The fourth time wasn’t the charm for Greenwich High School’s boys ice hockey team when it played New Canaan on Saturday night.

For the fourth time this season, the Rams and the Cardinals squared off, this time with a berth in the CIAC Division I Tournament semifinals at stake – and for the fourth time this season, the Rams prevailed against the Cardinals.

Receiving goals from five players, top-seeded New Canaan registered a highly impressive 7-0 win over ninth-seeded Greenwich in the CIAC Division I Boys Hockey Tournament quarterfinals before a big crowd at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford. Riding an eye-opening 16-game winning streak, the Rams advanced to Wednesday’s Division I Tournament semifinals, where they will play fourth-seeded rival Darien at Quinnipiac University.

Coached by Clark Jones, New Canaan owns a record of 21-2, with its last loss coming on Jan. 13 against Darien. The Rams defeated Ridgefield for the FCIAC Tournament title on March 2 and are vying for their second championship of their 2023-2024 season.

For a young, mostly inexperienced Greenwich team, the season ended with a 6-17 record (including the postseason). The Cardinals best hockey came late in the season, as they recorded victories against St. Joseph, Notre Dame-Fairfield, Fairfield Warde/Ludlowe (FCIAC Tournament quarterfinals and Fairfield Prep (in the first round of the Division I Tournament).

“It took us a while to get going, but we were ready for the playoffs, which is what we were aiming for,” Greenwich coach Jack Duffy said. “We beat a good Fairfield team, we beat a good Fairfield Prep team and we lost twice to New Canaan.”

Of Greenwich’s losses, six were by one goal and two were two-goal games, so Duffy’s squad were in the majority of their matchups. However, a powerful New Canaan team proved to be a difficult matchup for the Cardinals, who managed to score only two goals in their four games against the Rams, while allowing 24.

“They’re a great team,” Duffy said of New Canaan. “We had a good feeling coming into it after our win against Fairfield Prep. We had designs on giving them a hard time. I thought we played great the first half of the first period, but they just keep coming. They’re skilled, they’re big, they’re tough, they’re well-coached. They are a tough team. It was a great accomplishment for us to get this far.”

Senior forward Max Lowe registered two goals and one assist, while senior forward Doster Crowell tallied one goal and four assists to help ignite the Rams’ potent offense. Junior forward Bryce Lyden posted one goal and three assists for New Canaan, which received one goal apiece from senior forward/captain Gavin Fitzpatrick, sophomore Tony DelCarmine and sophomore Bauer Gammill.

Jack Crowell, a senior forward/captain assisted on two goals, while senior defenseman Chase Pinkernell and freshman forward Jack Thompson each had an assist in the winning effort.

The Rams led the Cardinals, 2-0, following the first period and 4-0 after two periods of play. Facing a lot of pressure throughout the state tournament game, Greenwich senior goalie made a lot of saves, especially during the first two periods.

“We came out playing pretty well the first seven minutes, then that first goal goes in and I think we had a little bit of a letdown,” Duffy said. “Against New Canaan you can’t let down, you have to go harder.”

After Sinisi made several saves and New Canaan senior goalie Mason Pickering made a save off a shot from Greenwich junior Heath Jervis, the Rams scored the game’s first goal with 5:57 remaining in the opening period.

Lyden snapped home a shot from the right faceoff circle after receiving the puck from freshman Jack Crowell, putting the Rams on top, 1-0. At the 4:34 mark of the first period, New Canaan extended its advantage.

Pinkernell’s shot from the left wing was saved by Sinisi, as the puck deflected off his pads. Positioned in front of the net, Fitzpatrick got his stick on the rebound for a tip-in, making it 2-0.

Pickering kept the score 2-0, saving a nice shot from Cardinals junior forward George Holdsworth with 21 seconds to go in the opening period. Once the third period began, the Rams added on to their lead.

Their third tally came with 10:56 remaining in the third frame and their fourth goal occurred at the 1:42 mark. Lowe, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime of New Canaan’s 3-2 win versus Ridgefield in the FCIAC Tournament final, tallied on a one-timer off a pass from behind the net by Crowell, giving the Rams a 4-0 edge. Lyden was also credited with an assist on the play.

“We had some ideas about playing good team defense and the kids really tried, but that’s a good team over there,” Duffy noted. “When you go down to that team early, it’s a tough hill to climb.”

During New Canaan’s 15-game win streak, it has scored 93 goals (6 goals per game), while yielding only 14 goals and posting five shutouts.

“I think some of our learned a lot and I think it’s going to help us next year,” Duffy said of his squad competing against New Canaan. “Sometimes you say it’s hard to beat a team three times in one season, but when they’re that good – they beat a lot of teams and they deserve it. They work hard and they are tough on pucks. I hope our kids learned from that experience of playing against them.”

DelCarmine tallied off a rebound off a shot from Lowe 59 seconds into the third period, giving New Canaan a commanding 5-0 lead. Lowe and Gammill scored the victors’ final two goals in the last period.

In Saturday’s other Division I quarterfinal held at Terry Conners Rink, fourth-seeded Darien defeated No. 5-seeded Ridgefield, 3-1.

Wednesday’s semifinals between New Canaan and Darien feature rivals who are 1-1 against each other this winter. Both squads were victorious, 4-3, during the regular season.

“They’re such storied rivals and I think it’s going to come down to the wire,” Duffy said of the upcoming Division I semifinals between the Blue Wave and the Rams.

Greenwich advanced to the Division I quarterfinals by coming from behind to beat Fairfield Prep in the tourney’s opening round, 4-3. Senior Frank Skibo scored the game-winner in double overtime for the Cardinals versus Prep.

“I’m really proud of the team’s effort against Fairfield Prep,” Duffy said. “We were down, 2-0, after two and 3-1 with nine minutes to go and the kids never gave up. It was a great high school hockey game and a great win for our program.”

“I was proud of the way the team battled back and it was a lot of fun for the boys,” Duffy continued. “In a year that’s been tough, a win like that was special.”

Saturday’s loss marked the final game for Cardinals senior captain Kyle Allen. He captained the team along with junior Joe Lewis.

“We had great guys on our team,” Duffy noted. “These guys were awesome. They all stuck together and I’m really proud of them.”