NEW HAVEN - The Hand boys hockey team almost let one get away on Friday but the tournament's Cinderella team completed its dream season in dramatic fashion. High-scoring forward Ben Solin saved the day and as usual found himself in the right place at the right time.
With the score tied at 4, Solin scored his third goal of the game with 3:15 left in the third period and goalie Chase Briggs had 33 saves to lead No. 13 Hand to a 5-4 win over No. 2 Amity in the CIAC Division II championship at Ingalls Rink.
Hand took a 3-0 lead after the first period but the depth and speed of the Spartans allowed Amity to fight back to force a decisive third period.
"This is big, I'm pretty emotional right now," first-year Hand coach Ken Mitchell said. "After the first period the momentum switched but our kids stayed focused. When Ben took that (game-winning) shot, I wasn't sure it would go in but I knew it had a chance with Amity's goalie screened a bit by a defenseman."
This is Hand's second Division II title having won one in 2006.
On the winning goal, Solin had the puck at the blue line. With time winding down and just a defenseman between him and Amity goalie Brian Mosher, he decided to take a long-range shot.
"I thought I had nothing to lose, so I wound up and took the shot," Solin said. " There was a defenseman in front of me and when I took the shot I had no idea if the puck was even on net. When it went in it was the greatest feeling in the world."
Amity dominated puck possession in the first period and outshot Hand 15-10. But the Tigers finished three chances while Briggs shut the Spartans out.
Hand showcased its speed early and often in the game. Solin and Dan Braumann led a 2-on-2 breakaway down the left wing, which led to the game's first goal. Brauman chipped the puck over to Solin who wristed a shot at the bottom of the left circle. The puck flew into the lower right corner for the 1-0 lead at 3:04 of the first period.
Solin used another impressive move to score his second goal. In the Amity zone, an Amity defender grabbed a loose puck inside the left circle. But Solin came from behind the player, stole the puck and fired a shot in front of the left post and past Amity goalie Brian Mosher for a 2-0 lead at 6:29.
Hand padded the lead late in the first period. With Amity's Adam Shea serving a hooking penalty, Hand defenseman Dan Healy sent a slap shot near the right circle for a power-play goal and a 3-0 lead at12:31.
Amity wasted no time mounting its comeback in the second period when Adam Shea scored 16 seconds into the period to cut Hand's lead to 3-1. Shea scored again off a breakaway at 3:45 to cut the lead to 3-2.
Hand's Mike Belliveau responded with a goal at 4:39 to make it 4-2 but the Spartans weren't about to give up.
Brett McNeil scored at 11:50 of the second period to make it 4-3. When Kevin Ryan scored a power-play goal with 25 seconds left in the second period to tie the game at 4, the Amity faithful came roaring to their feet, setting up a hard-fought third period that led to Solin's game-winning goal.
"After that first period, we had no where to go but up," Amity interim coach Scooter Richetelli said. "We settled the guys down after the first period and they worked hard for the comeback.
"But Briggs is the real deal and has a great glove. We just couldn't finish our chances in the third period."
2014 Division II Ice Hockey Championship