-This really mucks things up at the bottom of the top ten since E Haven beat N Haven, N Haven beat W Haven and W Haven just beat E Haven. However, this is where I will really have to assess the talent on each of these three teams to decide their new respective rankings on Sunday, a feature that separates my rankings from others in the state that usually take into account program history or place a greater emphasis on just the overall record of a team. I know which I think I'm going to order these teams but you'll have to look for those rankings tomorrow to see for yourself. If you want to know as soon as they're up (and all my other posts) or if you just simply enjoy this website, please like High School Sports in CT on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hssportsct. For some substance, here is the box score of the Yellowjackets first loss that almost was another come-from-behind victory:
Goals
1st period: WH - Kyle Leyerzapf 3:34; Adam Mink (Kyle Leyerzapf) 6:19; Josh Robinchaud (Mike Troiano, Kyle Leyerzapf) 9:23; EH - Stephen Marsico (Frank Latella, Matt Barcomb) 11:14. 2nd period: EH - Rich DeCarlo (Matt Longobardi, Stephen Marsico) 12:00. 3rd period: WH - Austin Hansen (Mike Troiano) 2:47; EH - Rich DeCarlo (Matt Longobardi) 14:45.
Saves: EH - Zac Bouve 27; WH - Justin Shepard 20.
Shots: EH - 23; WH - 31.
NOTE: East Haven head coach Lou Pane could not coach this game for personal reasons so instead, Ben Fronte took on head coaching responsibilities.
#2 Notre Dame-West Haven 3 @ #1 Fairfield Prep 4
-This one was not as close as the score and Fairfield Prep came out and controlled the tempo of the game for the entire first period. They were bodying ND-WH off the puck at will and passing it quicker than the ND skaters could react. Lucky for ND, goalie Luc Amatruda could react and made save after save, none of which were too hard. ND got the puck into Prep’s zone only one or two times besides a number of icing and dumps to get a line change. Fairfield Prep had a power play with 5:40 left in the period because of Anthony Iovene’s tripping but they only managed a few shots and looked pretty stagnant, but power play defense is always a strength of ND-WH. There were so many faceoff’s in the first period from all of the Prep shots, ND icings, Prep offsides and ND defenseman Darren Capobianco lifting the puck out of play. Then, finally, at the 13:59 mark, AJ Unker took the puck from an ND skater behind ND’s net, and then passed it over to Connor Henry who put it home for a 1-0 Jesuit lead going into the first intermission.
Notre Dame came out ready to play and it paid off right away with goal thirty-three seconds. There is going to be some controversy over this goal as Darren Capobianco’s shot from the point was knocked down and in by Greg Zullo but the shot appeared to be about shoulder height and Zullo was not called for high-sticking the puck. The play reminded me of a goal ND scored in their 3-2 win over Xavier last season but this shot looked even higher; nonetheless, the refs let the goal stand (like the ones in West Haven did last year) and ND even the score at 1-1. The Green Knights used that momentum and played a lot more physical with Prep. A little back and forth before Prep moved the puck back into ND’s zone and applied some pressure for over a minute. ND managed to clear the puck before Prep scored but Zullo tripped a Fairfield Prep player shortly thereafter and the Jesuits went on the power play. A few good shots but no goals, in fact they had a better opportunity a minute after the power play ended when Tom Worsfold found Unker all alone up the ice in ND’s zone and he was alone with the goalie. Bill Vizzo had a one-on-one with Worsfold but Worsfold checked him off the puck, textbook, and nothing came of it. ND had a two-on-one that failed due to poor puck control but that started a few minutes of time in Prep’s zone where the Green Knights had a few good opportunities with some scrum in front of the net twice and some good moves to get good looks but Riley Wikman didn’t let anything get by him. Prep managed to clear after a while and the action calmed down for a little while. With just about two minutes left to play, Prep got a two-on-one and Unker beat Anthony Astorino but Astorino tripped him on the way by so Prep started their third power play at the 13:04 mark. ND cleared the puck twice but after the second one, sophomore Will Brophy made a good rush up the ice and centered it back to Patrick Hayes who finished the goal at the 14:38 mark of the second. ND didn’t pick up the trailer and it meant a 2-1 Prep advantage after two periods.
