Newington/Berlin/Manchester wears the target well in Connecticut hockey

The defending CIAC Division III champion Newington/Berlin/Manchester hockey co-op has faced a new obstacle this season — they're the team everyone else wants to beat.

Hey, it beats the alternative.

The Indians (10-2-2) are coming off their first state championship and are presently the top ranked team in Division III.

"Every team we play, we're pretty much getting their best, no matter who they are," said Dave Harackiewicz, who's in his 20th season as the Indians' head coach.

"(Opponents) are definitely a little extra motivated, and we knew that coming in, having won the state title. We knew that was going to be the case, and we know we're going to have to battle every game. I think early on (the players) recognized it."

Here's a good indicator of how hard teams are going after the Indians — half their games have either been decided by a goal or finished in a tie.

"We've had a couple of games where we didn't play like we can for a period," Harackiewicz said. "I think (the players) are starting to realize that they need to put their good periods together because a team can knock us off."

The Indians have used last season's championship run to their benefit this winter. Sixteen of their 25 players experienced close wins in both the quarterfinals and finals.

"I think they have some of that confidence from last year," Harackiewicz said. "We have a good team and we can go far again. When you win something like that (a state title), it prepares you for the next year."

The Indians have eight seniors, including co-captains Hunter Blais (forward), Drew O'Leary (goalie), Justin Pratte (defenseman) and Brendon Richard (forward).

"A lot (of the confidence) is how the seniors and captains have brought the younger guys in," Harackiewicz said. "We try not to create a sense of panic during games when we're down or things are not going our way. We try to get
them to focus on positive things.

Defense has been the Indians' strength as their goals against is 1.7.

"Drew has been outstanding," Harackiewicz said. "I think he's probably one of the best goalies in the state, and he's been facing a lot of shots. The defense has done well, and I'm not just talking about the defensemen, but all five guys back in the defensive zone. We have a pretty tight system that we play. We knew that we're not going to give up many goals (this year)."

The offense has evolved much more slowly. The Indians have averaged 3.3 a game, but Harackiewicz said they've haven't maximized their chances.

"You can't teach natural goal scoring, but what you can do is focus on putting them in better positions to get more quality shots," Harackiewicz said.

"One of the things when you're in a slump is to just throw pucks on the net and crash it for second-and-third chances. Some of the guys hold on to the puck a little too long. They want to go in and get the perfect goal; go by everybody and have a breakaway situation. We're working with them to move on the net and shoot the puck if they're in a good shooting area. Little things like that can really help in the long run, and we're starting to see some of that pay off."

The payoff could include another state title, too.

Ned Griffen has covered high school, college and professional sports in the Northeast since 1992. A 2003 New England Associated Press News Executives award winner, he may be reached at nedgriffen@gmail.com