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03/05/2022 11:00 PMAfter taking a lopsided loss to Lyman Hall in its first game of the season, the North Haven boys’ ice hockey team had revenge on its mind when it squared off against the Trojans in its conference final last week. Although North Haven trailed entering the third period for the first time in a long time, the Nighthawks rallied to defeat Lyman Hall by a 4-3 score in the championship game of the SCC/SWC Division II Tournament, claiming the conference crown for he second-straight campaign.
No. 2 seed North Haven advanced to the final for the third year in a row by earning a 5-1 win versus No. 3 Sheehan in a semifinal game at Bennett Rink in West Haven on March 3. Two days later, the Nighthawks returned to Bennett Rink to take on top-seeded Lyman Hall and claimed a 4-3 victory to defend their conference title, extend their win streak to 18-straight games, and improve their overall record to 20-2 heading into the Division II State Tournament.
The Nighthawks had taken an 8-1 defeat to Lyman Hall in its season opener on Dec. 13. Following that game, Head Coach Chris Avena and his players held a meeting and discussed their goals for the season, launching his squad on a tremendous wave of success. When the Nighthawks saw that they were facing Lyman Hall in the conference final, they wanted to prove that they were a much-improved team from that first game of the year.
“We had a mindset of revenge,” Coach Avena said. “We wanted to prove to ourselves that we weren’t the team that lost 8-1. It was a focal point for us.”
Even with that determination, North Haven fell behind Lyman Hall just 16 seconds into the SCC/SWC Division II title game. However, the Nighthawks tied it up at the 6:42 mark of the opening period when sophomore Ben Gilbert scored a goal on assist from junior Alex Petersen and junior Owen Quick, knotting the score at 1-1, which was how it stood after the end of the first.
Lyman Hall scored two goals within the first four minutes of the second period to go up 3-1, but the Nighthawks sliced the deficit in half when Petersen scored from senior captain Jake Hines with 4:05 remaining in the frame to make it a one-goal game heading into the third.
Trailing 3-2, this marked the first time that North Haven was down going into the third period since the beginning of its win streak, which started on Jan. 5. Despite the deficit, the Nighthawks didn’t flinch and continued playing at the top of their game with the conference title on the line.
“The kids stayed calm. They stayed the course. No one started playing like an individual. We kept playing in the way that got us to this point of the season,” said Avena. “We went into the third trailing by one, which we haven’t had to deal with in our win streak. We saw it as an opportunity to grow. The boys just came back and executed.”
North Haven came out flying in the final frame as Petersen netted his second goal of the contest at the 7:37 mark on an assist from junior Joey Taft to even the game at 3-3. Two minutes later, Petersen completed his hat trick by scoring his third goal of the game on assists by Hines and sophomore Jake Donovan, giving the Nighthawks the lead with 5:29 to play in the game. Senior goalie Jared Anderson made some stellar saves to keep Lyman Hall off the board the rest of the way and preserve North Haven’s second-consecutive conference title with a 4-3 victory over the Trojans.
“It was special. Three years ago, we hadn’t made the conference final at all. To win it back to back is really special, especially for our seniors,” Coach Avena said. “They were able to put their legacy in the history of North Haven hockey.”
Petersen was named the Most Outstanding Player of the SCC/SWC Division II Tournament after collecting five points between North Haven’s two victories. Coach Avena said that Petersen battled hard while trusting both himself and his teammates to help guide the Nighthawks to the title.
“He’s a guy where if he gets going early, he’s dangerous. That game was a great growing experience for him,” said Avena of Petersen. “He didn’t get going early. None of us did. He just kept plugging along, believed in his teammates, and believed in what he was doing. He was on the end of the three goals, but he would tell you it was a team effort—he just executed the finish.”
Coach Avena was pleased to see North Haven rally behind its defense on its way to the conference championship. Heading into the matchup against Lyman Hall, the Nighthawks had allowed just 1.7 goals per game this season. As North Haven moves on to states, Avena believes that stout defense that turns into efficient offense will be the key for his team.
“We’re the stingiest team in our zone. We take pride in what we do defensively,” Avena said. “Everyone is doing their job on defense, and we’ll worry about scoring on the offensive end.”
Prior to facing Lyman Hall, North Haven notched a 5-1 win versus Sheehan in the semifinals of the SCC/SWC Division II Tournament. Senior Nick Tondalo got the Nighthawks started by scoring on assists from juniors Will Sullivan and Thomas Guidone at the 10:28 mark of the first period. Sheehan tied game about three minutes later, but it was all North Haven from that point on.
At the 5:45 mark of the second period, Guidone scored North Haven’s second goal on a penalty shot, using a beautiful move to slip one past Sheehan’s keeper and put the Nighthawks up 2-1. Hines increased the lead to 3-1 by scoring from Gilbert at the 12:02 mark of the second.
Taking a 3-1 lead into the third, North Haven put the game away by netting two goals during the final period. First, Sullivan scored from Guidone at the 6:51 mark to make it 4-1. Then with 1:50 left in the game, Hines scored on assists by Gilbert and Petersen to solidify the 5-1 win. Anderson played a solid game in net to help the Nighthawks advance to the conference final.
“It’s really hard to beat a good team multiple times in a year. We were fortunate to go up there and compete with them on a high level,” said Avena, whose club had earned a 2-1 overtime win versus Sheehan on Feb. 5. “Our goalie made some saves. It was a tight game. Our offense came through at the end. It was a quality win for us. We’re riding some momentum.”
With another conference title in the history books, North Haven will compete in the Division II State Tournament as the No. 1 seed this week. The Nighthawks hosted the 16th-seeded Eastern CT Eagles for a first-round game at Northford Ice Pavilion on March 7 (after press time). With a win, the Nighthawks would face the winner of No. 8 Hand and No. 9 Westhill-Stamford in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 11. The semis are on Tuesday, March 15, and the Division II state final will take place at People’s United Center at Quinnipiac University on Monday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. Lyman Hall is the No. 2 seed in the tournament, and so the two teams could potentially meet again in the state final.
North Haven currently has the most wins of any high school hockey team in Connecticut as the team rides its 18-game win streak into states. While he’s happy about what his squad has accomplished thus far, Coach Avena said that the Nighthawks are still looking for ways to challenge themselves and want to end their season on the highest note in the Division II State Tournament.
“We have to challenge ourselves and figure out how we can raise the bar. How do you raise the bar on an 18-game win streak? It’s a challenge we have every day,” Avena said. “We’re going to see if we can dial ourselves in and get ready for states. The season we’re having doesn’t happen by accident. But we’re not done yet.”
The North Haven boys’ ice hockey team’s roster features senior captains Mike Anquillare and Jake Hines; senior alternate captain Brian Jooss; seniors Jared Anderson, Justin Pniewski, Nick Tondalo, and Ayden Mindlin; juniors Owen Quick, Andre Ohanyan, Alex Petersen, Thomas Guidone, Will Sullivan, Connor Keaney, Ethan Buck, Joey Taft, and Bryce Petersen; sophomores Nolan Cole, Jake Donovan, Kevin Lawlor, Ben Gilbert, and Jack Keaney; and freshman Nick Salzano.