Fairfield Prep boys' hockey coach Matt Sather prides himself on putting together one of the most challenging schedules in the state.
Despite losing year after year to Massachusetts Division I power Boston College High, Sather looks forward to the matchup as a way to prepare for the post season.
Finally, on Saturday, perseverance paid off for top-ranked Prep.
Alex Zeiss scored in overtime to give Prep a 3-2 win over BC High for the Jesuits' first win over the 13th-ranked team in the Bay state.
"With all the snowed out games we've had, it's been tough to get any kind of momentum going," Sather said. "This win hopefully will re-energize us for the remainder of the season."
The win also gave 10-year coach Sather his 150th career win (150-64-11) as the Jesuits improve to 9-1 for the season.
It doesn't get any easier for the Jesuits as Prep will play host to No. 2 Hamden on Wednesday at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport at 6:30 p.m.

All members of any of the state championship teams, boys or girls, from either Hillhouse or Wilbur Cross will be honored in the Ring of Champions ceremony Feb. 16 at halftime of the second regular-season matchup of the city rivals at the New Haven Athletic Center.
All members of the CIAC championships won by the Hillhouse boys (21) and girls (6) and Cross boys (14) and girls (4) will participate in a private reception beginning at 3 p.m. before the game begins at 4.
Anyone wishing to participate should contact the New Haven Physical Education and Athletic Department at (203) 946-8497 or by e-mail at PE@newhaven.k12.ct.us (Subject: Ring of Champions). Leave your name, address, phone number and year of your state championship.

• Dannisha Pierce scored 19 points, including the 1,000th of her career, and pulled down 12 rebounds as Hillhouse beat the Law 78-30 in a Southern Connecticut Confernece Hammonasset Division game tonight.
  The Academics continue to roll in SCC play and are ranked No. 5 in the Register Top 10 poll.
  
• Cheshire clinched a state tournament berth and a share of the SCC Housatonic Division title with a 53-47 win over Lyman Hall. Lauren Hague had 21 points to lead the Rams.
  
• Sydney Hyatt scored a season-high 16 points for Foran in the Lions 62-45 win over Derby. Shae Harding had 27 in the loss.
  
• Hamden has won six of their last eight with the latest coming in a 59-44 win over West Haven.
  
• Sheehan remains alive for a state tournament berth with a 58-31 win over Shelton. The magic number is now two for the Titans.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

Athletic directors and coaches are encouraged to contact the Register if any of your student-athletes are signing National Letters of Intent to a Division I school on Wednesday Feb. 4.

Football coaches may send the information to Mike Pucci at mpucci@nhregister.com.

All other sports should use our main sports e-mail account at localsports@nhregister.com.

O’Brien Tech girls’ basketball coach Mark Belade earned his 100th career victory tonight as the Condors beat Whitney Tech by forfeit.
With the win, O’Brien Tech (8-6) earned a state tournament berth. It’s Belade sixth trip to the Class S state tournament in his eight years at O’ Brien Tech. He became the first girls’ basketball coach in school history to reach the milestone. He is also the only basketball coach — girls or boys — to win a Constitution State Conference title.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com

Here is a list of the 20 high school basketball players that have been nominated for the 2009 McDonald’s All American Boys and Girls Basketball Teams.

As nominees, they will be considered for one of the 48 available positions on the two teams which will compete in April.

The following Connecticut high school basketball players were nominated:

Boys
‰ Anthony Ireland (Crosby High School, Waterbury)
‰ Daryl McCoy (Hartford Public High School, Hartford)
‰ Jeremy Moore (Hillhouse High School, New Haven)
‰ Dan Jennings (St. Thomas More Preparatory School, Oakdale)
‰ Anthony Simmons (Suffield Academy, Suffield)
‰ Matthew Edwards (Suffield Academy, Suffield)
‰ Pierce Edwards (Suffield Academy, Suffield)
‰ Jordan Williams (Torrington High School, Torrington)
‰ Adrian Satchell (Windsor High School, Windsor)
‰ Steven Samuels (Windsor High School, Windsor)

