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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. - The Tier I boys hockey conference playoffs begin Saturday with two perennial powerhouse teams, two others with incredible turnaround seasons, and Darien and Ridgefield waiting for the survivors. All conference playoff games will be held at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford.
No. 4 New Canaan (8-4) vs. No. 5 Wilton (8-4), 6 p.m. - A lot has changed for defending champion New Canaan since its thrilling overtime title win over St. Joseph last year. These aren't the juggernaut undefeated Rams of last year. While the Rams handed Darien its only conference loss of the season, New Canaan has been prone to upsets, dropping games to Fairfield Co-Op and Trinity Catholic.
Wilton is hoping to be the latest underdog team to upset the Rams, although New Canaan crushed the Warriors, 7-1, just this past Monday. For Wilton to even be in the playoffs is quite the feat, however, as the Warriors began the season 0-7 before finally tallying their first win. Wilton finished out the year 10-3 and ended with an 8-4 conference record. The Warriors' biggest win of the season was a 3-0 victory over third-ranked St. Joseph back on Feb. 4.
No. 3 St. Joseph (9-3) vs. No. 6 Trinity Catholic (8-4), 8 p.m. - Trinity Catholic's road to the postseason might be even more astounding than Wilton's, having started the year at 2-10. The turning point in the season came in a 4-3 win over New Canaan, which was in the midst of a six-game winning streak.
St. Joseph enters the postseason one of the hottest teams in the league, ending the regular season a five-game winning streak. The Cadets have struggled against playoff qualifiers, however, going 3-4 against its potential opponents. Two of those wins were against Trinity Catholic. The Cadets outscored the Crusaders 12-6 over those two games.
First Round Bye - No. 1 Darien (11-1), No. 2 Ridgefield (11-1) - Darien was the biggest surprise of the season, dominating its conference schedule and just about every other opponent it has faced. The Blue Wave's only conference loss of the year came against archrival New Canaan.
Ridgefield has not only been one of the most dominant teams in the conference, but also in the state. The Tigers had the best overall record of its conference peers, finishing 18-2 overall. But Darien gets the edge in the conference playoffs since the Blue Wave beat Ridgefield, 4-2, back on Feb. 11.
Darien will play the winner of New Canaan/Wilton while Ridgefield will take on the winner of St. Joseph/Trinity. The semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, while the finals are slated for next March 3.
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