Ridgefield Boys Hockey Defeats Conard 4-1 To Advance To Division I Quarterfinals

Sean Wilkinson recorded two goals and an assist Wednesday as the Ridgefield boys hockey team defeated Conard 4-1 in a Division I state tournament first-round game at the Winter Garden Arena.

Conard  opened the scoring on a power play at 6:21 of the period, when Michael Schaffman deflected a puck that managed to sneak between Ridgefield goaltender Nate Gliedman's pads. Zach Powers assisted on the goal.

But the Tigers responded with four straight goals as Wilkinson assisted on Aidan Scott's equalizer at 8:25 of the first period.

"We were able to skate around their defense most of the game and on that goal, I fed Danny (McMullan), who fed Aidan cutting to the net for the score."

The Tigers were motivated by what they felt was a dirty play in the first period, when a Conard player hit Ridgefield's Terry Guider high, knocking his head into the boards. As  Guider hit the ice, the Conard player appeared to celebrate.

 "It was a really cheap hit," Wilkinson said. "We play as a team, and the hit really woke us up.

"We are used to it and it motivates us more. You can't let it get to you because that is what they want to take you off your game."

Guider suffered his second concussion of the year, effectively ending his season according to the trainer and Guider's parents.

On the subsequent power play, Wilkinson scored with assists from Matt Hvartin and McMullan to make it 2-1.

Toward the end of the second period, McMullan scored Ridgefield's third goal at 13:50 on a nice pass from Tim Kelly. 

Down 3-1 with 1:20 left in the third period,  the Chieftains pulled their goaltender, but Wilkinson took a pass from captain Matt Flanagan and outraced two Conard defenders to tuck the puck neatly into the open net at 13:55.

 "The empty-netter broker their back, but I think the way we were playing defense and the way Nate was playing, we would have won anyway," Wilkinson said.

"Nate Gliedman did a good job for us, keeping it simple stopping and covering pucks," Gallagher added.

Ridgefield takes on St. Joseph in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The game will be a rematch of last week's FCIAC semifinal, won by the Cadets, 4-1.