It was a wild 24 hours for first-year Darien boys' hockey coach Larry Vieira following his team's 4-3 upset win over No. 1 West Haven in the first round of the CIAC Division I tournament on Wednesday night. Darien is seeded No. 16.
Vieira teaches at West Haven High and resides in Milford.
"In terms of my night (Wednesday), I did not go to sleep till 2 a.m.," said Vieira, a former longtime boys' hockey coach at Branford. "This is the biggest win ever for me including the 1988 state championship game (Branford defeated Shepaug for the title). Everyone counted our players and coaches out after our 0-5 start this season. The day-to-day improvement and continued work ethic by these players has been refreshing to see."
Vieira said Thursday at Westie High was strange.
"First and foremost, I respect the coaches at West Haven and love the hockey players and students alike," Vieira said. "All the players on that West Haven team are hard working kids on and off the ice. They have always shown the utmost respect for me as a teacher and a coach.
"We had CAPT testing today (Thursday) so I only saw a couple of players. I did not kid with them because they were upset at losing. I would only compliment their discipline and hard skating they did throughout the game."
Overall, there were mixed emotions for Vieira.
"To be honest, it felt strange being in the school because this hockey team means so much to the school and the community that I support and teach at," Vieira said. "But at the same time I am devoted to the Darien High hockey team and my total loyalty is to that team.
"The teachers were supportive of my team's effort but were upset that a lot of great kids at West Haven lost."