This is the final edition of the rankings since all that is left is the state tournament.
#1 Fairfield Prep (17-3)
-With a 3-0 win over Amity this past Wednesday, the Jesuits only losses (in state) are splits with ND-WH and Hamden. ND-WH is on the other side of the DI bracket but they may face Hamden in the quarterfinals on Saturday! If Prep was to play New Canaan, the team right below them, it would be in the championship game...how fitting! Fairfield Prep needs to focus on Darien first though since Darien almost beat NC in the FCIAC semifinals.
#2 New Canaan (23-0)
-After a 20-0 regular season, the Rams spent this past week (and the end of last week) beating Trumbull 8-0, Darien 1-0 and then St. Joseph 4-3 in OT to win the FCIAC Championship. Those lost two results are reason for concern as NC enters the state tournament. They play Greenwich first round (3-0 and 5-1 wins int eh regular season) but after that they get the ND-WH/G-bury winner and then St.Joseph/Amity/Ridgefield/Conard; needless to say, it will not be easy.
#3 Hamden (12-6-1)
-The Green Dragons beat Notre Dame-West Haven 2-0 in a thriller this past Wednesday and are the SCC-DI Champions with a 5-1-1 conference record; Xavier, Prep and ND-WH were all 5-2-0 in the conference. Hamden lost to Prep once ("won" the first time), Xavier, New Canaan and three out of state prep schools (the tie is with West Haven). Hamden comes into the tournament on fire after the ND-WH win, a 7-0 massacre on 2/19 of West Haven, their first round opponent in states, and a 4-1 win on 2/12 over South Windsor, a team they will potentially see in the semifinals, if they get past Prep (or Darien) in the quarterfinals.
#4 Xavier (13-7)
-16 goals in their last two games (West Haven and ND-Fairfield...very good opponents), the Falcons are peaking at just the right time. They face East Haven on Wednesday in the first round and although they won 5-2 last time on 2/10, Xavier knows not to overlook a good team like the Easties, especially now that it's the postseason. Xavier's in state losses this year were New Canaan (technically), ND-WH, Conard, all three of which are on the opposite side of the bracket from them, and then Fairfield Prep, who they could meet in the semifinals at Yale.
#5 Notre Dame-West Haven (12-7)
-Why the change in the rankings this week and not last week? Not only is Xavier's offense hot right now but also ND-WH is on a serious skid after losing to Amity 3-4 in OT and then getting dominated by Hamden 0-2 on Wednesday (score was only close thanks to their goalie Greg Harney but Hamden could basically do whatever they wanted to in that game). The Green Knights other five losses this season are New Canaan, West Haven, Hamden before too, Notre Dame-Fairfield, and a split with Fairfield Prep. ND plays Glastonbury in the first round, GAME OF THE DAY, then, if they can beat the Tomahawks, they will probably get New Canaan in the quarterfinals.
#6 Glastonbury (15-4-2)
-The Tomahwaks started off the season with a 3-5 loss to Ridgefield in the very first game, shaky OT wins over East Catholic and Farmingotn, losses to ND-WH and SW, then one 1-2 in OT to Conard on 2/3. Glastonbury closed out strong though 7-0-2 in their last 9 games with ties against Amity and Ridgefield, wins over North Haven and Notre Dame-Fairfield and then, just last night, the most important win: 2-1 over South Windsor to win the CCC-North Championship! They take on Notre Dame-West Haven in the first round of the Division I tournament, my GAME OF THE DAY (Saturday may have better games) and, should they get past the Green Knights, they will see New Canaan (most likely) in the quarterfinals.
#6 Ridgefield (16-5-1)
-The Tigers had a rough FCIAC tournament only beating Greenwich 1-2 last Saturday and then losing to St. Joseph 2-3 this past Wednesday. They had beaten St. Joseph 4-1, at St. Joseph's home ice, just one week earlier. Ridgefield tied Glastonbury on 2/21 (the 5-3 win on 12/15 was so long ago it is trivial now) and that is the only reason they are tied in the rankings, instead of Ridgefield being 7. Ridgefield still has a good team and can make a run to Ingalls in the state tournament but they better play hard in their first round game with Conard, especially if the Conard who beat Xavier (who beat them) shows up (as opposed to the Conard that lost to Trinity Catholic, Farmingotn, Tri-Town and ND-F and tied Simsbury twice, Hand and Cheshire). The regular season losses for Ridgefield are Xavier and ND-F early in the season, then New Canaan and Prep.
#8 South Windsor (17-4)
-Two losses to Glastonbury, a 1-4 loss to Hamden and a 0-7 blowout at the hands of Prep isn't bad and neither is #8 in the state. For comparison, the Bobcats are 6-5 against teams that made the DI tournament but the six wins are 12 seed Conard twice (by one goal each time), 14 seed Tri-Town twice (by two goals each time), 9 seed Glastonbury once (by one goal) and 10 seed West Haven once...so none in the top half of teams that made the tournament. South Windsor will presumably roll over Tri-Town on Wednesday in the first round but their quarterfinal match-up with either 6 seed Xavier or 11 seed East Haven (both seeded lower than them) will be very interesting. The Bobcats better not overlook Tri-Town though because the Thunderbirds are coming off their NHC Championship and if they catch SW still moping around from losing to G-bury in the CCC-North Championship then anything can happen in the postseason!
#9 St. Joseph (18-5)
-St. Joseph does just enough to remain a factor in the DI tournament after a 5-4 win against Wilton last Friday, a major 3-2 upset on Wednesday versus Ridgefield and then only losing the FCIAC Championship game to New Canaan 3-4 in OT! The Cadets face giant-killer Amity, and the team they lost to 2-5 in the DII championship last year, in the first round of DI states this year so that should be a very good game! Should St. Joseph win, they will most likely take on Ridgefield again, for the third time. For a team that was in DII last year and DIII the year before, St. Joseph has been VERY IMPRESSIVE this year, only losing to Guilford in the first game of the season, New Canaan twice in the regular season, and Ridgefield in the last game of the regular season.
#10 West Haven (12-6-2)
-The Blue Devils still have a slight edge on Amity for the 10 spot and, unlike Amity, got an unfortunate draw with Hamden in the first round and then if they make it to the quarterfinals, Prep will most likely be waiting for them there. The Westies tied Greenwich and Hamden during the season with their six losses coming against ND-WH, Prep, Amity, Hamden, Xavier (all SCC-DI teams) and then South Windsor as well. SW or X is the most likely semifinal match-up they would see at Ingalls if they can make it there.
P.S. the times for Wednesday's games have been updated on the CIAC bracket (for link, see other post).
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