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Success Became a Ritual for Edwards in Net

Justin Edwards admits that he often felt anxious before stepping into the net with the Branford boys’ ice hockey squad. However, the goalie found a way to settle his nerves and deflect those jitters aside, after which he typically turned aside whatever the opposition threw at him.

Justin recently completed his career as the Hornets’ goalkeeper after playing every minute of every game except one during the past two seasons. Justin says the hardest part of manning the net was being mentally prepared because “if you make a mistake, it ends up on the scoreboard,” and so he started employing a pregame ritual to get his mind right for game time.

When Branford hit the ice, instead of heading directly for the crease, Justin would always go to the right side of net to do his stretching; he wouldn’t touch the crease until it was time to take warm-up shots from his teammates. Then instead of joining the huddle in front of the net, he’d stand next to his teammates and look skyward while transitioning into full-fledged game mode. Finally, with 30 seconds left in warm-ups, Justin would go to the bench and focus on the shots the other team was taking on his opposing goalie.

Different? Clearly. Effective? Absolutely. For although Justin’s ritual was anything but the normal sequence of events, the process always provided a sense of calm that helped him play lights-out when the whistle blew.

“Through all the rituals, it makes me get my mind focused and I know that once I’m finished with my rituals, then I’m ready for the game and ready to compete inside the game. Knowing that I do the rituals makes me know that I can do good in a game,” says Justin. “I would definitely say it’s worked. I suffer from bad anxiety, so the rituals do a good job of keeping my anxious side down, take my mind off thinking that I’ll do bad, and just get me ready for the game. It’s been a huge part in my Branford career.”

Justin lived the first few years of his life in West Haven, where he played youth hockey from the age of four. Justin has always been a goalie, but was typically the B team’s keeper during his first few years. However, when he reached the U-14 bantam level, Justin was selected for the A team and wound up leading West Haven to a state championship, plus a spot at nationals in 2013. Justin’s squad finished the year ranked 20th out of 700 teams in the nation, and the experience gave him a jolt of confidence that carried over to his tenure at Branford.

“That state championship was something I wanted all year, especially since our reward was that we got to go to nationals. That game was nerve-wracking for me, but I’d been successful in the playoffs and won [two state titles with the B team] before that, and so I was really well experienced for that game,” Justin says. “That was really the game that showed me that I can do anything. I was a first-year A goalie winning a state championship with kids who had never won before. It gave me confidence and showed me that I can do anything as long as I put my mind to it.”

After attending Notre Dame-West Haven for his freshman year, Justin transferred to Branford and was the Hornets’ JV goalie in his sophomore season. He then earned the starting varsity job as a junior last winter and had a solid debut campaign that saw him make 62 saves in a win against North Haven.

Justin and company had some big-time aspirations entering his senior season. Although the Hornets hovered around the .500 mark for most of the year, they got hot at the end, and Justin’s play in net was one of the biggest reasons. Justin allowed more than two goals just once in Branford’s last seven regular season games as the Hornets went 5-1-1 during that stretch. Branford brought that momentum into the Division II State Tournament, where Justin made 44 saves in a 3-1, first round victory at Westhill-Stamford.

“That game was amazing and not just for me, but the whole team. The bus ride was electric after the game and coming home from Stamford to Branford was a great feeling,” says Justin. “[The seniors] went into the game knowing it could possibly be our last high school game ever and knew that we didn’t want that to happen, so winning a big game like that was the best feeling you could ever have. There are some games where you just feel like you’re on and that was one of those games. It felt good to be there for the team when we needed it most.”

Justin earned All-SCC/SWC Division II Third Team honors in his junior season. For his exceptional play in net this winter, Justin got bumped up to the Second Team on the All-Conference squad.

“It means a lot to me knowing that it showed that I really helped the team out, and a lot of it is that I always want to help the team out. I’m a kid that likes to play for the team,” he says. “I don’t like losing, so to be an All-Conference goalie shows that I did what I could to help my team. To get recognition from all around the state and the conference, which is one of the toughest conferences in the state, is amazing.”

Head Coach Jim DiNapoli feels that Justin was Branford’s anchor the past two seasons, saying that “every time Justin was in net, we had a chance to win.” Even though Justin wasn’t a captain, DiNapoli says he set a great example for the Hornets with his positive personality.

“Justin’s a great teammate and a wonderful kid to be associated with as a coach. Always positive, always having fun, he set the tone in our dressing room for both games and practices,” says DiNapoli. “As his leadership role grew throughout the season, he embraced it, playing the best hockey of his career.”

Reflecting upon his high school career, Justin has nothing but positive thoughts regarding his run with Branford’s boys’ hockey squad. Justin appreciates how his coaches were always there with some encouraging words when times got tough and feels equally appreciative that he got to compete alongside a collection of gutsy, hard-working Hornets.

“The overall experience as a Hornet was absolutely amazing. I transferred from Notre Dame and, at that time, I was upset with the way hockey was going, and so Branford made me enjoy playing hockey again. I made so many nice friends and I can’t say enough about the coaching staff,” Justin says. “Although he wasn’t there my senior year, [former Head Coach Adolph Brink] was a phenomenal coach and I still keep in contact with him. He’s always there for me if I have a bad game and he’s really helped me. [Current Head Coach Jim DiNapoli] was fantastic. He kept me sane before the game and, after it, if we had a bad loss, he was always there to talk to me. Our players were amazing. They always work hard and we were a team that wouldn’t often score four or five goals a game, but we were a really gritty and defensive team. My experience as a Hornet was phenomenal.”