Senior captain and goaltender Connor Crowley has embraced his role with the Notre Dame-West Haven Green Knights boys’ ice hockey team this season, taking full advantage of an opportunity he has waited four years to take on.

Connor’s love for the game of hockey started at 5 years old, and it’s this love and passion that have helped the Guilford native to be an integral part of his high school squad.

“My dad got me into it when I was younger, and I originally was not a goalie, but my team didn’t have a goalie, so I decided to play,” says Connor, who also plays baseball for the Green Knights. “I stuck with it because I met a lot of great friends along the way, and it helped me stay inspired to play.”

After spending his early days in youth hockey playing forward, Connor seemed to transition into the goalie position seamlessly and hasn’t looked back. Green Knights Head Coach Larry Vieira sees the talent Connor possesses while manning the net.

“Connor came into camp in great shape and has been a great leader for us,” says Vieira. “Connor has been playing beyond our wildest dreams. He has been playing at an All-State, All-League caliber hockey.”

Connor has played 10 games this season for the Green Knights and has a 91 percent save percentage, which has helped the team stay at the top of the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) and Division I standings for overall states play.

Connor only played two games during his junior year but continued to work hard and stay patient. He finally got the chance to start for the Green Knights this year, as the other goalie and assistant captain Peter Alfano suffered an injury early in the season. Connor’s leadership on and off the ice since stepping into the starting role has been key to Notre Dame’s success, although it came with some early-season challenges.

“Being a leader for the team this year, it was not easy at the beginning of the year because we had a lot of new guys, and it was a different team than last year,” says Connor. “I had to step up and take on a role that the seniors had last year. I just focused at the beginning of the season on everyone getting on the same page for the start of the season and making sure that everyone is working hard and having fun.”

Connor currently has 261 saves during the 13 games he has played so far this year, with a record of 10-1-1. He has allowed 24 goals and two shutouts.

Not only has Connor impressed with his numbers in net, but he has also overcome the challenges that came with transitioning to a leadership role this season, a task Vieira feels Connor responded to with ease.

“The biggest challenge would be that the workload is on him; in the past, it was not on his shoulders. The only challenge that came across his mind is that he is the man,” says Vieira. “We have never really talked about that and moving from the secondary role to now the leadership role, that is a huge challenge. He has not missed a beat at all.”

On Feb. 4, the Green Knights played against the New Canaan Rams and won by a final score of 2-0. Connor was named the Hummel Hotdog Player of the Game, after allowing no goals and recording 20 saves.

Over the four years Connor has been on the ice with Notre Dame, he has had to be patient and focus primarily on developing his game.

“Throughout my four years, it has always been tough because, as a freshman and sophomore, there was an All-State goalie ahead of me. I would rotate between junior varsity (JV) and varsity games,” says Connor. “I just kept working hard every single day and got my chance senior year. I stepped up and made the best of it. I have been working hard throughout the four years and when anything bad happened, I would show up to practice, give 100 percent, and keep grinding.”

As the regular season winds down and the Green Knights move towards postseason play, Vieira hopes to see Connor continue to give 100 percent effort every day and to stay consistent.

“We are hoping to see just what he has been giving us — consistency. We are fortunate in the past couple of years since I have been at Notre Dame,” says Vieira. “We are looking for a goalie that has been playing at a consistent level, and that is what he has been doing.”

The Crowley family has a history on the ice, as Connor’s older brother Brendan Crowley also played for the Green Knights in 2018. Recently, Connor was happy to see his brother return from college to be on the sidelines for one of Connor’s games, ironically, against the Darien Blue Wave, the team that knocked Brendan and the Green Knights out of the playoffs.

“He came back from college to watch me play, and beating them was really great. I grew up watching him play, and I saw how he lost to them,” says Connor. “I have been waiting to get my chance to beat them, and did, which felt really good. I was doing it for my team, and I was doing it for him. It was one of those memories that I got to share with my brother.”

With only a handful of games remaining on the regular season slate, Connor has high hopes for his team and is holding himself, as well as his teammates, to a high standard.

“Before the end of the year, I am hoping to continue a good season with my teammates and be the number one seed. I feel like if you beat a team in the regular season, it does not necessarily matter,” says Connor. “No matter what team you play, if you won or lost against them, it doesn’t matter in the playoffs. I have to make sure that my teammates and I are ready for the challenge and we do not overlook any opponents because every game means so much.”

Connor mentions that he will not be playing hockey at the collegiate level, but it will always be on his mind. After graduating from Notre Dame, he will be attending Brandeis University to play baseball.