period ended, Xavier had two power plays as a result of Tyler Carangelo's cross-check at about 9:02 and Mike Regan's trip at 13:50.  Xavier didn't score on either, including the time in the third period, but Bryan Stanton stood out as working particularly hard for his team.  That is one thing that can be said about this game, both teams worked hard and played with intensity, which is what made this game so close and so good!
Only one hundred and twenty-two seconds into the third period, a penalty on Eric Sullivan put Xavier on the power play yet again and the Falcons had 3-on-5 for twenty-one seconds when Tyler Carangelo committed a tripping penalty.  However, yet again, Xavier came up empty handed and this time Hamden controlled the puck a lot over that span of about four minutes, even getting some good shots on goal despite being down 4-on-5 (3-on-4 in the offensive zone).  All the effort was not in vain though when Bryan Stanton scored on a nice centering pass from Jack Gethings to make the scoreboard score 2-1, time of the goal: 7:26.  Only a short while after that, at around 7:45, Dan Dupont was sent to the sin bin for tripping and Hamden went on the always deadly power play.  Forty-five seconds into the power play, Tim Lee got two minutes in the penalty box for goal tender interference that allowed Hamden to put the puck in the net but the referee correctly said that there was no goal due to the goaltender interference and 4-on-4 hockey ensued.  Both teams played well as the action shifted back and forth but neither could manage a goal with Xavier getting better opportunities to score but not being able to finish.  Hamden came through with their second goal in the net, third on the scoreboard, when Tim Lee fed Sean Casbarro at the 12:54 mark.  However, Xavier answered on a snipe by John Burkinshaw from the blue line with Ryan McClellan and Bryan Stanton picking up assists.  There were only twenty-nine seconds left but Xavier earned a second legitimate goal and tried for a third but came up short.
Hamden played better in this game and got the win thanks to the officials but Xavier certainly proved they are capable of beating Hamden even if both teams play at their best, which Xavier certainly did not do in this game.  Varga played well in net for the Green Dragons but didn't get tested in the same way he did against Fairfield Prep and Xavier's defense and goalie played well for most of the game but some lapses and mistakes gave Hamden just enough to score twice.  Xavier's offense failed to finish plays again and again but it is promising that even on an off day they got good opportunities on a Hamden defense that I would say played to 80 or 90% of their potential.  It is a shame these two teams do not meet again this season unless they find each other in the CIAC DI tournament that I'm sure both will qualify for and do well in this year.

Simsbury 3 @ #8 West Haven 1
-This proves that Simsbury is really heating up in a major way after a rough start 0-5 by winning their third straight.  For West Haven, this is not what they want if they want to make a case for being a top ten team in the state.  I was not at this game so I cannot speak to what exactly was the reason why the Blue Devils went down in this one at home but the result is what it is and it is not a good one for W Haven.

Joel Barlow 1 @ Newtown 8
-The Falcons went down and in a major way.  This looks very good for Newtown though as they build their resume to be the top ten team in DII this year whereas Joel Barlow still looks good in DIII.

Cheshire 4 @ Watertown/Pomperaug 2
-This game was streamed on sportingnewsct.com and it looks like it was a good one but the Rams came out on top and move above .500 on the season with their 5th win.  They now have ten days to prepare for their next game, a trip to #1 Fairfield Prep on next Saturday 1/21.  W-P is 3-7 but has time to turn things around as they progress into a much easier Southwest Conference schedule of mostly DII and DIII teams (7 games worth), except for Newington-Berlin (DIII, not SWC though), Amity (DI, SCC) and #7 North Haven (DI, SCC).

#6 Glastonbury 6 @ Wethersfield 3
-I did not end up making it to this game so I don't if it was closer than the score indicated but I can tell you that three goals against Glastonbury is an encouraging sign for the Eagles and shows the Thomahawks that they really need to work on defense if they except to beat some of the top teams like ND-WH next Monday 1/16 or even South Windsor next Saturday 1/21 and red hot Simsbury this Saturday.  Wethersfield plays DIII Hall/Southington on Saturday in the second game of their current four game homestand.

Stamford 4 @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 5
-The benchmarks proved true as FWL edged Stamford out in this one by a narrow score of five to four.  The victors host a very tough #8 East Haven on Saturday, that Stamford tied 5-5 in the first game of the season, where as the Black Knights take on a DI team as well in another FCIAC match-up like this game was, at the now 4-3 New Canaan Rams on Saturday.

Greenwich 5 @ St. Joseph 6
-About what you'd expect from these two teams right now: a close game in which both teams score a lot and I think the Cadets won because they a little more confidence, improving to 6-3, while Greenwich has lost to some really good teams and falls to 1-7.

Boys' Hockey: Wednesday's Top Games (1/11)

HUGE Wednesday for hockey and now that I am back in the constitution state, I plan on making to the two top five match-ups and possibly a third game with a previous top five team in action.  Also, two teams are in position to clinch post-season spots, both in DI, as 7-2 South Windsor hosts a decent DII East Catholic and 7-1 #2 ND-WH will have a much harder time at home against #4 Ridgefield.

