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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