Why Fairfield's Hockey Team Isn't Allowed In The State Tournament

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield leaders are asking Connecticut sports officials to reconsider their decision to bar the town’s high school hockey team from participating in the state tournament due to its size and co-op status.

The team, which includes players from Warde and Ludlowe high schools, was informed two years ago of the need to restructure, but was allowed tournament eligibility as a co-op for those two years, according to a letter to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference from Fairfield’s Board of Selectmen. When both the 2020 and 2021 state tournaments were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Fairfield sought another year of eligibility but was denied.

“We respectfully request the CIAC cooperative committee allow Fairfield to participate at the state tournament,” said the letter, dated Jan. 26 and signed by First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, Selectman Tom Flynn and Selectwoman Nancy Lefkowitz. “We owe our student-athletes the same flexibility that we asked them to have during this unprecedented time.”

Fairfield, which is the only co-op team competing in Division I hockey, has had a strong season, with a 10-1 record so far, according to MaxPreps. The state tournament is scheduled to begin March 7.

A spokesman for the CIAC said the organization had received the letter from town officials but had no comment.

In addition to requesting tournament eligibility, the letter took issue with the rules for co-op teams, an option available to schools that lack enough players to form a team on their own. Co-op hockey teams must have no more than 15 members per school and cannot cut any players. Schools with player numbers above the maximum are subject to a phase-out period, after which they must separate or opt out of the state tournament.

“The co-operative team concept is simple — if you are over the maximum determined limit you should not be combined with another school,” according to a CIAC document.

Fairfield’s hockey program has 14 players from Warde and 19 from Ludlowe, according to the letter.

However, town officials defended the program, including the existence of a junior varsity team — which co-op programs are not allowed to have — arguing a JV squad is appropriate given the dangers of the sport.

“If we eliminated our JV team, that would dissuade many players from coming out to play hockey, knowing they would not play during varsity games,” the letter said. “Our numbers would certainly decrease and fall within the range of co-op rules … This speaks to the illogical nature of the ‘rule of numbers’ without context as well as the inconsistent provisions of the rule.”