HAMPDEN, Conn. — The last time Conard High School won the CIAC ice hockey championship, many of the parents of current players were still teenagers. The school's nickname was the Chieftains, the CIAC required a winning percentage of .500 to qualify for postseason play, and the championship contest was held on March 16, 1996 at the Hartford Civic Center. The Hartford Civic Center was still known as the National Hockey League's main tenant. whaler. In Hamden, the Quinnipiac Braves played a Division III schedule in front of several fans at each game.
About 28 years have passed since then. Conard is now known as the Red Wolves, and the CIAC partners with Quinnipiac to host the state's three high school hockey championships at the 3,386-seat M&T Bank Arena. On Thursday night, two high school teams clashed for the title for the first time under the newly hoisted Division I championship banner won by the Quinnipiac Bobcats last spring.
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Conard is seeded third in the division. III Tournament, they quickly came out of the gate against top-seeded Bethel-Brookfield-Danbury & Immaculate Cooperative (BBDI). The Red Wolves took a 2-0 lead after the midway point of the first period, expanded to 3-0 by midway through, and won 4-1, clinching the school's third overall championship. Ta.
Less than six minutes into the game, Brady Narus took the lead off a rebound of Julian Schneider's shot. After just over three minutes, Luke Shaffer defeated BBDI Gartender Max Pawlowski, which was the eventual winner of the match.
Aiden Emery received an assist from Nick Paolito to give the Red Wolves a 3-0 lead at the 9:37 mark of the second period. But the IceCats refused to fold, and less than two minutes later Tom Miller set up Giovanny Smeriglio's power-play goal.
Conard was brought down on a breakaway early in the third period before Emery tipped the puck past Pawlowski on a penalty shot for the win. From there, Red Wolves netminder Blake Ittleson stopped 20 of 21 shots for the win.
Pawlowski made 27 saves for BBDI, which was seeking its first state title.
