HAMDEN, CT — About 3,500 fans jammed into the M&T Arena on the campus of Quinnipiac University Wednesday night to witness the culmination of the Connecticut high school hockey team. It was everything one could ask for – a matchup between the top two teams in the state, with 26 state titles between them, in a Division I championship game loaded with emotion.
In the end, Fairfield Prep goaltender James Heber was the standout of the evening, stopping 42 shots on goal by Notre Dame-West Haven en route to a 3-0 victory and the Jesuits’ 19th state crown. Playing just two months after the unexpected passing of his dad, Heber made about a half-dozen saves that seemed utterly impossible.
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James Murphy scored the only goal the Jesuits would need just over three minutes into the contest, then Blake Baksay executed some outstanding stickhandling work from the left circle to beat Green Knights goaltender Connor Crowley late in the second period.
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Fairfield Prep was whistled for a penalty with 2:18 remaining. Notre Dame coach Larry Vieira pulled Crowley in favor of a sixth attacker with 1:43 to play, but Murphy sealed the victory with an empty net shorthanded goal with 35 seconds left.
The Green Knights, winners of Division I last year, had been seeking their ninth state title. Instead, Fairfield Prep won the championship for the first time since 2019, and the first under head coach Vin O’Hara.
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