The First Annual Governor’s Cup tournament, hosted by CCSU Ice Hockey, will ultimately be looked at as a successful event. If you were to ask the Blue Devils, however, they would quickly label it a disappointing weekend. Central suffered a shocking upset at the hands of Southern Connecticut State University, but managed to salvage a decisive consolation victory against Western Connecticut State.

The general concensus after the game was that CCSU underestimated a Southern team whose talent belied their divisional ranking and their mismatching uniforms. The Owls, a Division III team, more than held their own against a pair of Division II teams in Central and UConn, both of whom went to the ACHA National Tournament last season.

Whether it was underestimation or just a lack of intensity, the Blue Devils were left stunned as they fell 7-5 at the hands of SCSU on Friday night. “This is a devastating loss for this hockey team and this hockey program,” said Central head coach Jim Mallia. “They didn’t have the deepest team, but they had guys with speed and skill, and they put pucks away. They simply wanted it more than CCSU tonight.”

Junior co-captain Joe Dabkowski had two goals in the loss for the Blue Devils, as they wasted leads of 2-0, 4-2, and 5-4. SCSU winger Chris Silva’s goal with less than ten minutes remaining was the eventual game-winner, followed by a Matt D’Amato empty net tally.

Southern Connecticut’s players were audibly pumped up for the game, as their demonstrative cheering and yelling could be heard through the locker room doors before the game. Their volume was matched by an equally as loud fan contingent, who helped turn Newington Arena into a makeshift Owls’ nest. Central had a difficult time matching the energy of SCSU. “There just wasn’t that flow, energy, and that positive spirit on the bench,” said Mallia. “It’s just very unacceptable.”

Central peppered Southern Connecticut goalie Greg Marshall with shots, but the Owls’ netminder made a few highlight reel saves when needed in order to preserve the victory. “The kid was making some great saves,” said Mallia. “We were firing from everywhere, crashing the net, and he was stopping the puck.”

Other scorers for the Blue Devils included Kevin McConnell, co-captain Kevin Butler, and Matt Williams, who notched his first goal of the season. Carmine Vetrano took the loss for Central, as his record on the season fell to 5-4-1.

With CCSU reeling, a players-only meeting was called before the consolation game on Saturday. Clearly, the meeting helped, as the disappointed Blue Devils vented their frustration on a listless Western Connecticut State University team, blanking them by a score of 9-0.

Kevin McConnell and Rob DiClemente each had a pair of goals, as Central recovered nicely from the previous night’s loss. “We weren’t really focused for the Southern game,” said Dabkowski. “Tonight we established that no matter who we play, if they’re the best team or the worst team, we have to come out as one, play as a team, and do the little things.”

Lost amidst the offensive fireworks by CCSU was the solid goaltending provided by Craig Height, making his return to game action after missing eight games with a pulled groin. “The shutout is great,” said Height. “But more than that, I just wanted to get out there, get a win, get back into it, and start fighting to get my [starting] spot back.”

Height split the number one goaltender job last season as well as in 2005-06. Just two years ago, he started most of Central’s games, going 13-9-1.

The shutout signaled loud and clear the return of Height, giving Mallia another option between the pipes. He referenced the platoon system early in the season, saying, “My thought is you need two goalies to go all the way through.”

Seven different Blue Devils scored in the win, including the first goals of the season for Brett Holmes, Matt Wyld, and Dane Anderson.

Central has the week off for Thanksgiving break, and they return to action on Saturday, December 6 at Super East foe Marist College at 4:15 p.m. The victory against Western was the team’s final home game until January 16.