Girls

‰ Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon High School, Avon)
‰ Carly Thibault (East Lyme High School, East Lyme)
‰ Anisha Wilson (Hill Regional Career Magnet School, New Haven)
‰ Bianca Simmons (Mercy High School, Middletown)
‰ Rachel Roberts (Mercy High School, Middletown)
‰ Nikkia Smith (Montville High School, Montville)
‰ Symone Roberts (New Britain High School, New Britain)
‰ Molly Yardley (Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall, Milford)
‰ Chantell Alford (Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven)
‰ Amie Toner (Windham High School, Willimantic)

Of the 2,500 boys and girls nominated, 48 principal players (24 boys and 24 girls) will be chosen for each team and will be announced in mid-to-late February at a selection show. These players will compete in the tip-off of the McDonald’s All American Games at the BankUnited Center in Miami, Florida on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. The Girls game will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will air on ESPNU, while the Boys game will start at 8 p.m. and will air live on ESPN. Broadcast times are subject to change.

The majority of nominees are identified by the McDonald’s All American State Contact Committee, a network of high school basketball newspaper reporters and recruiting analysts with a representative for both boys and girls in all 50 states. High school basketball coaches can also nominate high school seniors through http://www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com/or by contacting Sports America, Inc. The players’ head coaches are contacted to verify players’ elite status and good academic standing, ensuring that all top athletes nationwide are recognized. The voting process for the final McDonald’s All American Team is conducted by the Selection Committee, which is comprised of high school sports analysts, prep scouts, newspaper reporters and prestigious basketball coaches.

There are a lot of solid boys' hockey matchups this week but the most intriguing will take place on Saturday when No. 1 ranked Fairfield Prep plays host to Boston College High at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport at noon.
BC High is led by 6-foot-1 senior Sam Marotta, one of the top goalies in Massachusetts boys' hockey. He will surely test the red-hot Jesuits' depth and talent.
BC High has a tradition of winning and is one of the elite hockey teams, public or or private, in the Bay state.
Massachusetts has what is known as the Super Eight tournament for the elite Division I teams in the state. At the end of the regular season, the top 10 Division I teams, public and private combined, advance to the Super Eight. The bottom four teams have a play-in game and the remaining eight teams compete to determine the top team. BC High has made 14 appearances in the Super Eight tournament, it has a 48-17 record in those appearances and has won the coveted championship four times - 2007, 2006, 2002, 1996.

• Courtney Schissler poured in 22 points for Branford in a 69-34 win over Shelton.
  
• Nora Bahgat scored 22 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked four shots for Cheshire. The Rams knocked off Amity 48-28. That win along with Lyman Hall’s 45-28 victory over cross-town rival Sheehan sets up a Southern Connecticut Conference Housatonic battle Friday night at Cheshire. The game should decide the division winner.
  
• West Haven led Hand 20-19 at halftime, but Kerry Wallack’s 23 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and five steals led the Tigers to a 54-40 win.
  
• Mika Martinez scored a game-winner and secured Platt’s 36-34 win over Weaver with a block on the game’s final shot.
  
• Andreana Thomas had 17 points, 10 assists and 10 steals in Hillhouse’s 76-33 rout of Foran.
  
• Notre Dame-Fairfield senior point guard Rose Bajda scored her 1000th point in the Lancers 47-29 win over Joel Barlow.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

Tempers reached the boiling point in Guilford Monday night when a brief scuffle ensued at the end of the third quarter. Hand starter guard Ryan Paternoster was ejected, along with Guilford reserve guard Jake Battipaglia. Both must sit out their games on Friday because an ejection serves as an automatic one-game suspension.

Play got increasingly chippy as the game wore on. Hand was clearly the better team, and took advantage of the undermanned Indians. Hand is more than willing to butt heads with any team in the Southern Connecticut Conference, including Hillhouse. And clearly, the Guilford players got frustrated with being drummed in their own gym.

