GameTimeCT Top 10 Boys Hockey Poll: No. 1 Ridgefield takes 20-0 record into playoffs

For the first time in eight years a team will take an unbeaten record into the postseason.

After clearing its Fairfield Prep hurdle, 2-1, Ridgefield polished off its sterling regular season with formality victories over Wilton (10-3) and Westhill/Stamford (7-1) to become the first Division I team to go unbeaten heading into the postseason since 2011, when New Canaan took a 20-0 record into the postseason.

Of course, while New Canaan eventually won the FCIAC tournament over St. Jpseph, they were upset by the Cadets in that year’s Division I semifinals at Ingalls Rink.

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Ridgefield begins its quest in this week’s FCIAC tournament. Next week, the CIAC tournament pairings will be released.

Elsewhere, much stayed the same in the Top 10. Red-hot Darien remained No. 2. NWC recaptured sole possession of No. 3 ahead of No. 4 Fairfield Prep. Hamden, New Canaan and Notre Dame-West Haven follow.

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Once again, there’s been a shakeup at the bottom. Xavier has risen to No. 8 with a 2-1-1 week. Watertown/Pomperaug remained the only Division II team in the top 10, but moved up a spot to No. 9.

And, for the first time in a month, Greenwich makes its return to the top 10, edging West Haven by 2 points for No. 10.

	TEAM (1st place votes)			REC	PTS	LAST	DIV
	1. RIDGEFIELD (14)			20-0-0	140	1	I
Results last week: def. Fairfield Prep 2-1, def. Wilton 10-3, def. Westhill/Stamford 7-1. Bottom Line: Eight years after New Canaan went 20-0, 20 years after the Rams went 19-0-1, we've got another Division I team unbeaten into the postseason.
	2. DARIEN			15-4-0	124	2	I
Results last week: def. Wilton 7-0, def. Trumbull 7-0, def. Greenwich 4-2. Bottom Line: No longer a unanimous No. 2, but the Blue Wave still had a pretty good week, avenging their only in-state loss to a team other than Ridgefield.
	3. NORTHWEST CATHOLIC			14-1-1	104	T3	I
Results last week: def. Xavier 4-0, def. Hamden 1-0. Bottom Line: The Lions carry four consecutive wins and three consecutive shutouts into Wednesday's rematch with Xavier.
	4. FAIRFIELD PREP			10-8-0	102	T3	I
Results last week: lost to Ridgefield 2-1 def. Notre Dame-West Haven 3-1, def. NFI 7-0. Bottom Line: The Jesuits have allowed 24 goals in 12 in-state games, two of them overtime losses.
	5. HAMDEN			10-7-0	80	5	I
Results last week: def. Notre Dame-Fairfield 3-1, lost to Northwest Catholic 1-0. Bottom Line: The Green Dragons' largest margin of victory this year came Jan. 23 at Bennett Rink, a 10-2 win over West Haven. The Westies are scheduled to pay a visit to Hamden on Wednesday night.
	6. NEW CANAAN			13-6-1	77	6	I
Results last week: def. Staples 3-1, tied Xavier 2-2. Bottom Line: Five losses by a total of seven goals (plus the one against Ridgefield) for the Rams, and none in their last seven regular-season games.
	7. NOTRE DAME- WH			8-8-1	56	7	I
Results last week: def. West Haven 4-0, lost to Fairfield Prep 3-1. Bottom Line: The Green Knights haven't been more than two games over .500 (at 3-1) nor more than one game under (twice) this season.
	8. XAVIER			6-10-2	28	9	I
Results last week: def. NFI 4-1, lost to Northwest Catholic 4-0, def. Notre Dame-Fairfield 3-1, tied New Canaan 2-2. Bottom Line: Each of the past five polls, the No. 8 team has fallen at least one spot the next week, four of them out of the top 10. Sorry, Falcons. Maybe they can buck the trend, with Northwest Catholic and West Haven this week.
	9. WATERTOWN-POMPERAUG			14-3-2	27	10	II
Results last week: def. NFI 5-2, def. Norwalk 8-1. Bottom Line: Teams with 14-win regular seasons each of the past three seasons: Ridgefield, and Watertown/Pomperaug. (Guilford can join them with one win in its last two games.)
	10. GREENWICH			9-9-2	12	NR	I
Results last week: def. St. Joseph 6-2, lost to Darien 4-2. Bottom Line: Three wins in a row (including one against defending Rhode Island champ LaSalle Academy), hung in against the No. 2 team, and back in the Top 10 for the first time in a month.
Dropped out: West Haven (8). First-place votes in parentheses and points tabulated on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Records through Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Others receiving votes: West Haven (10-8) 10, Branford (12-3-3) 4, Hand (14-2-1) 3, Guilford (13-5) 2, Simsbury (7-11-1) 1.
The following voted: Media: Sean Begin, Hartford Courant; Luke Devoe, CTHSHockey.org; Michael Fornabaio, Connecticut Post; Tim Jensen, Patch Media Corp.; Greg Lederer, Cheshire Herald; Mike Madera, Elm City Newspapers; Dan Nowak, New Haven Register; Pete Paguaga, Hearst Connecticut Media; Jim Stout, MaxPreps.com; Peter Vander Veer, HAN Network. Coaches: Ken Barse, Glastonbury; Shaun Gallagher, Ridgefield; Matt Sather, Fairfield Prep; Larry Vieira, Notre Dame-West Haven.