Molly Keshin, Reporter
@mollykCourant
Nine years ago, girls ice hockey was put into the FCIAC as a varsity sport and from the start, the New Canaan ladies have been at the top of the charts. With six league and six state championships under their belts, as well as placing in nine finals, the girls didn’t want this season to be any different.
This past Wednesday, the third-seeded Rams headed into the semifinals and were set to face off against the
number two seed, Ridgefield. The girls had previously beaten the team twice in the regular season; however, the girls did not want to take the Tigers for granted. “We knew going into it that it was going to be a tough game because we had beaten them twice in two very close games, so they were definitely going to come out hard,” senior captain Emma Rosenstein said. “But we all wanted nothing more than to beat
Ridgefield and get another shot at Darien in the finals.”
Head coach Rich Bulan also did not want to underestimate the Tigers, especially when several key players were either hurt or out sick. One noticeable difference was the absence of senior Emma Patch on the ice, who had just recently suffered a broken wrist and concussion in a game against Wilton over February break. After Emma’s injury and others, his priority was to keep up the defense. “Our main focus to play as hard as we could,” Mr. Bulan said. “We also knew we had several key players that were out, so we wanted to focus on dumping the puck into their end at every opportunity.”
The game got off to a bit of a slow start, but the pace quickly changed when freshman Brooke Deane, with assists from freshman Gianna Bruno and junior Catherine Granito, got the Rams on the board with only two minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the first period.
However, the Tigers also started to find a rhythm and tied the game two minutes into the second period. Three minutes later, Catherine answered back with a slapshot goal that passed right over the Ridgefield goalie’s shoulder to hit off the post and into the net. Yet, despite the defensive efforts of the Rams, Ridgefield scored again, and the game was tied at 2 going into the third period.
At that point, Mr. Bulan noticed how his team was getting tired and was concerned that the Tigers would also notice. “By the third period, I think it showed that we were not on our game and having those players ill forced us to make some changes that we normally wouldn’t have,” Mr. Bulan said. “You could see that we just didn’t have enough energy to compete at that point, and it is so hard playing your best when you are struggling to feel well.”
The Tigers took a quick lead and extended it, scoring three goals in the beginning of the period, and with 7 minutes and 28 seconds left in the semifinal game, the Rams were down 5-2. Brooke scored again with a
little over a minute left and freshman goalie Sarah Street was pulled in order to gain an extra player, leaving an empty net. The Tigers took this to their advantage, and they scored again with just seventeen seconds left. The final score was 6-3, with Ridgefield coming out on top, despite the Rams having taken the lead with shots on goal with a total of 32 over the Tigers’ 18.
Even though the girls tried their best in the face o team injuries, Emma feels that they have to keep their heads held high. “It’s definitely sad to have come so close and to not have a chance to win FCIACs with this group,” Emma said. “The team really wanted it and worked so hard for it.”
While Mr. Bulan is saddened by the loss, he feels that the girls shouldn’t be upset about how they played this season, because they truly played like a team. “We become so much like a family over the course of the season because you are on the ice, on the buses and in the locker room together almost every day,” Mr. Bulan said. “These girls are not used to losing and they take it hard because they care so much. But, in reality, it is just a game.”
