2011-12 CTHSHockey All State Teams

By: Luke Devoe


Let me preface this listing by saying this is strictly based on what I've seen this year.  I have been to a ton of games and have seen a great amount of high school hockey.  Naturally, not everyone will agree with these selections but that doesn't concern me much.  I also didn't pay special attention to naming three forwards and two D like many all-anything teams do because many skaters do a little of both during a high school season.  Enjoy.


MVP: Sean Wilkinson, Ridgefield
Coach of the Year: Ken Barse, Glastonbury
Rookie of the Year: Tyler Carangelo, Hamden
Ryan Brennan All Heart Award: Eddie Sherman, NDWH & Conor Peterson, Fairfield Prep
Best Offensive Defenseman: Kyle Leyerzapf, West Haven
Best Defensive Defenseman: Tom Worsfold, Fairfield Prep


First Team
F Ethan Holdaway- (Sr.) Glastonbury

Holdaway in Glastonbury's QF win over Darien.

Holdaway has speed that not many can match within the state.  He tallied 59 points (33 G, 26 A) and led his Tomahawks squad to the state championship game.  Alongside fellow senior Drew Mozzer, Holdaway made up half of the state's best 1-2 punch.  Holdaway is considering Westminster, Loomis Chaffee and Avon Old Farms to extend his career next year.

F David White- (Jr.) Fairfield Prep

White against Hamden.

The Dragon Slayer, White proved that one player can dominate a team.  White has scored the Jesuits' last seven goals against rival Hamden which allowed them to go 3-0 against them this year.  White went on to tally 48 points (28 G, 20 A) with many coming in the dazzling variety.  He finished with two four goal games and 16 multi point efforts.  White and his Jesuits will be primed for yet another title run next year.
F Colby Cretella- (Sr.) Notre Dame-West Haven
Notre Dame-West Haven's captain was as steady of a presence on the ice as anyone in the state all season.  In on every play, Cretella amassed 56 points (25 G, 31 A) and led his Green Knights to a state championship.  This two way player backchecks better than anyone in the state and led the Knights with a quiet demeanor that resonated very loudly.
F Billy Vizzo- (So.) Notre Dame-West Haven

Vizzo celebrating with the ND student section.

The sophomore sensation missed the last few games of the season with presumably a bout with mononucleosis but luckily his teammates stayed alive and Vizzo was able to shine on the big stage, notching a hat trick in the DI final win over Glastonbury.  Vizzo, who will return to NDWH next year, finished with 47 points (25 G, 22 A).
F Sean Wilkinson- (Sr.) Ridgefield

Sean Wilkinson of Ridgefield.

The state's best player is someone many from this area and the SCC may not know a lot about.  Wilkinson dominated the state all year to the tune of 68 points (30 G, 38 A).  His Ridgefield Tigers' early quarterfinal exit was unexpected and put an end to a season many thought would lead the Tigers to Ingalls.  Wilkinson will go on to play lacrosse at Holy Cross.
G Riley Wikman- (Sr.) Fairfield Prep
Many argue that goalies from top teams like Prep don't belong because of all the help they get.  At the end of the day the Jesuits' play one of the hardest schedules in the state against not only the top teams locally but from all over the New England area.  Wikman responded to this incredible strength of schedule with 6 shutouts including "no-no's" against Hamden, Ridgefield, Springfield Cathedral, BC High and Catholic Memorial.  He finished with a 1.40 GAA and a .953 save percentage.


Second Team
F Mike Troiano- (Sr.) West Haven
Troiano started the season like gangbusters leading the state in scoring 8 goals in the first three West Haven games.  He cooled off a bit but still showed the state the incredible amount of talent that he posses tallying 42 points (20 G, 22 A).
F Greg Zullo- (Jr.) Notre Dame-West Haven
Zullo could very well be a first teamer, but imagine the flack I'd catch for that?  Hampered by a concussion earlier this season, Zullo was still miraculously able to collect 48 points (14 G, 34 A) continuously feeding the likes of Cretella and Vizzo on arguably the state's best line.  Zullo returns next year hoping to help the Knights repeat.
F CK Keator- (Jr.) St. Joseph

St. Joseph's Keator

Keator was a constant influence keeping St. Joseph competitive the season after they shocked the state and nearly won it all.  Keator finished with 44 points (26 G, 18 A) and notched 4 hat tricks.  His St. Joseph squad was eliminated in an ugly way in a 9-1 loss to Hamden in the first round of state's but Keator tallied the only goal St. Joe's was able to get.  Watch for him to have a Wilkinson-like rise next year.
F Drew Mozzer- (Sr.) Glastonbury
Holdaway's side kick has speed that can match the best and a deft scoring touch that forces people to nearly jump over the boards and possibly get kicked out of Ingalls.  Wink.  The senior finished with an eye popping 47 points (25 G, 22 A) and is mulling over juniors and prep school for next season.
F Jake Granito- (Sr.) New Canaan