The third period started out pretty even until Fairfield Prep’s Dean Lockery committed a tripping penalty two minutes and fifty-three seconds in. However, right after the faceoff, Lou Iannotti on Notre Dame committed a tripping as well, time of the penalty 3:03. ND controlled the puck enough to get ssome offense first on the 4-on-4 but after a clear and a dump, Kevin Brown passes it to David White and he scored at the 3:13 mark and Prep went on top 3-1. The penalties expired and the game went back and forth from there with ND getting more shots on goal than Prep did in the next few minutes. After a faceoff in the ND zone, David White tripped a ND player and at the 7:53 mark ND got a power play opportunity. The Jesuits didn’t help themselves as Will Brophy got called for tripping at 8:36 and ND called a timeout to plan their 5-on-3 attack. Right away, Greg Zullo had a quality backhand in front of the net but Wikman made the save. Prep cleared the puck after the ensuing faceoff and ND came back and got at least one more shot on goal before Prep cleared again. Alex Esposito got one more shot in front of the net for Notre Dame before the play shift to 5-on-4. Prep cleared the puck and David White came back on the ice. Billy D'Amore stole the puck in deep ND’s zone, passed it to White, White centered it to Connor Henry and Henry scored the shorthand goal to put his team up 4-1 with 4:54 left in the third. One minute later, at the 11:03 mark, Colby Cretella continued his hot streak as he redirected a shot from Iannotti to cut Prep’s lead to 4-2. Notre Dame really turned the pressure on from here with Prep occasionally clearing the puck and getting a shot or two on Amatruda. Things paid off with a 6-on-5 ND goal scored by Bill Vizzo with thirteen seconds left in the game (Greg Zullo and Colby Cretella picked up assists). ND would move the puck into Prep’s on the ensuing faceoff but it got tied up in the “corner” and time expired on this one with Fairfield Prep emerging as the better team in this one; final score: 4-3.
Luc Amatruda had 22 saves and Riley Wikman had 26, meaning the shots were 29-26 in favor of Prep.
Luc Amatruda had 22 saves and Riley Wikman had 26, meaning the shots were 29-26 in favor of Prep.
Considering the game as a whole, ND had some really good opportunities on offense, especially late, but their defense, one of the best in the state, couldn’t handle Prep’s offense. In reference to my keys to the game, you saw Prep able to score when they needed to and I think if ND’s defense wasn’t so good, Prep would have made a lot better shots on goal, the kind that Luc Amatruda cannot handle. Don’t get me wrong, Amatruda is good, that’s why he transferred from Guilford and got the starting job at ND-WH to replace Greg Harney, but ND’s defense protects him well too. Prep does not play Ridgefield in the regular season this year but they have #8 West Haven on 1/18, #6 Xavier on 2/1 and #7 North Haven on 2/8 all at home and then road rematches with #2 ND-WH on 2/18 and #3 Hamden on 2/25. To top it all off, they still face Amity, Cheshire, Notre Dame-Fairfield, Catholic Memorial (powerhouse in MA) and two games at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ and #10 East Haven to complete their schedule; no days off for the #1 team and defending state champs! ND-WH does play #4 Ridgefield next Wednesday and #5 Glastonbury the Monday after that along with ND-F, at #6 Xavier, versus #10 E Haven, at #3 Hamden, versus #8 W Haven, #1 Prep again, at #7 N Haven, at ND-F and a season finale at home with #3 Hamden; a brutal in-state schedule (aside from Trinity Catholic) that comes with playing in the SCC.
Daniel Hand 2 @ Fermi/Enfield 4
-Strong way for Fermi/Enfield to bounce back from their loss to Simsbury on Wednesday as they top a very good DII team in this one.
Windsor/Farmington/Avon 5 @ Tri-Town 5 OT
-A tie is something neither is probably happy about since for Tri-Town this means they couldn't beat a brand new co-op and they're supposed to be a legit DI team whereas for Windsor/Farmington/Avon this means they aren't actually better a team at the bottom of DI...they're about the same.
St. Joseph 1 @ #8 South Windsor 5
-This is a very good win for SW but what really hurt them was the result of another game: Simsbury picking up their second win of the season 3-2 over Conard. That's a very disappointing result for the Chieftains and gives Simsbury some momentum with two stright wins over decent teams but since South Windsor couldn't beat Conard twice, this result reflects very poorly on them.
Notre Dame-Fairfield 2 @ Darien 4
-Like I said, this was a win Darien really needed. They are now 3-3 and although ND-F fell to 2-5 and I don't want to sound like a broken record, they are still a good team and should not be overlooked. Here is the box score from this game:
Goals
1st period: ND - Dave Canfarotta (Cam Barquinero) 11:23; D - Jack Knowlton (George Gregory) 14:!2. 2nd period: D - Trent Bergin (Alec Foresta) 4:01; ND - Erik Laaksonen (Brendan Walsh, Craig Hesseneius) 7:46; D - Breandan Hathaway 9:45. 3rd period: D - Nick Bruno (Kevin Love, Dana Wensberg) 3:21.
Saves: ND - Collin Rush 26; D - Hunt Bartman 19.
Shots: ND - 21; D - 30.
Amity 2 @ Cheahire 3
-The Rams get just enough to really show they were ready to move up to DI even with their SCC schedule. At 4-4, they are halfway to qualifying for the DI state tournament in their first year in DI (St. Joseph was the DI runner-up last year, in their first year in DI...so the bar is high for a defending DII champion).
