Connor Driscoll's late goal sends Fairfield Prep to D-I boys hockey final against New Canaan

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Fairfield Prep players celebrate after defeating Darien 2-1 in the CIAC Division I hockey semifinals at Quinnipiac M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media)

HAMDEN - The Fairfield Prep boys hockey team has found many different ways to win this season. The Jesuits added a new one to the list Tuesday.

Behind a Connor Driscoll goal five seconds after Darien had evened the contest with just over a minute to play in regulation, third-seeded Fairfield Prep stunned the No. 2 Blue Wave 2-1 in the Division I semifinals at M&T Bank Arena at Quinnipiac University.

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The Jesuits will play top-seeded New Canaan, a 4-0 winner over Simsbury in the earlier semifinal, in the D-I championship game Monday at Quinnipiac. 

Fairfield Prep returned to the final for the second time in three years, beating Notre Dame-West Haven in 2023.

New Canaan players celebrate a goal by #27 Owen Robie, center, during the CIAC Division I hockey semifinals against Simsbury at Quinnipiac M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media)

"We made it that far in the game," Driscoll said. "We maintained the 1-0 lead. We knew it was going to come down to a one-goal game. This is a good team. I'm just grateful the outcome happened the way it did."

After falling to Darien twice in the regular season, the Jesuits pulled out a dramatic victory on Driscoll's goal with 59 seconds remaining in regulation.

Darien, which won the D-I crown last season, had finally got on the scoreboard just five seconds earlier, with 1:04 left, on a rebound goal by Teddy Baum, tying the score at 1-1.

Fairfield Prep coach Vin O'Hara immediately turned to Driscoll for a quick pep talk. Driscoll responded instantly by breaking through the Darien defense off the faceoff and beating Darien goaltender Schafer Repsher to the top corner.

"We put him right back out there," O'Hara said after his team improved to 16-8. "We said, 'you ready to have the shift of your life?' I think that qualifies."

Fairfield Prep's #19 Connor Driscoll, right, celebrates his go-ahead goal with teammates late in the third period against Darien during the CIAC Division I hockey semifinals at Quinnipiac M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media)

Baum's goal finally solved Fairfield Prep goaltender Chris Carr, who was magnificent with 27 saves. The senior was peppered throughout the third period, but never flinched until Baum's late tally. 

"Earlier in the season, my grandfather (William) passed away in December," Carr said. "He has gone to every one of my games. He sat behind the glass. Before the game, I just kept saying it was for him. It's kind of the reason I played the way I did. I just kept it together. I had something bigger in mind."

The Jesuits, ranked third in the GametimeCT poll, took a 1-0 lead in the opening period when Luca Bosco banked a shot off the Darien defense into the net 6:25 into the contest.

That was the only scoring of the period as both Repsher and Carr came up big.

Carr denied Darien's Jack Marisca on a 2-on-1 break with a pad save, then stopped Marisca and Jack Konzerowsky on another rush, before turning aside Marisca in front with six minutes remaining.

Repsher also came up big in the opening period as he denied Liam Pulie from in close, then stopped Driscoll on a partial break with 1:10 left in the first.  

Carr continued his masterpiece in the second period by turning away Marisca with a pad save five minutes in, before stopping a rocket by Ryan Thurlow from the right faceoff circle with 2:42 left in the period.

"The guys battled hard," Darien coach Mac Budd said after his team finished the season 18-6. "Once again, it's a tight game. You're looking around at various games, and a lot of these games are just tight-structured, defensive games. It's playoff hockey. That's what you saw tonight. You're feeling great and feeling like we're going to overtime, and we get careless on a faceoff. Right away, we're back under the gun. Certainly, a tough way to lose."

In the opening semifinal, New Canaan looked comfortable throughout and dominated fourth-seeded Simsbury. The Rams were making their fifth straight semifinal appearance.

New Canaan's defensive effort was on display throughout as the Rams held Simsbury to just five shots on goal in the contest.

"It was a tremendous effort," New Canaan coach Clark Jones said after his team improved to 21-2. "It was a five-man unit playing that whole game together, taking away time and space. When we do that, we're tough to play against. Giving up that few shots was just a total team effort. Group of five out there together, connected, taking away time and space. They did a great job."  