To the credit of school officials and police, order was quickly restored and spectators from the student section were kept from joining the fray at center court. Even coaches Jim Reynolds (Guilford) and Frank Rossi (Hand) got into a verbal exchange, each defending their own team.

The fourth quarter went on without further incident. Although these two teams are done playing for this season, it may be wise to schedule three referees on this game in at least the near future, like is done for certain games in the league.

Tom Marcucci is returning as head football coach at Notre Dame-West Haven, 11 years after stepping down the first time around.Marcucci complied a 118-52-6 record as coach from 1982-1998. He led the Green Knights to four state championship games. The 1991 edition went 11-0-1 and won the Class L title with a 20-0 victory over Newington.

"The tradition of the program is important to me," said Marcucci, who was an assistant coach from 1970-81. "There have been some great kids that played here over the years. This isn’t anything about me, this about them (the kids), and the program. I am starting out at 0-0."

Marcucci, 60, replaces John DeCaprio, who resigned following last season. DeCaprio replaced Marcucci, who served as his defensive coordinator from 2000-06 before becoming the school’s athletic director.

"The reason I got out the first time was I became an assistant principal. At that time, it was suggested to me I could not do both jobs," said Marcucci, who will remain as athletic director. "I definitely was not burned out (in 1998). I always wanted to come back."

Marcucci said he fielded a lot of calls about the job, but it was never opened up to anyone outside of the school. Marcucci said he spoke to the assistant coaches on the staff before deciding to take it.

"I didn’t want to open it up if I thought I would take it," Marcucci said.

We are just past the midway point to the regular season. There is no clear-cut favorite to who will win the Girls' Basketball All-Area MVP race.
Right now, the mix looks to be...

• Hillhouse senior Dannisha Pierce, who is the area's leading scorer at 22.2 points per game.
• Anisha Wilson is headed to the University of Miami for a reason. Thanks to this senior guard, Career doesn't look to be a team that lost a pair of Division I players.
• There's Wilbur Cross' do-it-all senior Chantell Alford.
• Though Rachel Roberts missed seven games for Mercy after being suspended for violating team rules, the Villanova-bound guard is perhaps the most talented player in the area. And don't forget about her teammate Bianca Simmons.
• No one probably means more to their team than Morgan's Kara Fillion.

The list continues with Branford Courtney Schissler, Lauralton Hall's Keylantra Langley, Hand's Kerry Wallack and Law's Casey Dulin.

Your thoughts?

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

After a one-week hiatus, the Hurricanes return to the Register Top 10 girls' basketball poll at No. 4. New Britain is perhaps the best team in the state, but took a plunge from No. 1 to No. 6 last week after forfeiting five games for using an academically ineligible player.
Hillhouse remains the top-ranked team from the area, but fell from No. 4 to No. 5. Riding an 11-game winning streak, Bacon Academy joins the Top 10 and is the only team not from Class LL or L. The Bobcats play in Class M.
For the entire Register Top 10 poll, check out tomorrow's New Haven Register.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

The Cheshire boys' hockey team had its impressive nine-game unbeaten streak of 8-0-1snapped on Saturday. The SCC Division II squad lost 2-1 to SCC Division I team North Haven at the Northford Ice Pavilion in North Branford.
Despite the tough loss the Jim Riccitelli-coached Rams have certainly placed themselves among the favorites to win the CIAC Division II championship this season. The Rams, who have already qualified for the state tournament with their eighth win, have played three Division I teams and have held their own with a 1-1-1 record. In addition to the loss to the Indians, Cheshire defeated Xavier and tied Hand earlier this season.
The Rams have done it with a balanced scoring attack and a solid on-ice defense. Goalie George Donnarumma has also developed into one of the best netminders in Division II.
And the impressive thing with the Rams is they have had this success with a home rink that is located about 15 miles from where they go to school - Wesleyan Rink in Middletown.