New Canaan's Granito

The New Canaan Rams had a disappointing finish to the year losing in the first round to Darien but they will lose a little bit more this spring when Jake Granito graduates.  Granito finished with 45 points (26 G, 19 A) in the competitive FCIAC.  Granito plans to take his talents to the prep school ranks but is undecided on where at this moment.
G Luc Amatruda- (Jr.) Notre Dame-West Haven
Amatruda stood on his head in the state championship game en route to a shutout victory over Glastonbury.  His microscopic 1.57 GAA is what places him here on this list.  Amatruda wrestled the starting job away from fellow junior Paul Sliwonski and never gave it back.  Look for Amatruda to hold down the fort next season when the Knights go for two in a row.


Third Team
F Joe Bianchi- (Sr.) Amity
Bianchi's name gets forgotten simply because he's on the lone DI SCC school to not make the state tournament this year but don't let that take away from the skills that this kid possesses.  He has one of the finest wrist shots in the state that often catches goalies off balance.  He finished with 39 points (25 G, 14 A) and will play at the post grad level or juniors.
F Jeremy Germain- (So.) Hamden

Amity's captain Joe Bianchi

For a large part of the season, Hamden's production was quite spread out.  Germain rose above the rest and finished with 34 points (16 G, 18 A).  The sophomore showed the ability to be strong on his skates and a monster net front presence.  He is rumored to be leaving to go prep school but that has yet to be confirmed nor denied.  He would be a big loss for Hamden who seems to be having trouble lately keeping kids for four years.
F AJ Unker- (Sr.) Fairfield Prep
The Jesuits' captain was a steadying presence for Prep all year.  The coaches and spectators knew what they'd get out of Unker on any given day.  He finished with 39 points (13 G, 26 A) and with help from White and Connor Henry showed the state what a top line looks like.  He will continue his playing career at Williston North Hampton Prep next year.
F Brendan Hathaway- (Jr.) Darien
Hathaway played leaps and bounds ahead of any other Wave player this year and ended up with 32 points (22 G, 10 A) for his efforts.  The junior will return next year primed for a run a little deeper into the state tourney than this year's effort.
D Kyle Leyerzapf- (Sr.) West Haven
The Blue Devils shook up the state with a quarterfinal win over Ridgefield at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport to move on to the semifinals but it was the effort all year from Kyle Leyerzapf that gave them that chance in the first place.  The state's best puck moving defenseman finished with 32 points (13 G, 19 A) all while playing steady, solid defense for the Westies.
G Max Rothston- (Sr.) Darien
The Wave's senior netminder played nearly every minute in net for them this year.  This big bodied Rothston posted a 2.19 GAA and a .922 save percentage in the process while notching four shutouts.


Honorable Mention

Hamden's Mike Lee

F Dave Canfarotta- (Jr.) Notre Dame-Fairfield
F Austin Hansen- (Jr.) West Haven
F Nick Bruno- (Sr.) Darien
F Rich Decarlo- (Sr.) East Haven
F Stephen Marsico- (So.) East Haven
D Anthony Astorino- (Sr.) Notre Dame-West Haven
F Jack Gethings- (So.) Xavier
F John Ferguson- (Sr.) St. Joseph
D Mike Lee- (So.) Hamden
F Tyler Carangelo- (Fr.) Hamden
D Tom Worsfold- (Sr.) Fairfield Prep
F Dylan Hart- (Sr.) New Canaan
F David Ouellette- (Sr.) South Windsor
F Joey Bonazelli- (Sr.) South Windsor
F Brendan Lemire- (Sr.) Fermi-Enfield
F Tyler Violano- (Sr.) Cheshire
G Andy Varga- (Sr.) Hamden
G Mike Amarone- (Sr.) North Haven
G Chris Marchi- (Sr.) South Windsor

Final CT HS Hockey Top Ten

March 22, 2012 

By: Luke Devoe

Notre Dame-West Haven solidified themselves as the state's best with a romping 5-0 win over Glastonbury in the Division I final.  Other teams who ran through the competition during the regular season faltered and this final poll reflects that.

