By Richard Kaufman
One would think that after going 18-2 in the regular season and then falling short in a wild contest to the defending champion Ridgefield Tigers in the FCIAC Tournament, a team would be deflated heading into the state tournament.
Not the Cardinals.
Greenwich High came out strong in the opening round of the CIAC State Tournament Tuesday evening, defeating St. Joseph 5-0. The Cardinals are using the hiccup against Ridgefield as a motivational factor going forward.
“The kids played really well tonight. After losing the FCIAC final to Ridgefield there is a definite sense of unfinished business,” said GHS head coach, Chris Rurak. “We out-shot [St. Joseph] 50-9 and their goalie played extremely well. We just stuck with a simple game plan of getting it out of our zone and getting it deep.”
Senior William Baugher and Nikita Kovalev each scored goals eight seconds apart in the first period. Senior Alexander Mozian scored in the second, Kovalev struck again in the third, along with Junior Sean Pratley.
Rurak noted that it’s great to get a win in any tournament, but games get tougher this time of year.
“At this stage of the game there are no easy games because some hockey careers are coming to an end and everyone plays their heart out,” he said.
The Cards will now face off against Northwest Catholic on Saturday. Rurak said he’ll review film from the last time they faced the Lions, and make the necessary adjustments.
“We have a good pregame practice routine that we follow pretty closely no matter who we are playing,” he said. “I think that consistency keeps the kids calm, relaxed and confident. We will prepare for them the same as usual. It should be a great game.”
