The Darien Times

Hall helps give Wave a shot vs. no-loss Rams

Written by Steven Buono
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 01:13 PM

Girls Wave Hockey

It was about the closest Darien’s come to beating New Canaan since the era of Olivia Hompe kicked in several years back.

And with another encounter with the Rams close, coming up in the FCIAC girls hockey semis on Wednesday, the narrowish nature of the Rams’ 3-1 win gives the next match a bit more glitter — and distinct glimmer of hope for DHS against the undefeated foe.

“We played well, it was close, 1-1 going into the second,” said Wave coach Al Gurney of Saturday's game at DIR. “Nothing in the third, only four shots in the second — and that’s when they actually scored on a powerplay and on another shot from the point.”

New Canaan out shot Darien 14-4 in the second.

Hompe was in on every NC goal, scoring twice and setting up another.

But there was one she didn’t have.

At 12:15 of the third Hompe appeared to be on her way to a hat trick, and racing back Emily Tropsa had only one thing to do.

“She broke lose and (Tropsa) chased her down the ice and kind of pulled her down from behind,” Gurney said. “(Hompe’s) a gamer, no doubt about it.”

Wave sophomore goalie Shannon Hall (28 saves) stopped Hompe on the resulting penalty shot — Hompe’s first time going in one-on-one vs. a DHS goalie — and with nobody else but the Darien goalie on the ice — since scoring the winner in the state final a few years ago in New Haven.

Said Gurney: “For (Hall) it’s a matter of confidence and being focused. Every game gets better.

“And the freshman’s (goalie Izzy Scribiano) good as well.”

Britt Gardella made 17 stops in goal for the Rams.

Corbett Ripley made it 1-0 Rams at 7:13 of the first period, set up by Hompe, and Darien got on the board when Julia Arrix tied it from Lilly Christensen, scoring on a rebound with less than a minute to play in the period.

Hompe scored the winner from Abby Buckenheimer on another late goal, with 41 seconds to go in the second, for a 2-1 Rams lead.

Hompe fired from the point, beating Hall up high.

The cluster of late period goals was complete with Hompe’s second of the game seconds later in the second for 3-1.

She scored again from out near the point, this time on the powerplay from Holly Burwick with six seconds left in the stanza.

“So we didn’t cover the point very well,” Gurney said. “But Shannon played great in goal.”

She had to to make this as close as it was.

“You know what? Everyone stepped up and played well,” Gurney added. “They’re a good team, obviously they doubled our shots.”

Darien stayed in the game much better than the last time the two teams met, when NC took it 7-2.

The Wave goes into the postseason at 11-7-1 and needing to snap a three-game snag where it has also lost to Greenwich 5-1 and tied Ridgefield 1-1.

Cleaning up the best it can is Darien’s top chore.

“Eliminate those couple of bad mistakes we made and it could have been a different story,” said Gurney. “We’ve got to hope for playing the perfect game (Wednesday, 8 p.m. at DIR), and taking advantage of what they give us, which is scoring opportunities.”

New Canaan is 14-0 FCIAC, 19-1 overall, first in the league, Darien is No. 4.

“Actually, this is the way that we would rather have it,” Gurney said of going right back at the top seed juggernaut. “I mean, hopefully they’re coming in having beaten us a couple of times, and looking past us to the final.”

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