The last of three CIAC men's hockey finals has been decided. Top-seeded New Canaan will play second-seeded Notre Dame-West Haven for the Division I state title on March 19 at Quinnipiac University.
Here's how they got there.
ND-WH is about to finish the job.
Notre Dame-West Haven is back. The second-seeded Green Knights defeated third-seeded Simsbury 3-2 on Wednesday at Quinnipiac's M&T Bank Arena, returning to their fourth consecutive CIAC Division I final.
HNIB News The Green Knights, ranked No. 1 in the Connecticut Division I Top 8, did all of their scoring in the second period, scoring three goals in the first 3 minutes and 17 seconds. Lukakusu delmonico, Zack Gotze and dylan bankowski.
Following consecutive shutouts, rain jackson He made 23 saves to maintain his lead.
Notre Dame-West Haven improved their record to 18-4-2, including a 13-0 mark against in-state opponents. They will next face top-seeded New Canaan, which beat Darien 6-1, in the state final on Tuesday at Quinnipiac.
Simsbury almost stole Notre Dame-West Haven's thunder. Colby Wilhelm gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the first inning. gavin bulger I pulled them in within one delay. But in the end it wasn't enough. The Trojans finished 20-2-2, with their only loss coming on Dec. 20 against New Canaan.
Notre Dame-West Haven is seeking its second state title in three seasons and ninth overall. The Green Knights lost to Fairfield Prep in last year's Division I finals and were runner-up to Jesuit in 2019. In 2022, they defeated Darien to win the championship, ending a nearly 10-year drought.
New Canaan after a long time
New Canaan punched its ticket to the Division 1 finals by defeating rival Darien 6-1 in the semifinals early Wednesday morning. HNIB News The Rams, who are ranked No. 2 in the Connecticut Division I Top 8, struck first and never allowed a follow-up.
aidan elders They pulled Darien within 2-1 late in the second period, but the Rams scored four times in the third period. brayden roby, Doster Crowell, blythe Leiden and chase pickernell To put it away.
Tony Delcarmine and jack crowell Scored New Canaan's first two goals. meanwhile, mason pickering Finished with 16 saves.
The Rams improved their record to 23 wins, 2 losses, including 2 wins and 1 loss against Darien. They won 16 straight games.
New Canaan will be in the finals for the first time since 2006, when it lost to Daniel Hand in Division II. The Rams are just 1-10 in those games, their only title coming 52 years ago. Since then, they have finished runner-up eight times.
Darien finished with a record of 15 wins, 8 losses, and 1 draw.
CIAC Division I Finals
No. 1 New Canaan vs. No. 2 Notre Dame West Haven, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Quinnipiac University.