1. Notre Dame-West Haven- Won the Division I state championship after defeating Cheshire, South Windsor, West Haven and finally Glastonbury in the championship game.
2. Fairfield Prep- A semifinal loss to a quality Glastonbury team can't discount the incredible regular season the Jesuits had.  In many people's eyes they are still the most talented team in the state, but that's why they play the games.  After running through North Haven and Hamden they were stunned by the Tomahawks in the round of four.

3. Glastonbury- The Tomahawks made everyone not associated with the SCC proud.  They took out Simsbury, Darien and the vaunted Jesuits of Fairfield Prep before being shutout by Notre Dame-West Haven in the final.

4. West Haven- The Blue Devils did away with their very erratic regular season and put on quite a show in the DI state tourney topping East Haven, stunning Ridgefield and finally losing to rival Notre Dame-West Haven in the semis.  

5. Ridgefield- The Tigers may have the best player in the state, one of the most impressive regular seasons, as well a tourney ready team but a quarterfinal loss at the Webster Bank Arena to the West Haven Blue Devils kept them from reaching the semis and ended their dream season.
6. Darien- The Blue Wave fought off a bad start the season, grabbed the five seed and made a small run in the tourney eventually losing to Glastonbury in a hard fought game in the quarters.

7. Hamden- The Green Dragons' season can be chalked up as a disappointment after dropping the final five games of the regular season, seemingly righting the ship against St. Joseph only to lose in the quarters to the hated Jesuits.

8. South Windsor- The Bobcats were one period away from upsetting the eventual state champions and placing their fingerprint on the state's hockey history.  An up and down season ended in a disappointing loss preceded by a first round upset win over Xavier.

9. New Canaan0- The Rams had an early exit after a promising season in an opening round loss to Darien in arguably the first round's most exciting game.

10. Trumbull- The Golden Eagles won the state's Division II title after a convincing victory over Branford. 

STAY TUNED

Stay tuned to the blog for our final top 10 rankings as well as our All State Teams!

Champions

Congratulations to the Notre Dame-West Haven Green Knights, Trumbull Golden Eagles and Newington-Berlin Indians for winning their respective divisions and becoming CIAC Boys Ice Hockey State Champions.

Division I Champions- Notre Dame-West Haven Green Knights

Division II Champions- Trumbull Golden Eagles


Division III Champions- Newington-Berlin Indians

Championship Preview

By: Luke Devoe

Branford's Rob Celentano

It all comes down to this.  Six teams remain vying for three titles.  It all pops off tonight at Ingalls where the Division II Championship will take place between two rather unlikely candidates.  The #5 Trumbull Golden Eagles take on the #7 Branford Hornets in a battle of 14-9-0 teams.  Their roads to the championship were very similar as they've both had to top two teams ranked higher than them.  After advancing past #12 Watertown-Pomperaug rather easily with a 6-0 win in the first round, the Eagles took on a quality #4 Wilton squad in the quarterfinals.  They disposed of them with a 4-2 victory at the Wonderland propelling them on to Ingalls and the semi's where they would meet the #1 seed and favorite Guilford Indians.  They jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the top seeded Indians and never looked back in route to a 7-3 victory on the wings of a hat trick from senior Mike Ahearn.  They will take on a battle tested Branford squad who's already knocked off some impressive foes.  In the first round, Branford took care of #10 Staples-Weston-Shelton 4-3 and headed on to the quarters to take on #2 Hand of Madison, some people's favorite to win the DII Championship and a team the Hornets had just beaten in overtime in the SCC Division II Championship 3-1.  There, the Hornets on goals from the Hackett brothers were able to beat the Tigers again with an identical 3-1 score.  In the second of the two semifinals, the Hornets were able to leap another higher seeded team in #3 North Branford.  Two goals nights from Rob Celentano and Tony Pascale as well as three goals just over one minute apart sent the Hornets into the finals with a 5-3 win over the Thunderbirds.  The Hornets are battle tested after playing a rigorous slate in the vaunted SCC and have proven scorers in Rob Celentano and a host of others.  The Golden Eagles have already tackled the beast known as the Guilford Indians and are primed to beat the Hornets tonight.  The two teams battled in a 7-6 overtime thriller back on New Year's Eve, a game that the Eagles ended up winning and fans should expect the same type of fire power tonight.  I'll go with a little bit of an upset pick and choose the Branford Hornets to win tonight 5-3.

Newington-Berlin hopes to be celebrating Saturday.

