Sports
Hamden Hockey Falls in Division I Playoffs
Goals by Jim Burt and Michael Lee not enough as the Green Dragons lost to the Jesuits, 5-2.
Brothers Bryan and Craig Puffer each scored two goals Saturday, leading the Fairfield Prep hockey team to a 5-2 victory over Hamden in a rematch of the 2010 Division I title game.
The Jesuits (19-3) scored four unanswered goals in the third period, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to dethrone the reigning state champions in front of a capacity crowd at the Bennett Rink in West Haven.
The Green Dragons were denied in their bid to win a third consecutive state championship.
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In addition to the Puffer brothers, A.J. Unker scored an empty-net goal late in the third, and Evan Antisdale, Don Carnicky, Sean and Connor Henry all tallied assists for Fairfield Prep.
The Jesuits struck first, four minutes into the period, when Antisdale found Craig Puffer swooping in for the goal between the legs of Hamden netminder Matt Hoff.
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Hamden responded 17 seconds later, when Patrick Lynch found his captain Jim Burt along the goal line, and Burt snuck the puck behind Galiani for the score.
The two teams played a fast, furious and physical game throughout the remainder of the period and contest, which would come back to haunt the Green Dragons.
Hamden started the second on a power play and took advantage. Two minutes and three seconds into the period, Nick Amarone found Michael Lee for a slap shot to give the Green Dragons a 2-1 lead that they maintained for the entire stanza.
The third period is when penalties - 15 minutes, a period’s worth - put the Green Dragons at a distinct disadvantage. Prep started the third period on a power play and 18 seconds after it ended, a second penalty afforded the Jesuits another man advantage. This time, Prep cashed in the opportunity.
Two minutes in, Carnicky found Bryan Puffer at the left faceoff circle for the slap shot that tied the game at two. Less than a minute later, Craig Puffer swooped into the crease to sneak one past Hoff's back door, giving the Jesuits a 3-2 lead.
After regaining the lead, Galiani clamped down on the Green Dragons, blocking and saving the battery of shots Hamden gave him.
Galiani held up his end, while the Jesuits tacked on two more goals in the final minute, both empty-netters.
