Newington-Berlin Hockey Prepares for Second Straight Trip To Championship Game

By Rick Volk

The Newington-Berlin ice hockey team is one victory away from winning back-to-back state championships.

The Indians, 4-1 winners in the semifinals after trailing 1-0 going into the third period, will play Rockville-Bolton-Coventry-Lyman Memorial at 1:30 at historic Ingalls Rink at Yale University.

The team practiced at the rink on Friday and the video shows its pre-game preparations.

Trailing 1-0 after two periods in the semifinals, Newington-Berlin's B.J. Richards knotted the score 1-1 just 30 seconds into the third period. From there it was all N-B as Richards added another goal and the Indians got goals from Matt Harackewicz  and Tyler Mangiafico.

Richards first goal made the Sportscenter Top 10 on ESPN.

With the win, Newington-Berlin will travel back to Yale to play Rockville-Bolton-Coventry-Lyman Memorial for a chance to win its second straight state championship. R-B-C-LH beat NFA-St. Bernard-Bacon Academy in the other semifinal game 2-1 in double overtime.

Drew O'Leary made 19 saves in net for the winners in the semis. He and his counterpart from R-B-C-H are two of the top goalies in the state and goals will be hard to come by in the championship game.

The teams played twice during the year. N-B won one game and tied the other game.