#4 Ridgefield @ #2 Notre Dame-West Haven @ 415pm
-This game should be getting almost as much hype as 1 vs 2 or 1 vs 3 did because of the implications of a Ridgefield win would have on the polls.  Additionally, a ND-WH win gives their ranking a lot of backing considering they haven't played #3 Hamden yet (and won't until 1/28), only beat Cheshire 2-1 and their only other game against a top ten team besides their 3-4 loss to #1 Fairfield Prep was a 7-2 win over #7 North Haven.  They have been dominant and that's why I have them at number two but now we get to see how they do against a big-time team that they are favored against.  Ridgefield's only loss is to #1 Fairfield Prep as well (0-3) but they beat #6 Glastonbury 5-2, #5 Xavier 5-4 OT just recently and the scores of their other three games were 11-0, 9-0 and 8-0; very dominant as well.  Let's see which of these two juggernauts emerges with two losses and which keeps rolling.

#7 North Haven @ Daniel Hand @ 6
-Teams at the bottom of the top ten are under heavy scrutiny whenever they play good opponents.   Hand only lost 4-5 to #8 West Haven and 3-4 in OT to Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe but they topped Stamford 4-2 and Branford 7-2.  The Tigers lost 2-4 on Saturday at Fermi/Enfield but they may only help them in thier third consecutive game against a DI opponent.

#5 Xavier @ #3 Hamden @ 6
-This is the time both teams have on their official CIAC schedules despite different times and even different locations being reported by at least two different websites.  This game means a lot to both teams and then it is an all-important SCC match-up as well (SCC DI teams do not play a tournament so their regular season records against each other determine the winner, making these games paramount).  Xavier has been a pleasant surprise of young talent playing extremely well this year.  After almost beating #4 Ridgefield in OT on Saturday, the Falcons now move up to #3 Hamden, also on the road.  They actually beat Hamden last year for the first time in program history so Hamden will be viciously looking for revenge for that one since the Green Dragons were the #1 team in the state when the Falcons upset them.  This is a chance for Xavier to prove just how elite this skills are this year.  Hamden who is on a relative down year compared to how good they normally are, is still a very good team in this state that almost beat #1 Fairfield Prep.  They beat #10 Darien 2-0 and New Canaan 5-3, neither of which are that convincing so I think X has a real shot.  However, X only beat #7 North Haven 1-0 whereas Hamden topped them 6-3 but it was Xavier's first game of the season and those results speak more to Xavier having a strong defense and an offense that is their key to winning this, and every game.  I think the big thing to watch will be how good that Xavier defense does against Hamden, a team that will be hard to shut out; can Xavier's defense give their offense a chance to win the game like it has in every other game this season or will the Green Dragons be too much for a lesser opponent?  Head to Lou Asotrino Rink at 6pm and we'll see!

Joel Barlow @ Newtown @ 640
-Joel Barlow's perfect 5-0 record will be on the line when they travel to Danbury Ice Arena and take on Newtown, a top DII team.  I give Newtown the edge in this one but the Falcons have a chance to surprise some people here and prove they're better than DIII.

Cheshire @ Watertown/Pomperaug @ 8
-Interesting one to watch here because the Rams need all the wins they can get and W-P is a DII team that was actually DIII last year, a relative gem among the demanding SCC DI schedule they now have themselves after being forced to move up to DI this year.  However, W-P is the defending DIII champs with a strong goaltender and talented skaters looking to pick up more wins on their demanding DI and DII schedule thus far.  In fact, these two teams met back on 12/27 at Cheshire and the hosts won 7-5 but in such a high scoring and close game, anything can happen the second time around.

#6 Glastonbury @ Wethersfield @ 810
-Wethersfield is hanging around the top of DII with their 4-2 record and in-state wins over Northwest Catholic and East Catholic look very good.  However, losses against Newington/Berlin and Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown make the Eagles look inconsistent.  Nonetheless, I think they have a shot at giving Glastonbury a very good game as these CCC towns are only separated by the Connecticut River.  It would be disappointing for Glastonbury to find themselves in the same boat as South Windsor did after they lost to Conard so the Thomahawks better play well in this northern showdown.

Stamford @ Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe @ 815
-Solid DII game right here that will feed another result into the discussion of who is the best in DII this year.  Stamford has a 5-5 tie with #9 East Haven, 10-6 win over Lyman Hall, and 3-4 loss to Staples/Weston/Shelton; they need to add a win over Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe to have some more legitimacy in that conversation with the other results they have on their schedule.  FWL beat Hand 3-4 in OT a few days after Hand beat Stamford 4-2.  Also, FWL beat Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks who beat Northwest Catholic, a team Stamford lost to.  Other than that, FWL doesn't have much except two losses to Branford so they need a win here to move to even at 3-3.

Greenwich @ St. Joseph @ 830
-A big FCIAC game as Greenwich has talent but St. Joseph has wins.  The Cadets beat Guilford and Trinity Catholic but lost to New Canaan 1-6.  The Cardinals only lost to NC 4-5 though and has played three top ten teams, highlighted by a 2-3 loss in OT at Xavier.  The fact that this is a conference game makes it even more important and fans should see a good one at the Rinks at Shelton.