It was another spectacular year for the North Branford boys’ ice hockey team this winter as the T-Birds finished the campaign at 20-5-1, claimed first place in the SCC/SWC Division II regular season standings, won the conference tourney, and earned the top seed in the Division II State Tournament. The only piece missing from North Branford’s puzzle was the DII state championship, but even though the T-Birds lost in the final for the second time in as many years, Head Coach Ralph Shaw was pleased with the ultimate outcome of the campaign, especially now that he’s had a little time to reflect on his team’s achievements.

“Having a few weeks to be removed from the loss in the finals, it was a fantastic season. The guys worked hard for one another and played well,” Coach Shaw said. “Winning an SCC Championship [with a 7-4 victory over Cheshire in the final] was a goal for the team and we accomplished that. Getting back down to Ingalls and being in the final again, it’s special. We hoped things turned out a little different this year, but we’re taking steps.”

Last season, North Branford took a 4-1 loss to Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks in the Division II final. This year, the T-Birds rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period, but were edged 4-3 in overtime by Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe.

“For high school hockey, you can’t ask for a better game than that. It’s stressful, but you play hard and, hopefully, good things will happen,” Shaw said. “We came back in the third and tied it up and I thought we had good momentum. Fairfield is a good team and capitalized. For high school hockey, that’ a great thing, a great game, so we’re proud to be part of it in that stage of the season. We hoped it turned out a little different, but we’re happy to be there and happy to be a part of that.”

North Branford started the season a tad slow, according to Shaw, as the team was 3-2-1 through its first six contests. However, the Thunderbirds closed January by winning four of five, only lost once in February, and weren’t beaten again until the state final.

“We worked hard through the rest of the season and I thought we gained momentum and peaked at the right time,” Shaw said. “We refined our game plan towards the end of the season and made some good things happen.”

The Thunderbirds’ leading point scorer was senior captain Adam Burkle, who scored 22 goals and added 33 assists to finish with 55 points. For his efforts, Burkle earned North Branford’s Most Valuable Player Award, along with being named to the All-SCC/SWC Division II Second Team, the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Division II First Team, and the New Haven Register All-Area Team. Burkle was also the MVP of the SCC Division II Tournament and was the Register’s All-Area MVP. Junior forward Brian McKee, who led North Branford with 37 goals and had 50 total points, was also an All-Area selection, as was senior captain Matt Chamberlain, who had 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) and was an All-SCC/SWC DII Second Team and CHSCA DII Second Team pick. He also earned North Branford’s Desire and Dedication Award.

“Those are some nice awards, nice feathers in the caps for these guys. It’s a nice way to finish a career for some of those guys,” Shaw said. “They’ll be missed, but I know they showed the way for some of the younger guys.”

North Branford’s Most Improved Award went to senior alternate captain Mike Pantera, who finished with 24 points (14 goals, 10 assists). The other two senior alternate captains were Dominic Raccio, who had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists); and Tanner Opie, who finished 17 points (2 goals, 15 assists).

“Those five guys [Burkle, Chamberlain, Pantera, Raccio, and Opie] bring so much to the table. Just their experience, they’ve been in the thick of the fight before. They bring a lot, including their mental approach and being leaders, working with the younger guys,” Shaw said. “It takes a lot of tenacity and courage. When we were down in the finals, in front of thousands of fans, for those guys to come back and tie it up, in between shifts you could hear the encouragement. It was just a positive experience. I thank them for the dedication for four years to the program. I’d keep all five if I could, that caliber of player, but more importantly, they’re great teammates.”

The biggest preseason question for North Branford turned into a strength this year. Will McEwen decided to leave North Branford to pursue hockey at Xavier, leaving sophomore John Lovelace as the starter goaltender. Lovelace won 18 games, including a pair of shutouts, en route to making 420 saves for a 2.43 goals-against-average and an .886 save percentage.

“I thought, being a sophomore, he doesn’t have the experience and I didn’t know what that was going to equate to. His confidence level grew after getting some starts and the team was confident in front him of,” Shaw said of Lovelace. “It’s a two way street, but with every game, he got more confident and we got more comfortable with him as a group. He played fantastic. I’m fortunate and happy to have him back for a few more years.”

The T-Birds will graduate five key members for this season’s team and so Coach Shaw isn’t exactly sure what to expect for next year. This group accomplished a lot by winning the first SCC/SWC title in program history and Shaw hopes that milestone will jump-start the program toward continued growth.

“I think coming together the way we did, really focusing and trying to achieve the goals we laid out is something we did. We were No. 1 in the SCC, winning the championship. It’s our first one, which is a great accomplishment. In the postseason, we played very well. In the first couple of games, I could tell the guys were focused and on a mission to get back down in Ingalls again. We fell a little short, not winning the state championship, but it was a great game, and it’s great for the program,” Shaw said. “Hopefully, we can continue to grow and one day have that state championship. We have some work to do.”

From the Sidelines

For the regular season, the Thunderbirds posted victories against Watertown-Pomperaug (3-1 and 6-2), Trumbull (5-1), New Fairfield-Immaculate (4-1), Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks (2-1), Amity (9-3), Branford (5-3), North Haven (5-1 and 7-3), Hand (6-3 and 5-3), Guilford (8-5), New Milford (8-3), East Haven (6-3), and East Catholic (3-2). They also tied Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe 4-4.

After that, North Branford beat Guilford 8-3 in the SCC/SWC Division II Tournament semis and then netted a 7-4 win against Cheshire in the championship game. In the DII State Tournament, the T-Birds defeated Newington 3-0, E.O. Smith-Tolland 8-2, and East Haven 7-1 before facing off with Fairfield for the championship.

North Branford’s regular season defeats came versus South Windsor (5-0), Cheshire (4-2), Guilford (5-1), and Conard (2-0).