The North Branford boys’ ice hockey team had gone 12 days since its last game—a 3-1 loss at East Haven on Feb. 14—and so rust was imminent at the start of its contest versus Hand on Feb. 25. The Thunderbirds were subject to a slow start against the Tigers and ultimately played to a 3-3 tie. Head Coach Ralph Shaw noted that his team was out of rhythm throughout much of the first period.

“We hadn’t played in like 12 days so I thought we came out a little slow. We have to set the tone at this point of the season. We were a little out of game shape because we hadn’t played in awhile,” said Shaw, whose team is 12-5-1 and 7-3 in SCC/SWC Division II. “Unfortunately, we didn’t show up to play. We let them dictate the tempo and we were lucky to tie it up. Give our guys credit, but it’s disappointing to not walk away with a win.”

With his club down 1-0, Matt Chamberlain scored North Branford’s first goal of the game. The Tigers had issues getting the puck out of the zone and Chamberlain spiked the puck down at the blue line, then fired a shot through a screen and into the back of the net. Hand netted the next goal, but then forward Brian McKee scored with just 19.1 seconds to go to send the game into intermission tied at 2-2. McKee’s initial shot was stopped, although he corralled his own rebound and put it home.

After Hand’s Ryan Hilton put the Tigers ahead early in the third period, McKee made a play with a Thunderbird in the box to even the game 3-3 and earn North Branford a point.

“He’s been a really bright spot offensively. He’s really turning it on,” Shaw said of McKee. “The best part is he works on both ends. He’s been doing some fantastic back-checking and is turning into quite a player for us.”

The T-Birds then faced North Haven on Feb. 28 and were topped 3-2. They have struggled in this rivalry game of late with the Indians winning the last four meetings.

“It’s becoming a great rivalry between the two teams. It was hard fought, both teams played well, the tempo as great, and we carried a lot of the play,” Shaw said. “[North Haven goalie Andrew] Graziano stood on his head and he’s been the difference. If he’s not in net, the edge goes to us.”

McKee and Dominic Raccio were the two goal scorers for North Branford. McKee had a chance to tie with about 30 seconds to go, but his penalty shot was saved by Graziano.

Even though North Branford came away with a loss, Shaw felt his squad played a great game against North Haven and hopes that his team now has its legs back and will be ready for the postseason. Right now, the Thunderbirds are looking good to make their conference tournament. Shaw said there’s a chance they could get knocked out in the waning days of the season, yet feels optimistic the T-Birds will hang on to a top-four spot.

“Last night, we played one of the better games we played in a while. We’re looking to carry that momentum into our next few games,” he said. “I’m looking to keep the momentum going and carry that into the SCC and state playoffs.”