We stand at the midway point of the boys' basketball season. Here is what we have in store the next couple of weeks:
-- Sheehan could take control on the SCC Housatonic if it beats Lyman Hall for the second time. Cheshire awaits the first week of February with a pair of games (Feb. 2 and 4) against Sheehan.
--Hillhouse is the best team in the league so far, but has a couple of land mines on the road to an undefeated regular season - at Hand Feb. 3 and at Sheehan Feb. 18. The Academics should be able to hold serve at home otherwise.
--It's Xavier's division to lose in the SCC Quinnipiac. The Falcons have the division's top player in Will Tye. But can they play enough defense to win it? The game Feb. 9 at Notre Dame could be a crucial one.
--Wilbur Cross has struggled in Anthony Hill's first season, but the Governors could still win the SCC Oronoque. Pencil in Feb. 5 when Career plays Cross for the second time. That could decide the division crown.
--Also pencil in Feb. 4. That is when undefeated Hyde travels to play at undefeated Cromwell. And yes, both teams will take care of business next week before the first round of Shoreline Conference supremacy begins.
--Next Friday, one-loss New Fairfield travels to play at undefeated Stratford in what could be a preview of the South-West Conference final. Only could be, because I'm sure we will hear from either Kolbe Cathedral or Notre Dame-Fairfield before it is said and done.

Notes from Friday night:
--St. Joseph coach Vito Montelli earned his 800th career win as the Cadets beat New Canaan
--Crosby point guard Anthony Ireland went over the 1,000-point barrier for his career.
--Sacred Heart remained undefeated by winning at Torrington, one of the toughest places to play, and withstanding a 39-point effort by state player of the year candidate Jordan Williams.
--Speaking of the Player of the Year race, Tevin Baskin of Trinity Catholic had 29 points as the Crusaders won at Harding. Pencil in Feb. 3 for the battle of Stamford unbeatens: Trinity Catholic at Stamford.
--Lastly, Friday night's first quarter between Hamden and Notre Dame-West Haven was quite possibly the worst I have ever seen in all my years covering both boys' AND girls' basketball. The two teams combined to miss 19 of 21 shots.
The lack of a shot clock was not an issue whatsoever, nor was it great defense. It was just a horrendous offensive showing for 8 minutes by a pair of teams that are better than that. It did turn out to be a decent game, won by Notre Dame 45-39. But games between programs like that should never be that low-scoring, no matter how good the defenses are. Never.

Feel free to provide your thoughts below on who you think will win division races in the SCC and the conference championships in any league in our state.

Anisha Wilson scored 20 points as the Panthers, the No. 5 team in the Girls' Basketball Register Top 10 poll, beat the Governors 54-41 tonight.
Career moves to 12-1 on the season. Wilbur Cross is now 8-5, but with losses coming to Mercy twice, Lauralton Hall, Hillhouse and the Panthers. For more girls' basketball results, check out tomorrow's New Haven Register.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

Gatorade named New Fairfield junior John Raneri its Connecticut Boys' Cros Country Runner of the Year.
Raneri won the Class M state championship with a time of 16 minute, 22 seconds and led the Rebels to a runner-up finish. Raneri also placed second at the State Open, ninth at the New England Championship and 18 at the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regional.
Raneri is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys' Cross Country Runner of the Year award, which will be announced next month.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

Interesting games on tap tonight:
Trinity Catholic vs. Harding - maybe one of the few speed bumps between Trinity Catholic and an undefeated season
Sacred Heart vs. Torrington - Sacred Heart won the first time. Can Torrington's Jordan Williams help pull the upset?
St. Joseph at New Canaan - Vito Montelli's second chance to nab career win No. 800.
Hartford Public vs. Bloomfield - Bloomfield will have a tough time avoding its second loss of the season.
Hamden at Notre Dame-West Haven - the loser could fall out of the SCC Quinnipiac Division race.
Lyman Hall vs. Cheshire - A loss by Lyman Hall here could drop the defending champions two behind Sheehan in the SCC Housatonic Division.

The Notre Dame-West Haven and Fairfield Prep swim teams will meet on Friday at 4 p.m. at Albertus Magnus.

Both teams are 7-0.

Fairfield Prep has won the last four Southern Connecticut Conference championships. Notre Dame claimed the titles in 2003 and 2004.

