Gordon shuts down Wave
DARIEN — Two boys ice hockey games in two days will take its toll on the best teams. Even the No. 1 ranked Ridgefield Tigers aren’t immune, but they again found a way 2 0
to win.
It also helps when you have a spectacular goalie.
With senior Sean Gordon racking up 36 saves, the Tigers overcame seven penalties and defeated the Darien Blue Wave, 2-0, Saturday at the Darien Ice House.
It was the Tigers’ second win over Darien in as many days, as the two FCIAC rivals played a home-andhome doubleheader. Ridgefield won on Friday, 3-2 in OT, at the Winter Garden Arena in Ridgefield.
The speed was a bit slower on Saturday, but the game was equally competitive.
“Today, it was grinding it out,” Gordon said. “This is the first team besides maybe LaSalle (Academy of Rhode Island), that we didn’t have it from the beginning. We had to battle back, especially with all the penalties in the first period. We had a lot of good mental toughness today.”
“They’re a very good team, well-coached and good players, top to bottom,” Ridgefield coach Shaun Galagher said. “They have no weaknesses. It was really fun to get this atmosphere and intensity because you know that second game was going to be intense after the first one yesterday. Both teams brought that today.”
“It was fantastic,” Daren head coach Mac Budd said. “It was a really, really great experience. We have some great senior leadership, but we also have some younger guys and it was great for all of them to play in these games. You really test yourself when you have to come back the very next day, play the same team, and try to get to the same level of intensity.”
The Tigers’ goals were scored by Will Forrest — who had the winner in OT on Friday — and Nick Cullinan, but the Wave held a 36-19 advantage in shots.
Ridgefield (9-0) was its own worst enemy in the first period, committing three penalties as the Wave dominated the flow. Darien (4-4) had an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal, but Gordon cleaned it all up with 11 saves.
Play was more balanced in the second stanza, although Darien again led in shots, 18-11.
Ridgefield finally broke the scoring ice with 1:31 remaining in the second period when Forrest fired one in from just inside the blue line. The puck rang in off the pipe with an assist from Dan Parson.
Ridgefield doubled its lead to 2-0 when Cullinan took a pass from Kees van Wees on the backdoor and buried it during a power play with 10:14 remaining.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sean Gordon, Ridgefield. The senior goalie came up huge for the Tigers, making 36 saves for the shutout. He was on point from start to finish, with 11 stops in the first period and 18 in the second.
QUOTABLE
“They were amazing. So many blocked shots and intercepted passes. Even the forwards were involved that was the best PK we’ve had this year and maybe the last two years.” — Ridgefield goalie Sean Gordon, talking about the Tigers’ penalty kill