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New Canaan's boys hockey team beat St. Joseph three times during its marvelous season. Wednesday night, however, with a berth in the state championship at stake, the Rams were stunned by their Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference rival.
The fourth-seeded Cadets withstood a late rally to hold off the top-seeded Rams, 6-5, at Ingalls Rink in New Haven. St. Joseph (20-5) will play Fairfield Prep for the Division I title Saturday at Ingalls. New Canaan (25-1) settles for the memory of a near-perfect season.
New Canaan defeated St. Joseph for the FCIAC title, 4-3, on March 5 by rallying from a two-goal deficit in the third period. The Rams faced an uphill climb again Wednesday, trailing 2-0 after the first period and 4-3 entering the third. Phillip Prins' second goal of the game with just over two minutes to play brought the Rams to within 6-5, but they could not get the game-tying goal to force overtime. Dylan Hart added two goals for the Rams, and Charlie Corcoran added the final goal. Goaltender Tim Nowacki made 22 saves for New Canaan, which outshot St. Joseph 40-28.
The Rams beat St. Joseph twice during the regular season, 6-2 and 5-2. The Rams have been a defensive force all season, allowing just two goals in playoff victories over Greenwich and Glastonbury. The Rams were seeking their first title since 1972. They have reached the final 11 times, the last time in 2006 when they fell to Daniel Hand in the Division II title game.
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