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
Saturday, January 21, 2012
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.
#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!
#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
#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
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.
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
#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
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.
#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.
-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.
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