New Canaan lost defenseman Bo McGuinness and forward Kris Nugent to graduation but the Rams haven’t missed a beat this season with an 8-0 record and impressive wins over Xavier, Notre Dame-West Haven and St. Joseph.
It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 as the No. 2 Rams get a big test on Tuesday at No. 1 Hamden at 6:30 p.m. as they face two-time defending Division I champion Green Dragons at Astorino Rink. Of course it all depends on whether the impending winter storm headed our way postpones the game. Get weather updates on this high school sports blog and www.nhregister.com/sports.
The Rams and their depth have been dominating opponents on both ends of the ice, so much so that Darien coach Larry Vieira believes they won’t lose a game this season.
New Canaan is led on offense by forwards Jimmy Jo Granito, Charlie Corcoran, Henry Corcoran, Dylan Hart and Reed Harper. The defense is led by goalie Tim Nowacki and defensemen Tom Krieger, Brian Tohir, Ryan Begoon and offensive-minded David Russell.
The Green Dragons (3-2) hope to rebound from a 4-3 loss to SCC foe Xavier on Tuesday (Jan. 11). The Green Dragons have balanced scoring led by forwards Jim Burt, C.J. Carignan, Paul Amarone, Nick Amarone, Justin MacGregor and Pat Lynch. The defense is led by R.J. Ugolik, Brandon Dadio, Teddy Kennedy, Sean O’Keefe and Michael Lee. Matt Hoff and Andy Varga have been alternating in goal.
This should be one of the most exciting games of the season. Veteran New Canaan coach Bo Hickey will have his team ready and seasoned Hamden coach Bill Verneris will have his team firing on all cylinders at home.

East Haven goalie Zack Bouve made 25 saves to lead the East Haven boys' hockey team to a 4-0 win over Wilton at Ridgefield Arena. Bouve gets his first career shutout as the Easties improve to 4-0. Tom Brunski had two goals and an assist for East Haven.

Five local teams have made a commitment to play in the HockeyFest event at Rentschler Field in early February. Here is an updated schedule.

Feb. 14: St. Joe vs. Amity, 4 p.m.; Sheehan vs. Lyman Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 16: Guilford vs. St. Bernard/Bacon Academy/NFA 6 p.m.
Feb. 18: Enfield vs. Northwest Catholic 5 p.m.; Wethersfield vs. East Catholic 7 p.m.
Feb. 19: Farmington vs. Newington/Berlin/ 10 a.m.

Eight Connecticut high school boys’ hockey teams, including Amity, North Haven, St. Joseph and Xavier, have been invited to play in the 11th annual Maine High School Hockey Invitational from Monday-Thursday.
Games will be played at Biddeford Ice Arena in Biddeford, Maine, Portland Ice Arena in Portland, Maine, MHG Arena in Saco, Maine and USM Arena in Gorham, Maine.
“We’ve been to the Maine tournament before and it’s always been a great experience,” Amity coach Gary Lindgren said. “The competition is excellent and it really helps the kids develop and improve their game.
“It’s also great from an educational and social aspect because the kids get to meet new people and get to experience some of the things Maine has to offer.”

For a complete schedule, link to the event’s Web site at:
http://www.mainehshockey.com/mhhi.asp?page=schedule

The other four Connecticut teams in the event are Ridgefield, South Windsor, Newington/Berlin and Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury.