The top-seeded Darien Varsity Girls Hockey played in their ninth state championship since their last win in 2023 against Avon/Southington. The three games that led them to be the 2024-2025 state champions were just six days apart from each other but were nothing short of thrilling. Here’s how the Wave took home the trophy for this year, making them 5x State Championship winners.
Quarterfinals: Darien VS. Blades co-op
On March 8th the Blue Wave Girls Puck started the tournament at Darien Ice House, immediately giving them the home-field advantage. It was no secret that Darien had a substantial shot at winning due to their record of 19-0, and the Blades having less rest than Darien because they didn’t have a bye in the first round which gave the wave the leverage they needed. The odds were in the Blades’ favor with their 4-1 record in their last five games, but Darien turned that likelihood around after ending the game in a 6-0 shutout.
Sophomore Adriana Gromelski sniped the puck past the Blades goalie just 4 minutes into the first period on a power play; her 27th goal of the season and gave the Wave the 1-0 lead.
Shortly into the second period, junior Mia Avalos shot right after being pressured by Blades defenders, scoring the second goal for Darien 13:14 into the period. Darien’s sophomore Teagan Joseph bagged goal number three six minutes before the end of the second, and shortly after junior Lila Fiorita came down the ice to score an astonishing fourth goal for the Blue Wave. This big start had senior goalie Bella Lonergan looking to get her 14th shutout of the season out of 19 games, extending her exceptional season after a rough patch of injuries.
Last but not least, the sixth and final goal of the game was credited to senior Captain Sophie Haas with 2 minutes left in the third period. The play was seen to be chaotic, but in the end, going right over the blocker and bouncing into the net. The girls were headed off to Shelton for their second game in the tournament.
Semifinals: Darien VS. Suffield co-op
A rivalry has been growing between the Blue Wave and the Suffield Wildcats, after Darien lost to SWS in overtime last year, making them lose their chance to make it to the finals in the state tournament. As for this year’s semifinal game on March 8th, the wave brought home the win once again after a surprising pushback from the Wildcats, ending in a 4-2 score.
Gromelski got straight to business in Darien’s first attack of the game, putting the puck to the back of the net just 40 seconds into the first period. The search for another shutout continued after senior Captain Parker Krotee gave the wave a 2-0 lead, but that hope was short-lived.
Suffield quickly responded by scoring on back-to-back breakaways making the score 2-2. Lonergan deflected the first breakaway with her blocker, but it still managed to go into the net.
Suffield was proving to be a championship contender, but the Wave bit back and managed to pull off the win deep in the second period.
Gromelski scored a short-handed goal over the glove of the Wildcats goalie, awarding Darien the lead back and giving the sophomore her second goal of the game.
Finally, sophomore Hailey Hurkala gained the last goal of the game in the second period, leaving it 4-2 and giving Darien the green light to move on to the finals.
Finals: Darien VS. New Canaan
Traveling up to Hamden to play at M&T Bank Arena at Quinnipiac, this tournament-ending game on March 12th was action-packed.
New Canaan had a great season, with a record of 21-3. Their only losses were to Darien. Last year and this year, New Canaan’s six combined losses were solely to Darien, raising tension between the two teams higher than ever. Darien’s defense had been tight, but they needed to lock it down to secure the championship award.
The first period went back and forth with no scoring, the second period is where the action started.
Darien scored three unbelievable goals within five minutes of each other, the first one coming from Joseph at 13:18 for her third goal in the state playoffs. At 11:27, Senior Captain Sarah Kellogg was able to sneak the puck under the glove, which was just the start of her MVP-awarding performance in the game. The third consecutive goal, scored by Kellog once again, gave Darien the huge lead of 3-0. In the semi-finals, Kellog had a rough injury to her shoulder and didn’t know if she was going to be able to play in the finals; fortunately, she recovered and was dominating the game from which she was almost absent.
New Canaan came on strong with their breakaways, Fiona Curry gave the Rams some hope on a short-handed breakaway, taking a shot on Lonergan and passing it through her legs. Quickly after, the Rams’ Maddie Tully came rushing hot out of the penalty box and waited at the blue line for a pass, shooting and scoring. Being 3-2, the New Canaan gave them an unusual upper hand. The breakaways have been tough for the Blue Wave, being that the only goals scored against Darien in the tournament have been from breakaways.
In an attempt to fight for the lead, New Canaan had a lot more shots on goal than Darien in the third period, with a few close calls near the Wave’s net.
In the last 2 minutes of the game, the Rams pulled their goalie in a final hope to acquire the win. Nevertheless, Kellog scored an empty netter goal, making it 4-2 in the last twenty seconds which secured their victory. Kellog’s hat trick earned her the MVP award, there’s no better way for the Senior to leave Darien Wave Girls Puck in the last game of her last season.
Ending the season with a perfect record and outstanding performances all around, the Blue Wave are the 2024-2025 Connecticut Girls Ice Hockey State Champions.
DAF Streaming link:
Darien VS. Blades co-op: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPsdTL2Tkug
Darien VS. Suffield co-op: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCTABd5BkUE&t=5517s
Darien VS. New Canaan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-l1C_v10tU
