Darien blanked by No. 1 ND-WH
DARIEN — He was a college hockey goalie, but Notre DameWest Haven coach Larry Vieira doesn’t see one crucial thing about himself in Green Knights starter Layne Jackson.
“I played goal in the Stone Age,” Vieira said. “I used to be nervous all the time, and Layne up at Catholic Memorial (in Massachusetts) said ‘I want penalty shots.’ He wants adverse situations. He wants us to be in the man-down situations. Nothing fazes him. He’s had an amazing year so far.”
That season continued Saturday with a 1-0 win for Notre Dame, No. 1 in the GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll, over No. 2 Darien at Darien Ice House. Jackson made 26 saves for his second shutout in 10 games.
“My defense played great. They made my job really easy,” Jackson said. “I had to make the routine saves and they were able to clear the rebound.”
Jackson had played just four games over the past two years for Notre Dame (6-3-2) but has claimed the starter’s net this season. He withstood Darien’s third-period push after Zach Goetze gave Notre Dame a lead with 25 seconds left in the second.
Jackson said he started playing goal when he was about 6, after his dad got him streethockey pads. He enjoyed it right away.
Vieira said Jackson took lessons from him when he was younger.
“I’ve known him since squirt (10-and-under),” Vieira said. “I’m not responsible for how good he is, but it’s nice to work with a young man, to know their family for so many years, and see it pay off at this point.”
Jackson pushed his save percentage over .930 for Notre Dame, which has played eight of its first 11 games against some top-notch New England competition. He has allowed under two goals a game.
In three games in-state, the Green Knights have allowed two goals, beating No. 3 New Canaan 5-1 and No. 7 Fairfield Prep 4-1.
“Layne is just feeling it,” Vieira said. “He’s confident in himself as a young man, confident in his surroundings. Nothing fazes him.”
Player of the Game
Notre Dame senior goalie Layne Jackson made 26 saves to earn the shutout.
Fast Wave
Don’t be fooled by the score: This was an entertaining and fast-paced Division I game.
“It was really, really fun to be a part of it,” Darien coach Mac Budd said. “Obviously disappointed we didn’t come away with the ‘W’ but really happy with the way our guys played” against a Notre Dame team he said has “no weaknesses.”
Both Budd and Vieira said they’ve seen their teams playing stronger team hockey since Day 1.
“We have a lot of kids who like to score,” Vieira said. “and our mantra is, if we start off the game with no goals allowed, we can’t lose. We’re reinforcing our shooters, our guys who like to stretch out, to play defense.”
Notre Dame had an edge in possession and shots over the first two periods, but Darien goalie Quinn Kreppein kept the Green Knights off the board until James Mascari kept a puck in the zone and Zach Goetze finished off a shot from the front of the net for the only goal.
“We have to try to figure out a way to beat them,” Budd said. “I have a feeling they’ll be there at the end. It’s important to look at that and recognize we’re going to have a heck of an effort to beat that team.”
Quotable
“(A final of ) 1-0 is not an illusion. We earned that win. They forced us to make some mistakes. They’re quick. They’re fast. They’re disciplined, I’d be shocked that team doesn’t go real far this year.” —Notre Dame coach Larry Vieira