With the victory, the Rams advanced to their third straight Division I final, having been the runner-up the last two years.

New Canaan, which has won 14 straight games, will be searching for its first state title since 1972, when the Rams topped Hamden. The Rams have been the runner-up in their last 10 finals appearances.  

Entering the second period with a one-goal lead, the Rams made sure to put some distance between themselves and the Trojans. New Canaan, which held Simsbury to just one shot in the middle period, got all the insurance it needed with a pair of goals for a 3-0 lead.

Rogan Lowe was positioned perfectly in front to knock in a rebound off assists from Andrew Harmon and Jack Vincent 4:07 into the period for a 2-0 advantage.

The Rams took a 3-0 lead with 4:55 remaining in the second period as Owen Robie took a feed from Cameron Lyden and rifled a shot from the right boards past Simsbury goaltender William Hansen.

"We always play from the back up," Lowe said. "We obviously have a great goalie in net. It's a team defense, team play. No one is out there trying to score all the goals. We play as a unit and it works."

New Canaan, the top-ranked team in the GameTimeCT poll, controlled play in the opening period with an 8-2 shot advantage, and more importantly, the lone goal. After Lowe was denied, he set up Anthony Delcarmine in the slot for a 1-0 lead with 5:57 remaining in the opening period.

"It was tough," Simsbury coach Dave Olechna said after his team fell to 17-7. "First period, we established our forecheck pretty late. We really couldn't get possession of the puck. A lot of our zone entries, we had a couple of two-on-one opportunities and three-on-twos, but we couldn't get pucks to the net. In the third period, I think we were just a little gassed. We lived in our end the second half of the game."

The Rams had the better of the play, and it was Hansen who kept the Trojans in the game as he denied Henry Choi after Choi made a nice move through the defense, and he snuffed Lowe with a glove save off a partial break 3:21 into the contest.

Simsbury's best scoring opportunity came when William Vincent ripped a shot off the crossbar 4:25 in.

The Trojans were playing in their third straight semifinals. 

NEW CANAAN-SIMSBURY

Player of the Game

Rogan Lowe, New Canaan: The senior finished with a goal and an assist, helping the Rams to a 2-0 lead.

Quotable

"I'm obviously excited. It's my last game ever. I'm going to treat it like any other game. I've had so much fun on this team. I'm just so excited for the moment."

- New Canaan's Rogan Lowe on playing in the state championship game.

New Canaan 4, Simsbury 0

SIMSBURY            0 0 0-0
NEW CANAAN     1 2 1-4

NC-Anthony Delcarmine (Rogan Lowe) 5:57
NC-Lowe (Andrew Harmon, Jack Vincent) 10:53
NC-Owen Robie (Cameron Lyden) 4:55
NC – Cody Jones (Vincent) 3:05
Shots:S 5, N 25.
Saves: S-William Hansen 21, NC-Blake Pozatek 5.
Team records: S 17-7, NC 21-2.

FAIRFIELD PREP-DARIEN

Players of the Game

Chris Carr and Connor Driscoll, Fairfield Prep:Carr made 27 saves for the Jesuits, many in spectacular fashion, while Driscoll scored the game-winner with 59 seconds left in regulation.

Quotable

"It was a team effort, but when things broke down, it's got to get by five guys to get to Carr. When we needed him, he really rose to the occasion. It was a pretty spectacular effort all around, and highlighted by him in net."

- Fairfield Prep coach Vin O'Hara on goalie Chris Carr

Fairfield Prep 2, Darien 1

FAIRFIELD PREP    1 0 1-2
DARIEN                     0 0 1-1

FP-Luca Bosco (Henry Schwartz) 8:35
D-Teddy Baum 1:04
FP-Connor Driscoll (Graydon Bryson) 0:59
Shots: F 17, D 28.
Saves: F-Chris Carr 27, D-Schafer Repsher 15
Team records: FP 16-8, D 18-6.

This article originally published at Connor Driscoll's late goal sends Fairfield Prep to D-I boys hockey final against New Canaan.

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