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Connecticut
Quinnipiac storms back from 3-1 deficit, wins third-straight Connecticut Ice title – The Quinnipiac Chronicle
HARTFORD — After hitting snooze on the proverbial alarm clock for the last week and a half of hockey, Quinnipiac finally woke up halfway through the second period of Saturday’s Connecticut Ice Tournament final against UConn. The Bobcats roared back from a two-goal deficit and took the lead 4-3 early in the third to reign supreme as tournament champions for the third year running.
“I love how we battled back from being down 3-1 and found a way to win,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “It was a big one.”
Graduate student forward Zach Tupker notched the game-winner just 28 seconds into the final period, walking into the offensive zone and ripping a shot glove-side high past Huskies senior Ethan Haider to make the game 4-3 Bobcats.
That score remained for the 19 minutes and 32 seconds that followed Tupker’s goal, but the intensity from both sides only continued to rise. Haider made several spectacular lunging stops to keep UConn within striking distance, while Quinnipiac senior netminder Vinny Duplessis put on a tournament MVP performance at the other, shutting the door on a Huskies team in desperation mode.
“I have a lot of trust in our defensemen,” Duplessis said. “A big part of our game is to stay tight in the slot … the last couple of minutes I made a lot of saves, so I wasn’t really worried about it. I was pretty tight myself, kept my body tight, not letting anything out.”
The win was not only Quinnipiac’s third-straight title, but also its third-consecutive victory over UConn in the tournament final.
“They found a way to win it again, so I’ve got to give them credit,” UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “It was a heavyweight match … and they got in one more punch than we did.”
But a lackluster first period effort put doubt in that outcome. The Bobcats struggled with the pressure UConn applied on their breakout, handing the Huskies a number of great chances off turnovers in the defensive zone.
Duplessis was up to the task on most of the Huskies’ chances, but even he eventually cracked under the high volume of quality looks. A seeing-eye shot from UConn graduate student defenseman Harrison Rees gave the tournament hosts the lead heading into the intermission.
A turnover forced by senior forward Travis Treloar behind the Huskies’ net set up freshman forward Mason Marcellus to momentarily tie the game for the Bobcats. But another pair of Quinnipiac turnovers, this time at the offensive blue line, put UConn back in the driver’s seat shortly thereafter.
Just seconds into a Bobcat power play, graduate student defenseman Jayden Lee fumbled the puck into a breakaway for Huskies junior forward Chase Bradley, who beat Duplessis shorthanded to retake the lead.
Two minutes later, it was sophomore defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault with a blue line bobble that ended with a tap-in goal for UConn sophomore forward Matthew Wood at the far post.
Down 3-1 and poised for its third loss in four games, Quinnipiac flipped a switch. Under the gaze of over 6,400 fans at the XL Center, the Bobcats bought into the playoff atmosphere and began to play with fire.
They connected on more passes, won more puck battles and played with more energy than they have in weeks. Less than four minutes after UConn extended its lead to two, sophomore forward Victor Czerneckianair struck back for Quinnipiac and the chase was on.
“(Sophomore forwards Alex Power and Anthony Cipollone) did a good job of crashing the net,” Czerneckianair said. “I just floated one in there and it went in.”
Fifty-four seconds later, great puck movement on a zone entry left Treloar open for a one-timer that he rocketed past Haider to tie the game at three.
“We want to create chaos and play fast and play at a pace,” Pecknold said. “I think it does wear teams down and teams start to make mistakes.”
Junior forward Cristophe Tellier appeared to have the go-ahead goal in the minutes that followed, but after a discussion between the officials it was ruled no goal due to a high stick without a review.
“It was a goal. And then it wasn’t a goal without reviewing it. So I’m really confused as to what happened,” Pecknold said. “I will say this though, (Jeremy) Tufts is an elite ref, I’m pretty sure he was in the Frozen Four last year with us, so he’s one of the better ones in the country.”
With a recharged offense thanks to some mid-game line shuffling, Tellier’s almost-goal ultimately didn’t play a factor in the final result, as Quinnipiac adds another title to its trophy case and leaves the capital with momentum to build from.
“I think this was huge for us,” Pecknold said. “To win a championship in that atmosphere, UConn was playing great down like that. There’s just a lot of positives we can take out of tonight.”
Health
The child, who is under the age of 10 and unvaccinated, recently traveled internationally, health officials said.
An unvaccinated child in Connecticut has been diagnosed with measles, public health officials confirmed, the state’s first confirmed case of the highly contagious disease since 2021.
The child, who is under the age of 10, lives in Fairfield County, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced last week. The child had recently travelled internationally before showing symptoms including cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and eventually a full-body rash.
“The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” Connecticut DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said in a statement. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective, while two doses are about 97 percent effective.”
The United States has seen a record high 1,912 measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, the CDC reported. As of July 7, this year has also reported the most cases in more than 30 years, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.
Earlier this year, West Texas saw a measles outbreak of hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated children who had to be hospitalized. About one in five unvaccinated people diagnosed with measles are hospitalized, Connecticut DPH said, and the disease can be especially dangerous for children.
“We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and other vulnerable people – from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination,” Juthani said.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his overhaul on the childhood vaccine schedule and doubts on COVID vaccine safety, endorsed the measles vaccine after two children died from measles amid the outbreak in Texas.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy said in April.
