GREENWICH, Conn. — The Darien Blue Wave won the FCIAC and Connecticut State girls ice hockey championships last winter and they’ve returned everyone on the roster for another season. The New Canaan Rams were the runner-up in both tournaments, lost just one senior to graduation and have added five talented freshmen, all of whom have made an impact this season.
Those facts have put the two rivals in a bright spotlight this winter and made them the state’s top-ranked teams. That being said, the Greenwich Cardinals have an excellent question: "What about us?"
What about the Cardinals? They beat New Canaan 2-1 behind a stellar performance from senior captain and goalie Addie McKeon last Saturday, took over first place in the FCIAC standings with a perfect 6-0 mark, and have not lost to a Connecticut opponent this season.
For Greenwich (9-1 overall), the confidence has always been in place, and now people may begin to take more notice of the perennial contender.
"We know we’re good," McKeon said. "Unfortunately we played Darien three times (last year), beat them the first two times and then lost to them in the FCIACs, and we played New Canaan three times and lost twice. We always have close games with those teams so a lot depends on who gets the bounce of the puck."
"We know they both have big rosters, and we definitely have a smaller roster," senior defender and captain Alex Bruno said. "So we’ve been talking about how we’re going to be the secret team that’s going to come out of nowhere and beat them."
A rematch with New Canaan is on tap for Jan. 30, and games against Darien on Jan. 27 and Feb. 16 are looming, but in the meantime, Greenwich is sitting pretty at the top of the standings.
"It’s a huge win for us," head coach Kevin Turbert said after his Cardinals beat New Canaan at Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink in Greenwich. "We’ve got them again coming up. It’s a good win."
Greenwich is now 9-0 against Connecticut opponents and its only loss this winter was at the hands of New Jersey power Morristown-Beard, a 9-2 squad that beat the Cards, 5-1, back on Dec. 21. The two teams meet again at Hamill Rink on Feb. 11. The Cardinals’ success has come despite a small roster of just 14 players.
McKeon, Alex Bruno and forward Liz Niehaus are the senior tri-captains, and all three have been starters since freshman year. The first line is one of the strongest in the league, with senior center Meghan Spezzano flanked by Niehaus and Hannah Jeffrey. Freshman Emily Bacon centers the second line, with seniors Nicole Carroll and Brooke Nordham on the wings.
The defense features McKeon, Bruno, Niki Greenwald and junior Olivia Tapsall, an All-FCIAC forward who shifted to the blue line for this winter. McKeon, a four-year starter in the net, is one of three elite goalies in the FCIAC, alongside New Canaan’s Charlotte Spitzfaden and Darien’s Katharine Macomber.
McKeon was the star of Saturday’s game, collecting 33 saves and holding off a whirlwind of shots by the Rams in the final period. The performance prompted Turbert to call it the best performance of her already-impressive four-year career.
"She has a lot of character and she had a tremendous game today," Turbert said. "That’s the best display I’ve seen out of her in four years. She was phenomenal and she was focused. They were peppering the hell out of her, but she stayed focused."
As for McKeon, who received great support from the defense led by Bruno and Greenwald, she said she preferred being under fire from New Canaan.
"I like these games better than when you play someone and they only get like 10 shots. A game like this keeps my momentum going and keeps me focused and it helps me play better," she said.
After a scoreless first period, the Cards got on the board with two goals in the second. The first goal was set up by Jeffrey, who carried the puck up the left side and sent a pass to Spezzano off the left pipe. Spezzano slipped it in past Spitzfaden (12 saves) for a 1-0 lead with 5:09 remaining in the period. Greenwich killed off a New Canaan power play a minute later and then doubled its lead late in the second.
With 1:13 remaining in the period, Ram tri-captain Shelby Barada attempted to pass out of the defensive zone, but hit Jeffrey, who chased down the puck close to the New Canaan net. Jeffrey scored high past Spitzfaden for a 2-0 lead heading into the third.
"We knew to keep our heads on," Bruno said. "If we started beating them, they were going to lose their cool and pull everything they had, so we had to stay sharp and work hard on making good passes and communicating."
The Rams didn’t go away quietly and earned back-to-back power plays midway through the third period when Spezzano went to the box for tripping and roughing.
McKeon and the defense came up big to hold onto the 2-0 lead, but the Rams finally broke through with 44.3 seconds remaining when senior tri-captain Jana Persky scored with an assist from freshman Olivia Hompe during a 6-on-5. New Canaan nearly tied the game with 25 seconds on the clock as they kept up relentless pressure, but it was McKeon’s game as the Cardinals came away with the win.
"It’s an incredible feeling just knowing that she’ll always make the play," Bruno said of McKeon. "She sees the puck and she’s always there to make every save. It’s really a comforting feeling."
"We showed a lot of heart," Turbert said. "Our bench is short, we didn’t have a lot of guys, but they just made a tremendous display and it all starts in the net. She did a phenomenal job and we took advantage of our opportunities when we had them. They’re a helluva team, they’re very deep and our girls did a tremendous job against them."
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.