#6 Xavier 4 @ #4 Ridgefield 5 OT
-Overtime is exactly what both these teams would want coming into the game since it means the result was so close, a loss doesn't really hurt either. In fact, taking Ridgefield to OT, by itself helps Xavier, the lower ranked team. At the end of the day though, Ridgefield gets the big win and revenge while Xavier losses their first in-state game...and they only get harder in the SCC (@ #3 Hamden is next for the Falcons).
DII game to watch:
Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 2 @ Branford 4
-Branford is looking very good this year; box score:
Goals
1st period: FWL - Tom Kryspin (Mathiu Larouche) 13:08. 2nd period: B - Rob Klouda (Tyler Hackett, Rob Celentano) 11:39; Rob Celentano (Kade Gregory) 12:10; Rob Celentano (Kade Gregory) 13:09; Rob Celentano (Joe Gianinni, Kade Gregory) 15:00. 3rd period: FWL - Tom Kryspin (Mathiu Larouche, Mike Aquila) 14:31.
Saves: FWL - Conor Frawley 19; B - Alessandro Sarno 20.
Shots: FWL - 22; B - 23.
DIII game to watch:
St. Bernard/Bacon Academy/NFA 4 @ Northwest Catholic 7
-A very high-scoring affair as many of the top DIII games tend to be but NWC was the victor here as they win their second DIII game, first against a good opponent, and St. Bernard/Bacon Academy/NFA falls to 1-1 in the division but only 3-4 overall.
Daniel Hand 2 @ Fermi/Enfield 4
-Strong way for Fermi/Enfield to bounce back from their loss to Simsbury on Wednesday as they top a very good DII team in this one.
Windsor/Farmington/Avon 5 @ Tri-Town 5 OT
-A tie is something neither is probably happy about since for Tri-Town this means they couldn't beat a brand new co-op and they're supposed to be a legit DI team whereas for Windsor/Farmington/Avon this means they aren't actually better a team at the bottom of DI...they're about the same.
St. Joseph 1 @ #8 South Windsor 5
-This is a very good win for SW but what really hurt them was the result of another game: Simsbury picking up their second win of the season 3-2 over Conard. That's a very disappointing result for the Chieftains and gives Simsbury some momentum with two stright wins over decent teams but since South Windsor couldn't beat Conard twice, this result reflects very poorly on them.
Notre Dame-Fairfield 2 @ Darien 4
-Like I said, this was a win Darien really needed. They are now 3-3 and although ND-F fell to 2-5 and I don't want to sound like a broken record, they are still a good team and should not be overlooked. Here is the box score from this game:
Goals
1st period: ND - Dave Canfarotta (Cam Barquinero) 11:23; D - Jack Knowlton (George Gregory) 14:!2. 2nd period: D - Trent Bergin (Alec Foresta) 4:01; ND - Erik Laaksonen (Brendan Walsh, Craig Hesseneius) 7:46; D - Breandan Hathaway 9:45. 3rd period: D - Nick Bruno (Kevin Love, Dana Wensberg) 3:21.
Saves: ND - Collin Rush 26; D - Hunt Bartman 19.
Shots: ND - 21; D - 30.
Amity 2 @ Cheahire 3
-The Rams get just enough to really show they were ready to move up to DI even with their SCC schedule. At 4-4, they are halfway to qualifying for the DI state tournament in their first year in DI (St. Joseph was the DI runner-up last year, in their first year in DI...so the bar is high for a defending DII champion).
#6 Xavier 4 @ #4 Ridgefield 5 OT
-Overtime is exactly what both these teams would want coming into the game since it means the result was so close, a loss doesn't really hurt either. In fact, taking Ridgefield to OT, by itself helps Xavier, the lower ranked team. At the end of the day though, Ridgefield gets the big win and revenge while Xavier losses their first in-state game...and they only get harder in the SCC (@ #3 Hamden is next for the Falcons).
DII game to watch:
Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 2 @ Branford 4
-Branford is looking very good this year; box score:
Goals
1st period: FWL - Tom Kryspin (Mathiu Larouche) 13:08. 2nd period: B - Rob Klouda (Tyler Hackett, Rob Celentano) 11:39; Rob Celentano (Kade Gregory) 12:10; Rob Celentano (Kade Gregory) 13:09; Rob Celentano (Joe Gianinni, Kade Gregory) 15:00. 3rd period: FWL - Tom Kryspin (Mathiu Larouche, Mike Aquila) 14:31.
Saves: FWL - Conor Frawley 19; B - Alessandro Sarno 20.
Shots: FWL - 22; B - 23.
DIII game to watch:
St. Bernard/Bacon Academy/NFA 4 @ Northwest Catholic 7
-A very high-scoring affair as many of the top DIII games tend to be but NWC was the victor here as they win their second DIII game, first against a good opponent, and St. Bernard/Bacon Academy/NFA falls to 1-1 in the division but only 3-4 overall.
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