Earlier this year, a Vermont child who had recently traveled internationally was confirmed to have been infected with measles. In March, a man tested positive for measles after traveling on an Amtrak train originating from Boston’s South Station to Washington D.C.
The Connecticut high school football’s CIAC postseason wrapped up with the state championships this past weekend on Saturday.
Finishing in the No. 1 spot in this week’s final Top 25 rankings out of the Constitution State is Avon Old Farms after they defeated The Williston Northampton School, 35-21, in the Drew Gamere Bowl to end their season a few weeks ago. New Canaan sits right behind as they repeated as Class L champs. Which other teams from around Connecticut high school football deserves to be in the final set of Top 25 rankings for the 2025 campaign?
The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.
Here are the last Connecticut high school football rankings for 2025, according to Massey as of Dec. 14.
1. Avon Old Farms Beavers
Avon Old Farms (10-0) opened up the Connecticut high school football season by avenging a loss to Brunswick School from last season and have set the tone for the rest of the campaign. The Beavers have a talented offense that’s averaging 40.7 points per game, led by quarterback Matthew Baer, running back Kharon Craig, and offensive tackle Charlie Thom (Notre Dame commitment).
The Beavers have concluded their season play out of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Counci (NEPSAC) when they defeated The Williston Northampton School last week in the Drew Gamere Bowl, 35-21. Avon Old Farms finishes as the No. 1 team in the Connecticut high school football rankings.
2. New Canaan Rams
The defending Class L state champion New Canaan Rams (13-0) have done it once again as they defeated Cheshire, 34-13.
The Rams have won back to back playoff games versus Darien and Weaver with ease, winning by a combined 85-13. New Canaan won its 16th state championship in head coach Lou Marinelli’s legendary career. With the win, New Canaan clinched their fourth undefeated season in program history for the Rams (1968, 1969, 2008, 2025).
New Canaan has used a high-powered offense to cruise past opponents this fall, with quarterback Maddox Hoffman throwing for 1,936 yards and 21 touchdowns. Running back Henry Stein leads the ground game as he’s rushed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns.
3. Choate Rosemary Hall Wild Boars
Choate Rosemary Hall (8-2) saw its 18-game winning streak snapped back in Week 1 when they lost against New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy in a battle of top-ranked teams in their respective states.
The Wild Boars will finish likely within the Top 5 of the rankings after they ended their 2025 season in exciting fashion as they avenged that defeat by beating Phillips Exeter Academy in the Leon Modeste Bowl in a 44-42 thriller.
In 2024, the Wild Boars had completed their second consecutive perfect season after defeating Brunswick School. They have lost only four games over the last four Connecticut high school football seasons and only allowed only four opponent to score double digits.
The Wild Boars are another prep school that features multiple future Division I players, including Tanner Raymond (Rutgers) and interior offense lineman Will Tellers.
4. St. Thomas More Chancellors
St. Thomas More (1-3) remain steady as the No. 3 team in our latest set of Connecticut high school football rankings after a 50-21 loss to New Jersey’s No. 3 team, Hun School to end their season.
The Chancellors only losses from the 2024 season came against Maryland’s St. Frances Academy, Hun School, and Florida’s IMG Academy, respectively. St. Thomas More doesn’t have anymore scheduled games left on their 2025 slate.
Among the players the Chancellors feature on their roster are four-star edge rusher Alhassan Iddrissu (UCF), cornerback Terron Johnson, running back Malichi Greaves, and linebacker Christian King.
5. Daniel Hand Tigers
The Daniel Hand Tigers (13-1) has dominated in the Class SS playoffs, dominating all three opponents by a combined score of 122-32, after defeating the Killingly Trailblazers, 37-13, on Saturday.
Fueling the Daniel Hand offensive attack is the strong play of senior signal caller Bobby Reh, who has thrown for 2,194 yards and 29 touchdowns to only three mere picks. Junior running back Lucca Boyce leads the ground game with 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns.
6. St Joseph (8-2)
7. Cheshire Academy (7-3)
8. Windsor (12-1)
9. Brunswick School (6-4)
10. Greenwich (8-2)
11. Newtown (8-2)
12. Killingly (11-1)
13. Fairfield College Preparatory (8-2)
14. Wilton (10-2)
15. The Taft School (5-4)
16. Bunnell (10-3)
17. Kingswood-Oxford School (8-2)
18. Berlin (12-0)
19. The Loomis Chaffee School (3-6)
20. Darien (6-5)
21. Brookfield (8-3)
22. Staples (5-5)
23. Cheshire (8-3)
24. Southington (7-3)
25. Mark T. Sheehan (10-3)
For Connecticut high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Constitution State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Connecticut high school scores and football rankings.
VESTAL, NY (WBNG) — In a second straight doubleheader Saturday following up a Bearcats women’s win, the Bearcats men’s team dropped their second consecutive home game, 84-67 to Central Connecticut State.
In a closely contested matchup early on, the Bearcats stayed in it heading into the break only trailing by seven points.
In the second half, Binghamton brought it to within four points before the Blue Devils pulled away once again and went on an 11-0 run and went up by as much as 20 points.
Darin Smith Jr. finished with a game high, 23 points for the Blue Devils.
The Bearcats were without center, Demetrius Lilley which led to junior forward, Zyier Beverly, having an increased role.
Beverly led Binghamton with 21 points and five rebounds.
After back-to-back losses at home, the Bearcats now go on the road for a three game road stretch starting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Pittsburgh at 7p.m.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
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