Below is a comparison of common opponents:

Notre Dame 104, Sheehan 74
Fairfield Prep 107, Sheehan 71

Notre Dame 86, West Haven 71
Fairfield Prep 100, West Haven 73

Notre Dame 98, Hamden 78
Fairfield Prep 105, Hamden 72

Notre Dame 99, North Haven/North Branford 74
Fairfield Prep 103, North Haven/North Branford 69

Notre Dame 99, Foran 77
Fairfield Prep 96, Foran 80

Notre Dame 101, Shelton 73
Fairfield Prep 95, Shelton 61

Here's a look at the Norwich Bulletin Wrestling Poll

WEEK FIVE

First-place votes in parentheses, followed by record, points and last week's ranking.
Team Record Pts Pv
1. Danbury (14) 8-0 280 1
2. So. Windsor 8-0 250 2
3. Bacon Acad. 12-2 193 3
4. Fairfield Warde 9-0 191 5
5. Bristol Central 14-1 153 4
6. Hand-Madison 8-1 149 —
7. New Milford 12-3 121 —
8. Waterford 9-1 85 6
9. Xavier-Mid. 11-3 66 8
10. Platt-Meriden 13-2 62 7

Dropped out: Amity (9); Shelton (10).

Also receiving votes: Berlin (10-3) 60; Amity (7-3) 54; Avon (11-1) 32; Pomperaug (15-0) 25; Law (10-3) 15; Southington (7-2) 7; Shelton (7-2) 7.

Coaches voting: Brian Archibald (Bristol Central); Ricky Shook (Danbury); Joe Vano (Darien); Jason Shaughnessy (Fairfield Warde); Eric Misko (Farmington); Dave D'Alessio (Hand); Matt Schoonmaker (Law); Rich Bowen (Killingly); Mark Fong (Middletown); Gary Wilcox (Montville); Roy Wentworth (NFA); Derek Dion (Southington); Peter Veleas (Terryville); and Mike Cunningham (Xavier).

Did note vote: Pat Risley (Windham)

— Compiled by Matt Stout

Mercy's backcourt of Rachel Roberts and Bianca Simmons returned tonight, after missing seven games for violating team rules. The duo combined for 37 points as the Tigers knocked off Wilbur Cross 47-42. Chantell Alford led the Governors with 17 points.
In other area games, Brittanie Samuels erupted for 29 points and grabbed 22 rebounds as Platt Tech edged Bullard Havens 52-49. The win gave the Panthers a Constitution State Conference and state tournament berth.
Hamden Hall dropped just their second game of the season, falling to King 50-42.
Tessa Karmelowicz had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

The longest standing rivalry in Connecticut high school hockey resumes on Saturday at the Astorino Rink in Hamden at 2:30 p.m. as Hamden plays host to West Haven, a rivalry that goes back 60 years.
It's a cliche', but throw out the records when these teams face off. It isn't uncommon to see some of the hardest hitting, high-flying action that you will ever see in a high school hockey matchup.
The rivalry can be traced back to 1948. According to the CIAC Web site, both teams met in the first Division I championship game in 1948 with Hamden prevailing with a 3-2 win. The teams have met eight times in the Division I title game and after seven straight wins by Hamden the Westies finally beat Hamden 4-2 for the 1977 championship.
So many great players have come and gone over the years on both these teams.
This year, Hamden comes in ranked No. 2 in the Register Top 10 poll led by Anthony Avitable, one of the best goalies in the state. The Green Dragons struggled a bit on offense early on, but as coach Bill Verneris has tweaked the lines, the scoring has improved.
West Haven is unranked but is enjoying one of its best seasons in recent years. The Blue Devils are led by senior goalies Bob Baylis and Chris Norton, defensemen Mario Quagliani and Ben Borelli and forwards Evan Mink and Nick Centore.
If you plan to go to the game on Saturday arrive early because these games usually sell out quickly.

