As I said in the rankings post, this could prove to be the best week of the regular season and Wednesday is a big reason why. The Iowa GOP caucuses from last night will look like nothing compared to the exciting evening of high school hockey coming up.
Cheshire @ #2 Notre Dame-West Haven @ 3pm @ TD Bank Sports Arena at Quinnipiac University (Hamden)
-Cheshire has got talent and no one needs to tell either team how big this game. Not only is this a SCC and DI match-up but it is also the first game of the evening in the TD Bank Sports Arena where Quinnipiac University plays. I expect to both teams to have a good amount of fans and the event to attract general hockey fans as well to provide an almost state-playoff like atmosphere in Hamden. ND-WH has a chance to make a big statement and welcome the Rams to DI.
#8 West Haven @ Daniel Hand @ 4pm
-This game is getting a feature because West Haven gets a decent test at one of the top team in DII and this result will have an effect on their position in my rankings. Northford Ice Pavilion will host this one.
St. Joseph @ New Canaan @ 6pm
-I think is a gem of a game that may get lost among the others being played on Wednesday. St. Joseph is 4-1 against lesser opponents while NC is 2-3 but has played top teams in state. A victory says a lot for these two FCIAC rivals that played against each other four times last year with St. Joseph losing both regular season games and in the FCIAC championship but they beat NC in the DI state semifinals to eventually finish second to Fairfield Prep. There is still lots of bad blood between these two programs that know each other very well, despite both losing lots of players from last year.
#3 Hamden @ #1 Fairfield Prep @ 7pm @ TD Bank Sports Arena at Quinnipiac University (Hamden)
-It may be on the schedule as a home game for Prep but they're in Hamden on the big stage and should expect a hostile environment. Hamden residents love their hockey and now that they get a much larger venue than Lou Astorino Rink, more of them can cheer on their Green Dragons in the game of the season thus far! I expect an awesome final game at the TD Bank Sports Arena, well worth the price of admission, as two of the very top teams in the state face off in the classic SCC, DI rivalry; Prep v Hamden. I do predict that the Jesuits emerge victorious but some things to watch will be what can Hamden's offense do against Prep and how Prep's goalie plays in the biggest game of his career thus far. Those are my keys to the game and I think Prep's offense will be able to win this one for them.
#10 East Haven @ #7 North Haven @ 8pm
-Another top-ten showdown will show us which of these two early-season success stories is more legit. I'm leaning towards North Haven but East Haven can really prove something here an capture a quality win that should end up being worth 9 points as I expect both these teams to be make the state tournament at the very least. In fact, East Haven is only 3 wins (or 2 wins and a tie) away from officially securing a spot. This will be an excellent nightcap of a long day of good hockey at the Northford Ice Pavilion.
Other games to watch:
Stamford @ Staples/Weston/Shelton @ 6pm
-This could turn out to be a blowout but Stamford showed a little potential in their tie with East Haven on opening night, despite their current 1-3-1 record. S-W-S is one of the few remaining undefeated teams and Stamford is standing in the way of 4-0. Plus, this is a DII match-up since S-W-S got moved up this year.
Wethersfield @ Rocky Hill/RHAM/Middletown @ 8pm
-Wethersfield is 3-1 but only 1-1 in-state with a 5-2 win over Northwest Catholic but an 0-4 loss to Newington/Berlin, both DIII squads. R-M-R is another DIII team that is doing okay at 3-2. Wethersfield needs to win this game if they want to be in the discussion of DII contenders.
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