Hatchets, tomahawks and political incorrectness will be in abundance tomorrow morning at 10 when the #1 Newington-Berlin Indians take on the #3 Northwest Catholic Indians at Ingalls.  This is just about the only division where the final is quite climactic and top ranked teams will be, in fact,  gracing the locker rooms giving the fans the finals they envisioned when looking at incomplete brackets three weeks ago.  Newington-Berlin has to be the overwhelming favorite after disposing of a lesser #4 NFA-St. Bernard-Bacon club on Tuesday night in the semi-finals 4-1.  In the win, senior Nick Briganti tallied a helper on all four goals while senior Brandon Ralph added two goals to lead these Indians to victory.  NB got a scare in the DIII quarters when #8 Rockville-Manchester-Stafford forced them to overtime where Newington-Berlin would eventually win 5-4 thanks in large part to a four goal outing from the goldie-locked Brendon Richard.  Northwest Catholic arrives Sunday after a hard fought 4-3 win over a pesky #2 Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury club.  In the win they received goals from Jeff Greenwood, Patrick Melanson, Tanner Vaughn and Demitri Yao.  Before the semi's, NW Catholic disposed of #6 Bolton-Coventry-Lyman Memorial easily with a 7-0 score behind four goals from Melanson.  The two teams met in mid january with Newington-Berlin winning quite easily 6-3.  NB has won 21 straight games since opening the season 1-2 while NW Catholic has an impressive 19-4 mark that they bring into the championship but I don't think that'll be enough.  Newington-Berlin gets scoring from everywhere and also lays claim to junior Drew O'Leary and his microscopic goals against average.  I'll take Newington-Berlin in a 4-3 affair over Northwest Catholic.

Eddie Sherman celebrating his goal Wednesday.

Finally, a team that many had pegged as finalists before the tournament began takes on a team no one gave a chance to appear in the championship.  The #2 Notre Dame-West Haven Green Knights take on the #4 Glastonbury Tomahawks in what should be a fast paced, high flying affair as some of the state's most skilled offensive players will take the ice at 2 p.m. at Ingalls.  The Green Knights of Notre Dame-West Haven have had a great season and being where they are now, is no surprise.  They coasted to victory over #15 Cheshire in the first round, came back from the dead down 2-0 in the third against #10 South Windsor to win 4-2 in the quarterfinals and dismantled their dreaded rivals, the #6 West Haven Blue Devils 6-2 Wednesday night in the semis on the backs of six different goal scorers, including some grinders like seniors Eddie Sherman and Jeff Bausch and junior Kyle Thibault.  This scoring shows the Knights' depth and should prove worrisome for the Tomahawks.  I have written in great detail about the top line of senior captain Colby Cretella, junior Greg Zullo and sophomore Billy Vizzo but in Vizzo's return, the line was not paired together, probably a precaution for Vizzo just getting back.  Instead, Derosa opted to go with Alex Esposito on the top line with Cretella and Zullo and this paid off with the sophomore tallying a goal and playing one of his most complete games all year.  The ability to get secondary scoring for the Knights will prove to be key in topping the Tomahawks, a team who beat the mighty #1 Fairfield Prep Jesuits on the backs of seniors Dave Mozzer, Aaron Mandell and Ethan Holdaway.  The Tomahawks crushed #13 Simsbury in the first round to move on to face a #5 Darien team that many believed would cruise to take on Prep in the semi's.  The Tomahawks put an end to that claim with a convincing 3-2 quarterfinal victory.  On Wednesday, the Tomahawks jumped out to a huge 4-1 lead over Prep at the end of two periods on the heels of two goals from Mandell.  The Tomahawks then held a considerable 5-2 lead late in the third until Prep defenseman Sean Henry netted a pair of goals to make things very interesting.  However, the Tomahawks held on and scored the biggest upset victory in recent Division I tournament history.  In the win and through the course of the tournament junior goalie Chase Gabor was excellent.  

Glastonbury's Gabor.

He'll need to be as Notre Dame can bring the offense.  In the end, I think your Division I state champion will be Notre Dame-West Haven.  They are too deep, too talented and too hungry after being denied a state title birth since 2004.  We'll go 4-2 on an empty netter. 

Division I Final Four Preview

By: Luke Devoe

Holdaway getting airborne after scoring the game winner.

Four exciting and engaging quarterfinal matchups are in the books which leads us to today's Division I semifinals.  Saturday, Notre Dame-West Haven overcame not really looking like themselves for two periods to score four unanswered goals and top a gassed South Windsor club who gave the Green Knights everything they had 4-2.  The next game saw the Glastonbury Tomahawks blow a two goal lead to the Darien Blue Wave only to notch the winner in the third and leave with a 3-2 victory.  While this game was going on, the upset minded West Haven Blue Devils took to the ice against the favorited Ridgefield Tigers at the Webster Bank Arena.  The Blue Devils behind the play of goalie Justin Shepard came away victorious with a 4-1 win.  Finally, in the early evening matchup the #1 Jesuits of Fairfield Prep looked stellar stifling everything Hamden brought in route to a 2-0 victory on a pair of goals from junior David White.  So what's in store for today?  Read below to find out more about these four semifinalists.