Despite 30 points from Casey Dulin, the Sheehan girls' basektball team knocked off Law 50-40 tonight. Katie Losty scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Sheehan (5-7). Law falls to 7-5.
In another surprise, Lyman Hall hung with Hillhouse, the No. 4 team in the Register Top 10 poll. Lindsay Karle had a game-high 26 points, four steals and four assists for the Trojans, who were knotted with Hillhouse at 26 before falling 60-51. Hillhouse coasted past the Trojans 67-38 earlier in the season.
In other area games, Anisha Wilson led Career with 20 points as the No. 5 Panthers beat West Haven 54-24. Career held the Westies scoreless in the third quarter.
Kerry Wallack poured in 22 points as Hand beat Cheshire 63-51 in a battle of two solid SCC teams.
Mika Martinez continues to have a stellar season for Platt, as she scored 30 points in the Panthers' 49-48 win over Rockville.
Lauralton Hall jumped all over New Milford early on in their 66-54 win. The Crusaders led 43-14 at the half, but the Green Wave went on a shooting spree, netting nine 3-pointers in the second half to close the gap.

--Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

John Papale scored six of his 21 points in overtime as Sheehan defeated Branford 78-74 in two overtimes Tuesday in a Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision boys’ basketball game at Branford.

Sheehan’s Phil Gaetano forced the second overtime by making a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left. Casey Dadio (18 points) forced overtime for Branford (2-8) by making two free throws with 16 seconds left in regulation.

James Goglia had a career-high 37 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and five blocks for Branford. Brett Biestek had 19 points for the Titans (7-2).

Check out Wednesday's Register for the complete high school roundup.

Also, look for our weekly hockey package, including the latest Register Top 10 Poll, as well as coverage of Lauralton Hall vs. New Milford girls' basketball.

There is only one new team in the top 10 this week: Stratford, which has the current longest winning streak at 22 games, comes in at No. 9 and Glastonbury dropped out after a loss to New Britain.
But the surprise of the week was Windsor, which lost to Bulkeley on Saturday 85-71. Still, the Warriors only dropped two spots from No. 2 to No. 4. Bloomfield also lost this week, in overtime to Rockville, but remained in the top 10 in the final spot.

The top three, Trinity Catholic, Hillhouse and Sacred Heart, will remain in those spots until they lose a game - if any of them drop a game: they all play in different conferences and different CIAC divisions.

Game of the night: St. Joseph at Bassick as St. Joseph coach Vito Montelli goes for career win No. 800.

Berlin at East Lyme, Monday, 7 p.m. -- Berlin joined the Register Top 10 poll and will have to get past a tough East Lyme team in order to stay there.

Avon at Tolland, Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. -- One of Avon's tougher games remaining on its schedule. Tolland has just two losses this season, one coming to the undefeated Falcons.

Hand at Cheshire, Tuesday, 7 p.m. -- The Tigers have struggled a bit, but are talented. The Rams have won five of their last six. Should make for an interesting matchup.

New Fairfield at Masuk, Tuesday, 7 p.m. -- Two of the top-tier teams from the South-West Conference square off.

Wilbur Cross at Mercy, Wednesday, 7 p.m. -- Rachel Roberts and Bianca Simmons are scheduled to return from their suspension. Expect the two to come out with a chip on their shoulder against the Governors.

Watertown at Wilby, Wednesday, 7 p.m. -- A pivotal game in the Naugatuck Valley League Brass Divsion.

Career at Wilbur Cross, Friday, 7 p.m. -- It's the first meeting between the Panthers and the Governors this season, the top two teams in the Southern Connecticut Conferene Oronoque Division.

Southington at New Britain, Friday, 7 p.m. -- Southington is one of the better teams New Britain will face during the regular season.

East Lyme at Norwich Free Academy, 7 p.m. -- East Lyme closes out a tough week against this Kastine Evans-led squad.

Bacon Academy at Montville, Friday, 7 p.m. -- Bacon Academy has won 10 straight, but will have to stop Nikkia Smith to keep that streak going.

