The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Boys hockey tournament preview
DIVISION I STORYLINES
UNBLEMISHED (HERE): Narrowly No. 2 in the preseason GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll, Notre Dame-West Haven has been a unanimous or near-unanimous No. 1 ever since. The Green Knights are 11-0 in-state (yes, they played a majority of their games against out-of-state opponents) with only two one-goal games in that set. Beyond MVP candidate James Mascari, they may not have a ton of flashy names, but they’re deep, they play their game as well as anyone, and they have a goalie in Layne Jackson who has been excellent.
RAM TOUGH: Speaking of deep teams, New Canaan can go as deep as anyone, too, and the Rams have some flashy names; speaking of MVP candidates, they chanted that at Doster Crowell before New Canaan won the FCIAC final. Meanwhile, the top FCIAC teams all ended up on the Rams’ side of the bracket, as did defending champion Fairfield Prep and Greenwich: Darien and Ridgefield will meet in the quarters, the first tournament game for both of them. They met in the FCIAC semifinals, a Ridgefield win.
SUPER 8 (ALMOST): We’ve joked before that proponents of a “Super 8” tournament – the elite division that Massachusetts used to use to crown a boys hockey champ – almost have their wish by attrition. (There was more to it, but one step at a time.) There are 11 eligible teams in Division I this season. The top five have byes to the quarterfinals.
WHO’S MISSING (AGAIN): For the third year in a row, the Fairfield co-op of Ludlowe and Warde sits out because of co-op rules. It would have been the sixth seed and facing St. Joseph. Instead, its loss to Greenwich in the FCIAC quarterfinals ended the year.
TOP PLAYERS
Doster Crowell, New Canaan, Sr., F: Michigan-bound for lacrosse, he has been among the better players in this sport in the state for three years.
Brady Davis, Simsbury, Jr., G: The CCC North final was only the second time the Trojans allowed four goals in a game. (They won both.)
James Mascari, Notre Dame-West Haven, Sr., F: He has 38 points, including 23 goals. That’s over twice as many points and nearly three times as many goals as any teammate.
Charlie Schwind, Darien, Sr., F: flashy, sometimes prolific scorer.
Jack Turner, Northwest Catholic, Sr., F: The Lions have been streaky, partly from their schedule, but Turner has had a lot of big games.
SEEDED UPSETS
Sometimes
Really, really chalky until the very end.
FORNABAIO’S PICKS
FINAL FOUR: No. 1 New Canaan, No. 4 Darien, No. 2 Notre Dame-West Haven, No. 3 Simsbury.
CHAMPIONSHIP: Notre Dame-West Haven over New Canaan.
DIVISION II STORYLINES
THE EAST HAVEN THING: It was the story of the last few weeks of the season: East Haven co-op wound up forfeiting 14 wins when it was discovered that one of its players was ineligible. The CIAC absolved East Haven administration and staff of blame in the case, but it didn’t change the fact that the player was ineligible. On the ice, East Haven is 19-1 this season. On paper, East Haven is 5-15 and snuck into the playoffs on the last day of the season. The forfeits shook up the point standings, of course, in a division where parity is a tradition. West Haven co-op, for instance, moved from fourth to second. The reward: a first-round date with the 15th seed... East Haven.
RISING IN THE EAST: The numbers may not be quite as gaudy as last year, but Woodstock Academy’s top line of seniors Noah Sampson and Don Sousa with junior Maxx Corradi continues to lead the Centaurs through a tougher schedule, including nine out-of-state games. They’ve combined for 56 goals and 109 points in 20 games. This will likely be Corradi’s last year as a Centaur, so it’s a true last hurrah for that group. The cast around them had some growing pains but have done some growing.
RAM T .... YOU KNOW: Cheshire, after East Haven’s drop, becomes the No. 1 seed. SCC/SWC Division II champions, the Rams have had a solid season, with just one on-paper loss (to Lyman Hall as Dylan Florio stood on his head; they also lost 5-2 to East Haven before that loss disappeared) and one tie (to South Windsor). They’re one of 10 SCC/SWC teams in this bracket; three first-round games pit conference rivals against each other.
