North Branford Comes Up Short in Ice Hockey State Championship Game

NEW HAVEN, CT - A more electric atmosphere is unlikely to be found at any high school hockey game in Connecticut than the deafening roar that engulfed the Ingalls Rink at Yale University Friday night.

With thousands of fans of both teams standing elbow-to-elbow, North Branford and the Fairfield Warde-Ludlowe co-op, the top two seeds in Division II, put on a tremendous exhibition that featured a little bit of everything, including sudden-death overtime with the teams deadlocked at 3-3.

Just 82 seconds into the extra period, Fairfield's Jake Fuss poked a rebound past goaltender John Lovelace, setting off a wild celebration on the Mustangs' side of the rink.

"When we were in the locker room after they scored two quick ones, we knew we had to come out and score on the first shot," Fuss said. "We wanted to get it over early in the overtime."

Holding a 3-1 lead with just over six minutes remaining, things were looking rosy for the Fairfield players and fans, until North Branford suddenly caught fire.

Mike Pantera got the Thunderbirds back within one with 6:06 remaining, then Adam Burkle tied it with 3:26 to play, sending the teams into an extra session and setting the stage for Fuss's heroics.

North Branford grabbed an early lead on a Dominic Raccio goal, but Jack McCormick immediately answered for the Mustangs to tie it. Fairfield added goals by Will Von Brauchit and a second by McCormick before the first period ended for a 3-1 advantage at the first intermission.

Fairfield goaltender Mike Grace was superb throughout, denying the Thunderbirds at every opportunity until North Branford's late rally. He finished with 43 saves.

"I'm proud of our boys; we have a lot of talent on our team, but we win as a team," Mustang head coach Tom Roche said. "Being up 3-1, we knew it wasn't over and they came back. Mike Grace is the number one goalie in the state, regardless of division, and he's won more games for us than anybody."

The Fairfield co-op won the title for the second time in the last four years, while North Branford fell in the title game for the second straight season.

"We're all disappointed; we knew Fairfield was going to be a solid team and they're very opportunistic," North Branford coach Ralph Shaw said. "They capitalized on our few mistakes, and we missed some opportunities on our shots."

Photo credits: Tim Jensen