New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
ND-West Haven responds with win over Darien
WEST HAVEN — It’s an odd time of year for a 7-4 boys hockey game for two teams with aspirations of playing past St. Patrick’s Day.
It’s also an odd time of year to be talking about compete level, but there it was Wednesday night after Notre Dame-West Haven defeated Darien at Bennett Rink.
Notre Dame coach Larry Vieira liked the Green Knights’ a heck of a lot more than he did after Saturday’s loss to Fairfield Prep. They’ve come back with a 3-2 win over Xavierian Brothers in Massachusetts on Monday, then this one Wednesday to improve to 15-2-1.
“After that, we kind of realized we’ve got to work as a team,” Notre Dame senior Tye Battipaglia said. “That’s what we’ve always had to do. We made a quick change, went up to Mass., put it to work, and we had great results.”
On the other side, Darien coach Mac Budd was left a bit puzzled after his team finished its regular season at 12-5-3 with a bit of a clinker.
It wasn’t the type of game you’d expect in the rematch of last year’s CIAC Division I final nor even the 3-2 game they played at Darien in January; Notre Dame won those, too. It sure wasn’t the kind of game that was going to beat a team that has topped the GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll for almost 14 months.
“They’re all going to be like this. That was the message in the locker room,” said Budd, whose team is ranked fourth. “I said it after the New Canaan game (a 4-1 loss a week and a half ago) too, a similar type of game for us. Late in the season, it’s more about your compete level. It’s going to take a lot of effort and determination over the next three or four weeks if you want to win something.