One of the stories of the Connecticut boys’ hockey season thus far, at least in Division I?
Chalk. And lots of it.
Through the first half of the season, there just haven’t been many surprises in the state’s top class. The preseason contenders are still the contenders, and no one else unexpected has surged into the conversation. There’s been a bit more uncertainty in Division II, but even there, the preseason state title favorites remain clearly on top.
Still, there’s plenty to discuss as we head into the back half of the season.
Here’s our midseason report.
Three takeaways
1. New Canaan and Darien are the Division I favorites. The two DI finalists from a year ago remain the two teams to beat this winter. New Canaan finally lost to a CIAC opponent on Wednesday, but a 2-1 loss to powerhouse Fairfield Prep is certainly excusable, and the Rams (9-2-0) were rolling beforehand. They’ve been our No. 1 team for over a month, star senior Rogan Lowe (11 goals, 16 assists) is dominating and Clark Jones’ group owns arguably the best win of the season thus far, a 5-3 victory over Darien before Christmas. Speaking of the Wave, since that loss to NC, Mac Budd’s team has arguably been even more dominant than its arch-rival — Darien (10-3-0) has won eight in a row, including victories over Fairfield Prep, Bishop Hendricken (R.I), Notre Dame-West Haven and Xavier. The Wave have the depth to play all four lines and all six defensemen, and senior goalie Schafer Repsher hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a game during the win streak. Darien hosts NC in the final game of the regular season. Don’t be surprised if the two meet again in the FCIAC and state tournaments.
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2. East Haven Co-op and Cheshire are running away in Division II. It’s the same story in DII — last year’s pair of finalists are the state title favorites again. East Haven finally lost on Wednesday, in a surprising 6-5 overtime decision at Daniel Hand, but Lou Pane’s team (12-1-0) got right back to form Saturday in a 7-1 win over Guilford. The defending DII champs are dominating weaker teams and toppling stronger ones — the Yellowjackets have beaten Cheshire, Amity and Greenwich (DI) this year. Led by junior Enzo Plano, EH is loaded. Cheshire is pretty freakin’ good, too. Anthony Guisto’s team also just beat Amity and Greenwich, and since their tight 4-2 loss to EH on Dec. 27, the Rams (11-1) have won nine in a row. Cheshire’s defense, led by the top pairing of juniors Isaac Mann and Jake Soderlund, has been airtight, having only allowed three goals once during that win streak.
3. Fairfield Prep looks legit. And the Jesuits proved it with a 2-1 victory at New Canaan on Wednesday. Vin O’Hara’s team fell behind by a goal in the third period of a tight, physical affair, but Prep dug deep — Nico Dowd found the equalizer before fellow senior Drew McCoy won it with 1:30 to go. That win, combined with a similarly close 2-1 loss to Darien two weeks prior, gives the Jesuits (still just 5-4-0) reason to believe they can win it all in Division I. Prep’s schedule is backloaded heavily, so the road ahead is tough — it includes Darien and New Canaan again and a date with East Haven — but at this point, the defending SCC champs look like the real deal.
Three questions
1. How good is Notre Dame-West Haven? Well, we’re about to find out. The Green Knights travel to Fairfield Prep on Saturday and New Canaan next Wednesday in two of their final chances to make a statement after a treacherous out-of-state schedule left them at 1-6-1 entering CIAC play. Viera’s young team has looked pretty good against Division I opponents, boasting wins over Xavier and Simsbury, both of which are ranked in our top 10. But the Knights (4-7-1) couldn’t hang with Darien for three periods in a 5-2 loss (they get the Wave again on Feb. 18), and eventually, they’ll need to defeat a top DI team to prove they’re legit contenders. NC, Prep and Darien again all qualify.
2. Can anyone else contend in DI? Notre-Dame West Haven is traditionally grouped with New Canaan, Fairfield Prep and Darien to form a big four. Simsbury (7-5-0) was our best of the rest in DI in our preseason rankings, and after a slow start, Dave Olechna’s team has won seven of nine. But those two losses were a 5-1 decision to Prep and a 4-3 loss at ND-WH on Saturday. Xavier (5-7-0) beat Simsbury in the opener, but Karl Sundquist’s group is also 0-2 against teams from the big four. In fact, the only CIAC team outside of the big four to beat a team inside it is Ridgefield, which upset Prep 5-4 in the second game of the year, but the Tigers are only 4-8.
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3. Who are the other teams to watch in DII? We’ve ranked Amity (6-4-0) all season, and the Spartans have been solid, but a 4-1 loss to Cheshire last Wednesday was disappointing (though Andy Townsend’s team wasn’t shelled, by any means) after Amity gave East Haven a real run in a 3-2 loss the week prior. Hamden (6-3-1) has some curious losses, but the Green Dragons beat Amity. They get Cheshire on Wednesday. North Haven (6-3-1) just beat Hamden and was competitive in a 2-0 loss to Cheshire. Wethersfield (6-3-1) tied with Hamden in the opener, then defeated the Dragons in OT on Jan. 4. Those are all solid teams, but the main team to watch might be Lyman Hall (8-1-1), which didn’t generate much chatter in the preseason but has surged to the top of the CIAC’s DII rankings (third) and the SCC DII standings (second). Dave Sagnella’s group beat Hamden 8-4 and still has to play East Haven (Saturday), Amity and Cheshire.