East Hampton at Morgan, Friday, 7 p.m. -- Last year's top two teams from the Shoreline Conference.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

A new No. 1. A pair of teams move into the top 10 and Hillhouse leaps over Career for the first time this season.
There were several changes in this week's Register Top 10 poll. Check it out in tomorrow's New Haven Register.

-- Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

Law junior Casey Dulin scored 21 points, including her 1,000th career point, tonight in the Eagles 58-44 win over Guilford.

Chris Hunn, chunn@nhregister.com.

Entering this past week, 16 boys' basketball teams were undefeated. Five fell, leaving 11 left unblemished. They are:

Canton (5-0), Cromwell (9-0), Hillhouse (8-0), Hyde (7-0), Sacred Heart (9-0), Stamford (8-0), Stratford (8-0), Terryville (9-0), Trinity Catholic (9-0), Windsor Locks (9-0) and Windsor (8-0).
Both Windsor and Hillhouse had games Saturday against Bulkeley and Springfield Central, respectively.

Plenty of games to go see around the state at 7 p.m.: Here is a sampling:

Career at Wilbur Cross - Career can take control of the SCC Oronoque Division with a win.
North Haven at East Haven - North Haven needs to regroup after a pair of gut-wrenching losses to Lyman Hall and Career.
Stratford at Masuk - Stratford holds the state's longest winning streak at 21. Masuk never an easy plce to win.
Bridgeport Central vs. Bassick - Two city teams flying under the radar - for now.
Bloomfield at Rockville - Rockville has already upset Hartford Public. Can they now take down the undefeated Warhawks?

On Saturday
Northwest Catholic vs. East Catholic - In the final season of the Northwest Conference, this is the premeir matchup.
Hillhouse vs. Springfield Central at Springfield, mass. (6 p.m.); The final game of the HoopHall Classic. Last time here, Hillhouse took down a point guard named Jerryd Bayless. You may have heard of him: He now plays for the Portland Trailblazers.

To see past high school sports posts please click here for Morelli's Musings.

Joe's high school updates will be posted on this blog from this point forward. He will blog about golf at Morelli's Musings.

We're approaching the halfway point of the high school hockey season and right now it's obvious several teams are flexing their muscles in Division I.
After a sluggish start last season, coach Matt Sather has defending Division I champion Fairfield Prep back in form with the team concept back in place. The Jesuits have a history of being strong front to back and this season is no exception. Darric White at forward, Will Lomas at defense and Spencer Sodokoff in goal are just a few of the talented stars for the Jesuits this season as they will be a force in the postseason.
Recently, since I've been writing a lot about Marty Roos of Milford going for his 500th career win at Notre Dame-Fairfield, I've been getting emails from a few folks bashing the Catholic schools for being dominant strictly because they are able to gather talent from towns and cities throughout the state and beyond.
The bottom line is the private schools are what they are and most public school coaches have moved on and accepted the fact a state title will always have to go through at least one private school or two.
But for those hockey enthusiasts who yearn for the public schools to be on top, I give you Hamden High. Hamden is coming off an impressive 4-3 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield and at 6-2 is rolling toward another typical solid run in the post season. Led by goalie Anthony Avitable and a host of spunky, scrappy high-flying forwards and defensemen, the Green Dragons will be a tough out in the post season.
Another team to watch is a team that has moved from Division II to Division I - Trinity Catholic.
Usual suspects to be reckoned with include Notre Dame-Fairfield, Notre Dame-West Haven and a surging Greenwich team. Other northern teams to watch are Glastonbury, Tri-Town and Simsbury.
East Haven is an enigma this season - it has a solid goalie with John Palmieri but the loss of 10 players to graduation has taken its toll. Its on-ice defense has been struggling and scoring hasn't been as prolific as in the past few years. Lou Pane should get the Yellowjackets back on track by February.

Derby's move to the Naugatuck Valley League has already created one mega-football matchup.Hillhouse was scheduled to play Derby in the opening week of the Southern Connecticut Conference Division II season next September. Now, the Academics will play Ansonia.

Check out Mike Pucci's the story from today's Register