The North Branford boys’ ice hockey team remained scorching hot as the Thunderbirds blew out East Haven 7-1 in the Division II State Tournament semifinals on March 14 in Ingalls Rink in New Haven to advance to their second state final in as many years.

The top-seeded T-Birds, who improved to 18-4-1, will face off against No. 2 seed Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe for the state crown at Ingalls at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 18.

12th-seeded East Haven put the first few shots of the game on net in the semifinal contest, but goalie John Lovelace and the T-Birds weathered the storm before scoring three goals in a five-minute span of the first period to take an early command.

“I thought we got off to a little bit of a slow start, but we settled down and started going to work, sticking to the game-plan,” Head Coach Ralph Shaw said. “We got shots to the net and capitalized on that. That’s been our M.O. as of late, trying to get out to an early jump, and I thought we did a nice job of that in the first period.”

Senior Dominic Raccio scored North Branford’s first goal following a scrum in front of the net. His shot deflected off a defender’s stick and popped over the head of East Haven goalie Matt Twarowski and into the cage. After the T-Birds killed off a penalty, senior Adam Burkle skated up the left wing, waited, and fired a shot that beat Twarowski short side with 3:47 to go in the first period. Just nine seconds later, Nico Giatrelis put a shot over the glove to make it 3-0.

“You’ve got to go to the net and get dirty. It pays off,” Shaw said. “We have multiple guys scoring again. At this time of the year, you can’t be more excited for these guys.”

Senior Matt Chamberlain made it 4-0 with just over a minute to go in the first period. He received a pass in the high slot and his shot deflected off an East Haven defender and past Twarowski for the goal.

In the second, Raccio silenced the crowd with an early rebound goal and, after East Haven’s John Monaco made it 5-1, senior Brian McKee scored on a rebound to push North Branford to a 6-1 advantage.

Senior Mike Pantera added to the Thunderbirds’ lead in the third period and Lovelace finished the game with 17 saves.

To get to the semifinal, North Branford defeated Newington 3-0 and E.O. Smith-Tolland 8-2 in the first two rounds of the state bracket.

“We’re the No. 1 seed and we’re supposed to beat these teams we’re playing,” Shaw said. “In the first game, Newington played well. We controlled the flow of the game for the most part, but I would’ve liked to see us capitalize more on our opportunities.”

On March 8, the Thunderbirds blanked Newington 3-0 in the opening round of the DII state tourney at Northford Ice Pavilion. Lovelace made 21 saves to earn the shutout.

“Lovelace did a great job. A shutout is a good confident booster. The defense played well in front of him,” Shaw said. “I think he found his rhythm through the [SCC/SWC] Tournament [which North Branford won]. He makes the saves he’s supposed to make and also makes some that he shouldn’t make. He’s been getting it done on a routine basis for us.”

North Branford scored a goal in each period to earn the victory over Newington. Raccio netted the first goal with assists from Tanner Opie and Giatrelis. Raccio received the puck in the slot, skated right in front of Newington goalie Adam Belair, and slid his shot home. In the second period, Raccio went behind the cage to Giatrelis, who circled to the other side to bury a wraparound goal. McKee netted the dagger at 14:20 of the third period on assists from Opie and Pantera.

Then on March 11, North Branford defeated E.O. Smith/Tolland in the quarterfinal round by an 8-2 final at Trinity College in Hartford. Raccio and Pantera each recorded hat tricks as the T-Birds controlled the entire game.

“We came out and our goal was to pounce on them quick. We did a spectacular job of making that happen. It was 3-0 after the first and we scored those three goals on five shots,” Shaw said. “We really capitalized, set the tone, and had some big hits that dictated how the flow would be. It took them right out of their game-plan and we controlled start to finish.”

Burkle opened the scoring in the first period with an unassisted marker. Raccio then converted back-to-back goals with assists from Pantera and Giatrelis. Pantera scored the first two goals of the second period on helpers from McKee, Burkle, and Raccio, and then Raccio capped off his hat trick on assists by Nick Mancini and Pantera. In the third period, Raccio assisted a goal by Opie and Pantera later netted his third of the game with an assist from Matt Chamberlain. Pantera recorded a game-high five points and Coach Shaw loves the offensive depth his club is displaying at this time.

“We’ve been stepping up across the board. We’ve spread out the scoring and guys have been stepping up to fill those roles. The secondary scoring getting going is great. If you have one or two guys, the opposition will key in on them,” he said. “We have multiple guys that can score goals. We’re hitting on all cylinders and I like the momentum and confidence right now.”

The Thunderbirds’ trip to the Division II semis marked the fourth time in five years they made it this far.

“That’s something to be said for the program. These kids are hungry and work really hard. They put the time in, we set goals, and are able to attain them. It’s just like anything—process, learning each step you go,” Shaw said. “We take it one step at a time toward achievement of the goal. Each year, we take a step. That’s a positive for us. These guys have done that and it will be fantastic to cap it with a state championship.”

In terms of their next opponent, the T-Birds are facing a Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe team that they skated to a 4-4 tie with in their third game of the season back on Dec. 30. Fairfield (18-4-1) defeated Guilford 5-1 to make the state final. Last season, North Branford took a 4-1 loss to Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks in the Division II title game.

“These guys are amped up. It’s a goal of ours to get to Ingalls and even more so to play again on Friday night. The ultimate goal is to bring home a championship, but Fairfield is a tough opponent, so it’s going to be a heck of a game,” Shaw said. “A lot of these guys were on the team last year. It’s unfinished business for us. We walked out disappointed and it’s been a big focus for us.”