Newington falls to Masuk in finals

HAMDEN — The Masuk student section chanted “MVP” at Drew Scalia after his second goal. They didn’t have to after his third.

And after Scalia’s 4 points, including the hat trick, paced Masuk to a 6-3 win over the Newington co-op in the CIAC Division III boys hockey final, he took the championship plaque from coach Andy Townsend and skated it to the students in Section 102 at Quinnipiac’s M&T Bank Arena.

What was that moment like, after bringing them the school’s first hockey championship, taking a team picture pressed to the boards with the students behind them?

“Unreal,” said Scalia, a senior and arguably the best player at least in Division III all season, though at this point it’s hard to argue.

“Taking it back to our fans, our supporters throughout the whole year, just a great feeling. All I saw was a bunch of smiles.”

The Panthers had reached one other final, in 2015, losing to E.O. Smith/Tolland after falling behind early. They never trailed Monday, though Newington caught up twice.

Coach Andy Townsend, who has been a hockey coach at the school since 2005, said he started to wonder if the program was cursed.

This year, the top-seeded Panthers (23-1-2) finished the year on a nine-game winning streak and 23-game unbeaten streak, capturing the SCC/SWC Division III title along the way. Their only loss was to Division II semifinalist Branford on Dec. 21.

“Everything went right this year,” Townsend said. “Even when we lost to Branford, we put it in the rear-view mirror and kept going forward.”

Nick Kondub had 3 points for Masuk, setting up Scalia for the first goal and finishing a Scalia pass for the second. Scalia scored twice in the second peri

Dave Stewart/Hearst Connecticut Media Newington’s Jack Petronio (3) and Masuk’s Austin Braiewa (23) battle for the puck during the CIAC Div. 3 boys ice hockey final at Quinnipiac on Monday.