The script seemed eerily similar for the Darien High School boys ice hockey team to the last time it matched up against New Canaan. Darien played its tails off Wednesday evening at Terry Conners Rink, storming out of the gate with a dominant first period. New Canaan was content to wait.
New Canaan's Dylan Hart caught the Blue Wave off guard in the third period, slinging a wrist shot past Darien goalie Max Rothston on a power play to score the game's lone goal. With the 1-0 loss, Darien was eliminated from the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournament, and New Canaan remained undefeated.
"We played a perfect game. They obviously won the game, but I could not be more proud of how our guys played," Darien head coach Larry Vieira said. "It might sound ridiculous, but I thought we outplayed them at times."
Rothston was nearly perfect in the net, saving 27 of 28 New Canaan shots. He also survived three New Canaan power plays.
New Canaan's defense set up shop in front of its own net all night, forcing Darien to the outside. Only a few of the 18 Blue Wave shots got off cleanly at New Canaan goalie Tim Nowacki. That dominance proved crucial in the final minute when Darien pulled its goalie for the sixth-man advantage. Darien won four-out-of-five furious face-offs, but the Rams clogged traffic in front of the net.
Special teams situations were Darien's Achilles' heel Wednesday, going zero-for-five on the power play. The Blue Wave managed just six shots with the man advantage, content to remain conservative. Vieira admitted his players were concerned with Hart sneaking by for a shorthanded attack.
"We've struggled on power play all year. We're only about 12 percent" success rate, Vieira said. "New Canaan didn't even let us set up. They find a way to win."
Darien will now wait to learn its seeding and opponent in the Division I state tournament, which begins next week. Seedings will be released Saturday.
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