Connor Henry putting one on net against Hamden at the Bank.

In the first of the two semifinals, set to drop the puck at 5:30, the #1 Fairfield Prep Jesuits will take on the #4 Glastonbury Tomahawks.  Prep boasts one of the top scoring lines in the state featuring all-everything junior David White (28 G, 20 A, 48 Pts.), senior captain AJ Unker (12 G, 21 A, 33 Pts.) and unheralded junior Connor Henry (7 G, 10 A, 17 Pts.).  White has been so instrumental in Prep's dominance over Hamden this year, it's earth shattering.  In three games against the rival Dragons, White has scored 8 goals, factored in to all 9 and up to date has scored Prep's last seven goals against Hamden. But this isn't all that Prep brings to the table.  They are also a very defensively geared group, which was very evident in their shutout quarterfinal victory over Hamden.  Riley Wikman is one of the top goalies in the state and carries a 1.40 GAA into today's game.  He is protected by defensive stalwarts such as senior Tom Worsfold and junior Sean Henry.  They have the ability to coast to a state championship but have been tested at times this year, as recent as the first round against North Haven.  The two teams have not met this season but Glastonbury is ready to counter with some firepower of their own.  The Tomahawks strength can also make them susceptible if Prep is able to key their top line.  Seniors Ethan Holdaway (30 G, 24 A, 54 Pts.) and Dave Mozzer (22 G, 19 A, 41 Pts.) have lit it up for the Tomahawks all year but if Prep is able to hold them down victory should follow.  If Prep fails to do so we could be in for quite the game as both are more than capable of leading the Tomahawks to the upset victory.  Glastonbury junior goalie Chase Gabor brings a hefty 3.03 GAA into the game proving that Glastonbury likes to score plenty of goals and let up plenty as well even in victory.  But, Gabor was more than solid in their quarterfinal win over an evenly matched Darien club.  He will be a key to the Tomahawks chances.  Personally, I think Prep is too talented, too deep and too driven to not reach the final.  Prediction-- Prep 4, Glastonbury 1

Cretella line in a game at Bennett earlier this year.

West Haven in their fatigues during their Veteran's Game.

The second of the two semifinals should have not only Ingalls Rink buzzing but the entire town of West Haven.  Here the #2 Notre Dame-West Haven Green Knights take on the only team to reach the semi's on an upset win, the #6 West Haven Blue Devils.  It's public versus private and it should be frantic.  The teams only met once this year and saw the Westies upset the Knights 4-1 at Bennett in a game that looked very similar to West Haven's quarterfinal win over Ridgefield.  In the Blue Devils' 4-1 win over Notre Dame on February 4th, goalie Justin Shepard stopped 40 shots and the Westies were outshot 41-24.  In their 4-1 win over Ridgefield, Shepard stopped 39 shots and the Tigers outshot the Westies 40-10.  Maybe that's a good sign for the Westies heading into this game.  Maybe they've dodged one too many bullets in terms of being outshot by such wide margins.  Maybe, Justin Shepard has another monstrous game in him.  We shall see.  The Westies have one of the best and craftiest forwards in the state in senior Mike Troiano (20 G, 22 A, 42 Pts.) as well as the pint sized scoring machine junior known as Austin Hansen (17 G, 19 A, 36 Pts.)  The Blue Devils also have one of the best offensive defensemen in Kyle Leyerzapf patrolling their blue line along side the big hitting senior Danny Granfield. They have more than enough pop and experience to take another one from the Green Knights, but will Notre Dame let them?  They boast possibly the best line in the state with the combination of senior captain Colby Cretella, junior Greg Zullo and sophmore Billy Vizzo.  The problem lately has been the fact that Vizzo has been inactive with unconfirmed reports of an illness preventing him from playing.  Without Vizzo, the line loses some of its potency but Zullo and Cretella are more than capable of shouldering the load.  Junior goalie Luc Amatruda has played admirably in net and will be looked upon to turn away the ever present West Haven offense.  I love the matchup.  High school hockey loves the matchup but at the end of the day I think the Green Knights get redemption in one heck of a hockey game.  ND wins 4-3