Five games into its season, Greenwich High School’s boys hockey team has displayed plenty of positive signs, which gives coach Jack Duffy’s squad extra encouragement heading into its upcoming games.

The Cardinals have a record of 2-2-1 with its two losses coming in close fashion against strong New Canaan and Darien squads. Greenwich’s skated to convincing victories against Northwest Catholic and Woodstock Academy and on Jan. 2 at Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink, earned a 2-2 tie versus North Haven High School.

“I feel good about how our team has started the season,” Duffy said. “Our two losses were against two really good teams in Darien and New Canaan, we had a quality win against Northwest Catholic. We hung tough against North Haven, which is a really hard-working team. So far, so good.”

In the Cardinals’ tie against North Haven, junior forward Teddy Johnson scored the first goal with 12:48 remaining in the opening period and added his second goal of the game 54 seconds into the second period.

North Haven took a 1-0 lead with 1:41 remaining in the first period on a goal from senior defenseman William Keaney, who slapped a hard shot home from just inside the blue line. It wasn’t long before the Cardinals tallied the equalizer though, thanks to Johnson’s goal off an assist from senior linemate/captain George Holdsworth. The duo skate on the first line along with senior captain Joe Lewis.

“The First goal I talked to George before the play, we knew what was going to happen, we knew where the puck was going to end up,” Johnson said. “George is a great center, I got the shot and canned it.”

Following the first play, Greenwich raised its level of play, resulting in more shots on goal and increased time in North Haven’s zone.

“They were tough, we came out flat in the first, but we definitely came back and outshot them in the second period,” Holdsworth said. “We could have got some bounces, but we just have to put puck in the back of the net.”

Junior forward Bryce Mastriano, who assisted on North Haven’s first goal, gave the visitors a 2-1 edge when he tallied his squad’s second goal with 7:13 to go in the second period off a Keaney assist. The Cards came back again, however, generating an opportunity and goal on their first possession of the second period.

Johnson’s unassisted goal, evened the score at 2-2 at with 14:06 left in the third period.

“We didn’t have our best first period and I think the team worked hard in the second and third period,” Duffy noted. “The shots reflect that. We’ve had trouble scoring goals in the past, we just have to keep working on that.”

The Cardinals received stellar play in goal from senior goalie Luka Priatka, who has rose to the occasion every game in net. Helping pace the way defensively were Farmer and senior Trent O’Neil, who are among the Cards’ group of impressive defensemen.

“Luka has been our starter, he’s been very solid so far,” Duffy said. “Our ‘D’ – we have a veteran defense back there with a lot of experience, so we have a lot of depth.”

Johnson and Lewis were among the Cardinals who created chances throughout the second and third periods against North Haven. In the eight-minute overtime period, sophomore Brent Bower had a shot on goal that was nearly the game-winner for GHS.

“We just weren’t feeling it for most of the game, but we pulled it together and played a good game at the end,” Lewis said. “Going into overtime, we were thinking that we just need a goal here and just tried to finish it off. We brought it to a tie game and there were a lot of positives that we can take out from this game.”

Prior to hosting North Haven on Jan. 2, Greenwich posted a 6-0 road win over Northwest Catholic on Dec. 30. Greenwich’s most recent win came on Jan. 4, a 6-1 victory against Woodstock Academy at Pomfret School.

“This team is like a family,” Farmer said. “Everyone likes coming to practice and working together and getting better. Our coaching staff is helping us get better and it’s great being a part of this team.”

“We have a really good group here, we’re trying to build on everything and win games coming up,” said Holdsworth, who also cited the Cardinals’ depth.

“We have four good lines for sure and we trust everybody,” he said. “On the defensive end, we’re strong and our goalies are great.”

Greenwich travels to Sacred Heart University today (Jan. 8) for a 6:30 p.m. matchup against Notre Dame Prep, then will face FCIAC foe St. Joseph on Jan. 11 at the Sports Center of Connecticut. The Cardinals’ next home game is Jan. 14 versus conference opponent Ridgefield.

“We have a lot of young guys coming up and we’re building confidence,” Johnson noted. “We are going to try to keep building on that.”

“This year, we want to compete well in the FCIAC, that’s the first thing,” Duffy said of some of the Cards’ goals. “The past couple of years, we’ve had some playoff wins, but we had to win on the road. This year, we want to have some playoff wins come playoff time, we want to have some home playoff games.”

Said Farmer: “We want to make a great FCIAC run. I think this year we’re going to turn a lot of heads and make a big impact. Our defensive is good, we had a lot of communication and a lot of guys battling. Everyone is excited to be out there and make a difference.”