Fairfield Prep celebrates after beating Greenwich in the Division I state title game in 2018. The teams will face off again Tuesday at Fairfield Prep.
Bob Luckey Jr. / Hearst Connecticut Media
Notre Dame-West Haven’s Ty Battipaglia looks for an open teammate against Fairfield Prep on March 10. The teams are scheduled to meet Jan. 8 and Feb. 19 this season.
Pete Paguaga / Hearst Connecticut Media
The late St. Joseph coach Eddy LeMaire will be honored Jan. 17 when St. Joseph and Trumbull play in the Coach Eddy Cup.
Contributed photoGreenwich at Fairfield Prep (Wonderland), Tuesday, 6 p.m.: There are a handful of games on Monday for opening day, but the only game scheduled for Tuesday is a beaut, No. 5 in the GameTimeCT Top 10 visiting No. 1 (and two of the three teams that got a first-place vote). This matchup hasn’t happened often.
Notre Dame-West Haven at West Warwick (R.I.), Friday, 6 p.m.: The Green Knights open their season; it’d just be one of 20 games for them, one of three games scheduled on this first Friday of the season. Except it’s the first scheduled game outside Connecticut for a CIAC team since Feb. 23, 2020, since the state disallowed out-of-state competition last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Several teams did have preseason scrimmages out of state.) Here’s to getting normal again.
Hall at Southington/Coginchaug/Westbrook (Newington Ice Arena), Saturday, 7 p.m.: The first game for both teams since the dissolution of the long-running Hall/Southington co-op… is against each other. Happy reunion!
Cheshire at Sheehan (Choate), Dec. 29, 2 p.m.: Hockey Fights Cancer day for these two teams and special in particular for Rams coach Anthony Giusto, whose wife is a cancer survivor.
Darien at Greenwich (Greenwich Skating Club), Dec. 29, 4 p.m.: Fairfield County’s version of the Winter Classic returns after, like so many other things, a year off. The teams meet again indoors at Darien Ice House on Feb. 9 at 7:50 p.m.
Farmington Valley at North Haven (Northford Ice Pavilion), Dec. 31, 1 p.m.: A little north-south battle between two well-regarded Division II teams to close out 2021.
Northwest Catholic at Simsbury (Simsbury Farms), Jan. 1, 1 p.m.: Simsbury is again scheduled to have two games outside at Simsbury Farms, this one and Jan. 17 against the Farmington Valley Generals.
Fairfield Prep at Notre Dame-West Haven (Bennett), Jan. 8, 1 p.m.: Finally. The SCC canceled its Division I final last spring — de facto state championship, No. 1 versus No. 2 — for COVID-19 protocols. These two teams were declared co-champions. They’re No. 1 vs. No. 2 to start the season. They will be back on the ice here, then Feb. 19 at Wonderland at 4 p.m., and up to twice more. Ding, ding.
Staples at McMahon/Norwalk (SoNo Ice House), Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m.: The DW Cup honors Dale Wehmhoff, who coached both teams before his death in 2018.
St. Joseph at Trumbull (The Rinks at Shelton), Jan. 17, 7 p.m.: The crosstown rivals will meet for the Coach Eddy Cup, honoring late St. Joseph coach Eddy LeMaire, who died in 2020.