TOP PLAYERS
John D’Albero, East Haven co-op, Sr., F: Out of a host of offensive threats, he may be the most dangerous and has been for a couple of years.
Nate Margerum, Westhill/Stamford, Sr., G: Helping the co-op to the fourth seed, he helped contain Darien in their regular-season meeting.
Ryan Miller, Cheshire, Soph., G: The young goalie has been good when he had to be for the top seed.
Noah Sampson, Woodstock Academy, Sr., F: The center of that experienced and potent top line, he leads the Centaurs with 22 goals and 20 assists.
Javed Ullah, West Haven, Sr., G: While players like Jayden Spreyer and Mike Madera have filled the other net, the veteran goalie has been solid in the Westies’ net in their first year in Division II.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 15 should be No. 1, so nothing against West Haven co-op to say East Haven co-op gets at least one win. Throw in No. 10 Wethersfield, who’ve played some good games against some good teams, at Guilford.
FORNABAIO’S PICKS
FINAL FOUR: No. 1 Cheshire, No. 4 Westhill/Stamford, No. 15 East Haven co-op, No. 3 Woodstock Academy.
CHAMPIONSHIP: defeats Cheshire.
Woodstock Academy
DIVISION III STORYLINES
HOLY ALLIANCE: Adding several Sheehan players helped the East Haven co-op have a spectacular season (on the ice). Adding Immaculate players to the mix helped Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury, now BBDI, to the top seed in Division III. The IceCats came out of the third seed to win the SCC/SWC Division III championship in overtime over New Milford. They can play feisty, and they can beat you with skill.
RUNNING WILD: One of four teams with only two losses against Division III teams, Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks was also 5-1 against Division II teams (including two out of three from the Eastern Connecticut Eagles, one of them in the Nutmeg Conference final) and also had a win over Amherst, Mass., which the CIAC counts as Division I. After a 2-17 season last year, the Wildcats are in the mix in Division III this season.
SEEING RED: Since a mediocre first two-thirds of the 2021-22 season, Conard is 47-10-2, reaching a final and a semifinal and this year winning its first conference tournament, the CCC South, in memory. It did have a couple of one-goal losses, to Hall and New Milford, but with goalie Blake Ittleson anchoring the defensive end and longtime friends and linemates Aiden Emery and Nolan Trent up front, it’s a dangerous team.
TOP PLAYERS
Aiden Emery, Conard, Sr., F: An important part of the top line for a team that can make a run for a third year in a row.
Sasha Filipovic, E.O. Smith/Tolland, Jr., F: The Bucks have a few strong players, but it seemed like every time we saw their scoring, Filipovic had a multi-point game.
Nick Kondub, Masuk, Sr., F: The defending champs have had ups and downs this year, but Kondub has posted some eye-popping offensive statistics throughout.
Jovanni Smeriglio, BBDI, Jr., F:
Went over 100 points this season. Can play an electrifying game. Scored the overtime goal that won the conference tournament.
Ben Wosko, SGWL, Sr., D: Back from junior hockey, he’s a big, strong player who has helped the Wildcats turn things around.
SEEDED UPSETS
Went back and forth on No. 8 Wilton-No. 9 Rocky Hill co-op before landing on the Terriers; it’s goalie Kyle Kundrath’s time of year, after all. No. 10 Newington co-op and No. 11 Hall both have had some tournament success in the past and could give Newtown/New Fairfield and New Milford some trouble.
FORNABAIO’S PICKS FINAL FOUR:
No. 9 Rocky Hill co-op, No. 5 E.O. Smith/Tolland, No. 2 SGWL, No. 3 Conard
CHAMPIONSHIP: Smith/Tolland.
Conard over E.O. — Michael Fornbabaio