Colleen Cassidy’s second-period goal lifted Darien past Greenwich in FCIAC girls hockey tournament semifinals - Greenwich Time

DARIEN — The 2019 FCIAC Girls Hockey Tournament semifinals saw Greenwich rally from a late, two-goal deficit on its way to defeating Darien in overtime, but the Blue Wave returned the favor when they met the Cardinals Wednesday night with another berth in the conference finals at stake.

This time Darien held on to its slim, third-period lead, held off Greenwich and made it back to a game it has been successful in during previous seasons — the FCIAC final.

A second-period goal from senior Colleen Cassidy and 29 saves from sophomore goalie Claire Haupt sparked second-seeded Darien to a dramatic 1-0 victory over third-seeded Greenwich at Darien Ice House.

The win propelled Darien into the championship game of the FCIAC Tournament, where it will face top-seeded rival New Canaan on Saturday at 3:50 p.m. in Darien. Winners of five FCIAC titles, the Blue Wave last captured the conference crown in 2016.

Wednesday night’s matchup was the third meeting between the Cardinals and Blue Wave, with Darien emerging victorious twice. Darien skated to a 2-0 win over GHS on Dec. 11, before dropping a 3-1 decison last month.

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  Darien reacts after it took a 1-0 lead against Greenwich in the FCIAC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday night, February 26, 2020, in Darien.

  Darien reacts after it took a 1-0 lead against Greenwich in the FCIAC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday night, February 26, 2020, in Darien.

  Photo: David Fierro /Hearst Connecticut Media

Photo: David Fierro /Hearst Connecticut Media

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Darien reacts after it took a 1-0 lead against Greenwich in the FCIAC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday night, February 26, 2020, in Darien.

Darien reacts after it took a 1-0 lead against Greenwich in the FCIAC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday night, February 26, 2020, in Darien.

Photo: David Fierro /Hearst Connecticut Media

Colleen Cassidy’s second-period goal lifted Darien past Greenwich in FCIAC girls hockey tournament semifinals

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“We do a lot of things really, really well, but I think we have to figure out how to score more goals,” Darien coach Jamie Tropsa said. “But other than that, I was very happy with our effort. We skated hard, we backchecked hard — we did a lot of little things really well tonight. To hold a team like that scoreless is impressive.”

Like Haupt, Greenwich senior Jessica Ware was also effective in goal, making 24 saves. The only time the puck snuck past Ware came during a scramble situation in front of the net.

Positioned in front of the goal, after skating hard down the left wing, Cassidy got her stick on the puck off a rebound, just as Ware was attempting to gather the puck. A Cardinals defender fell to the ice in front of Ware and Cassidy pushed the puck inside the left post, with several players in front, making it 1-0 at the 8:03 mark of the second period.

“It was a pretty hectic situation in front of the net,” Cassidy said of her game-winning goal. “It was really all three of us, all the forwards, in front of the net, pushing, pushing, pushing, until the whistle was blowing. It was a collective effort by the whole team.”

Greenwich threatened to tally the equalizer in the third period, thanks going on a two power-plays. Senior forward Emma Wingrove tested Haupt from the left wing with 5:30 remaining in the third period, then had another chance at the 3:23 mark. Sydney Orszulak, a senior defender, also registered several shots on goal from the point, but Haupt held the Cards scoreless.

“The defense played amazing,” Haupt said. “I always think of it like I have to put my full trust in them. I know they always have my back through everything. They were great throughout the penalty killing and I couldn’t have done it without them. They always cleared the puck out.”

The Cardinals held a 13-9 shots-on-goal advantage during a scoreless first period, with Wingrove, sophomore Lexi Danielson and senior Katie Piotrzkowski applying pressure in Darien’s zone. Junior Catherine Martin, senior Cate Droogan and senior Carolyn Clark worked especially hard for Darien defensively to keep the game tied.

“Our defense always cleared the puck out,” Haupt said. “They did a really nice job. It was definitely really stressful for me at the end of the game, but I looked at it like I had already gotten through almost three periods, I just needed to get through a few more minutes.”

Said Orszulak: “Overall, we played pretty well, but we need to be more persistent with our little puck battles. We need to be first to the puck all the time, so we will have more opportunities to score.”

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Haupt was clutch in goal for the Blue Wave, who are peaking at the right time.

“She covered the puck well and made some big saves,” Tropsa said. “She did a lot of things really well.”

Cassidy seized the opportunity that came her way in front of the net, tallying the game’s only goal. Senior forward Kit Arrix also ignited the victors throughout.

TOUGH TO SCORE ON

Greenwich has experienced trouble scoring against Darien the past two seasons. The Cardinals were shut out against Darien this past December and were blanked twice last season.

“They are well coached and they play great defense,” GHS coach Alex Lerchen said of Darien. “They make smart plays when they have to. Tonight, it kind of seemed like we were chasing the puck quite a bit. We were giving them too many opportunities for rushes by slapping the puck away.”

Added Orszulak: “For some reason, we don’t get as many shots off agains them as we do other teams.”

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“We did our best and worked really hard,” Piotrzkowski said. “We came out with a strong start and they worked hard as well. I think we just need to put away more goals. It could have gone either way and we have nothing to hang our heads about. They’re an amazing opponent and it’s always a good game when we play them.”

Said Cassidy: “There was a lot of drama and intensity out there. We have known some players on Greenwich for the longest time and once we get out there it becomes a different game. We really put in the hard work out there.”

NOT DONE YET

The loss didn’t end the Cardinals’ season. They still have the state tournament to look forward to.

“We are definitely going to take this game as motivation for the state tournament,” Wingrove said. “We are hungry to win the state title and we are not going to get knocked out like we did today. It just didn’t go our way today.”

FAMILIAR FOES IN FINALS

The last time Darien and New Canaan met in the conference championship game was 2016, but the two squads have already faced each other twice this season, splitting the two matchups.

“It’s going to be a really exciting game against New Canaan,” Cassidy said. “It is a familiar feeling playing them and we are just going to go out there, with momentum coming off a great win and have the same positive attitude as always.”

Added Tropsa: “It’s going to be another battle with them too. Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien — it’s good hockey.”

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