North Branford Loses To Tri-Town In NHC Tournament Championship

Fans of playoff-style hockey were treated to 53 minutes of intense action Saturday at the Enfield Twin Rinks.

took on in the finals of the Northern Hockey Conference tournament. Despite the disparity in their records entering the contest, the teams put on a fierce battle that would rival any state tournament game.

Trailing 3-2 with just under two minutes remaining, North Branford coach Ralph Shaw pulled goaltender Kyle Saroka in favor of a sixth attacker. The strategy paid off, as Rich Affinitio tied the game with 1:20 to play, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, neither team could convert any scoring chances until Justin Locke put the puck in the net with six seconds left on the clock, giving Tri-Town a 4-3 victory and the NHC tournament championship.

"North Branford had a tremendous game," Tri-Town head coach Paul Dowe said. "They got the tying goal late, but we dug deep down and got our late goal. This was a great way to prepare for the state tournament."

Neither team scored in the first period, though North Branford had several chances on a power play midway through the session. Tri-Town goaltender Mitch Diresta, who was named to the All-NHC team prior to the game, made two big saves during that time to keep the game scoreless.

Tri-Town's Ian Leiching broke the deadlock after a scramble in front of Saroka at 1:51 of the second period, assisted by Cody Roy. Kris Marra came right back for the Thunderbirds, scoring on a wrist shot from the top of the right circle at 3:31.

Midway through the period, Ronnie Williams capitalized on a North Branford giveaway, scoring off assists from Dan Bell and conference MVP Mike Hanna. Diresta kept it a 2-1 game by stopping all-conference selection Eric Podbielski on a breakaway.

Tri-Town opened up a 3-1 advantage six minutes into the third period when a North Branford defenseman missed the puck at the blue line, and Cullen Roberts converted with assists from Hanna and Williams. The Thunderbirds roared right back, cutting the deficit to one on a goal by Kyle Demming just 35 seconds later.

Saroka made a spectacular glove save to rob Locke with just under five minutes left in regulation. Shaw then gambled by pulling Saroka for a sixth skater with 1:50 to play, a bit earlier than most coaches would do in a one-goal game.

"Our coaching staff likes to give our guys a little more to work with," Shaw, the NHC Coach of the Year said. "Fortunately, tonight it worked out for us, we popped one in and forced overtime."

The overtime period featured considerable back-and-forth action, but no real scoring opportunities until Tri-Town's Brian Borbas clanged a shot off the goalpost with 2:55 left. North Branford was assessed a holding penalty with 2:10 remaining and killed off the penalty, but Locke's heroics moments after the power play ended provided Tri-Town the right to fly the championship banner.

Tri-Town (13-9) begins Division I state tournament play Wednesday, traveling to South Windsor. The Bobcats have won the previous two meetings between the teams this season. "South Windsor is our biggest rival, so it won't take much to get these guys ready to play," Dowe said.

The Thunderbirds finished their season with a 7-15 record. "For us, this was our state tournament, because we didn't qualify, so we were going to leave everything out on the ice" Shaw said. "I'm proud of my guys, and I thought we battled as hard as we could."