John Frieders, Sports Editor
@john_frieders
Girls Hockey
Girls Hockey has dominated thus far this season, going 6-1 in their first seven games. This hot start is no surprise, as they return much of their roster from last season when they made an FCIAC Championship appearance and captured the program’s ninth State Championship.
On Wednesday, January 8, the Girls defeated Hamden, a top 10 team in the state, 3-2 in overtime. The distant foes had met just five times prior to the overtime thriller.
New Canaan outshot Hamden 55-12 and had offensive possession for most of the game. Despite this, All SCC Goalie Kyra Sweeney kept the Green Dragons in the game, stifling multiple fast break opportunities and Rams powerplays.
Ultimately, the Rams offense scored when it mattered most – in sudden death overtime tied 2-2. On the goal-scoring play, Senior Captain Maddie Tully forced a turnover behind Hamden’s net and tried to wrap the puck around, but Kyra denied it. Maddie then picked up the rebound and wrapped the puck around the other side, sneaking the puck in between Sweeney’s right pad and the right post. The goal was Maddie’s 15th this year and second of the game. It was also Maddie’s 3rd consecutive game with two goals.
The victory over Hamden came after a 3-1 victory over SWS (Staples/Westhill/Staples) – a rematch of the 2024 Girls CHSGHA (Connecticut High School Girls Hockey Association) Championship. The girls look to continue their success with tough out-of-state meetings against Avon tonight and Kingston tomorrow. Both Live Streams can be found on the New Canaan Athletics YouTube channel.
Boys Hockey
Boys hockey has come out of the gates on fire, winning all seven of their first seven games. Most recently, the boys beat Ridgefield 2-0 on Wednesday, January 8th. Despite the hot start, the team’s biggest test up to this point is tomorrow night versus Darien.
The boys have had a lot of new faces step into prominent roles this season, as they lost Senior Captains Doster Crowell, Max Lowe, and Gavin Fitzpatrick, who were all big contributors last year. Last season, Doster was the team’s leading scorer, tallying 29 goals and 25 assists. In addition, the team lost Mason Pickering, who was nominated for Connecticut Goalie of the Year last season.
The team returns a good balance of upperclassmen leadership and underclassmen talent. Two of this year’s Senior Captains, Bryce Lyden, and Braden Robie, contributed consistently, tallying 9 and 14 points, respectively, so far this year. Sophomore Jack Thompson is tied with Braden with 14 points, leading the team.
The Rams’ offense is averaging 4.6 goals per game while allowing just 1.7 goals per game. Brenden Harmon has 112 saves on the season and looks to continue his solid play in net. Defense is going to be crucial as the team attempts to win their second consecutive FCIAC Championship and make their second consecutive State Championship
Tickets for tomorrow’s marquee matchup between the Rams and the Blue Wave are sold out, but it will streamed on both NCTV78 and DAF Media’s YouTube channels.
Link to game: https://www.youtube.com/live/VUyhx3HPBU4?si=REenMHUMHWlLsPUR
