Hamden Peewees Finish on Top of CHC Tournament

NEWINGTON - The 2025-2026 Hamden Peewee team ended the season with a win, a championship win, by taking the title in the CHC Tournament on Sunday evening with a 3-1 win over the Stamford Sharks. This was a fitting end of the season for a team that made it to the final in their first tournament of the year, took the title at the Waterville Valley Deep Freeze Tournament in January, and was playing their best hockey to close out the season. The win marked the 3rd State Championship for a Hamden Peewee team in 4 years.

“The kids finished the season very strong knowing the challenge they had ahead of them in the state tournament,” said Head Coach Ray Mirando. After landing as the 4th seed in the Greg Maxey Division with familiar foes West Haven, Central, & Stamford and formerly unknowns South Windsor and Northern Lights, the Dragons were out to prove that they were the top team in the bracket.

Hamden started the tournament with a 3-0 win Friday night over Central, avenging an earlier loss in the season. Michael Reed, Violette Catalioto, and Will Rohrbaugh all tallied goals, and a stingy Dragon defense left Hamden goalie Henry Smith-Wyckoff with little to do.

Saturday opened with South Windsor, a unknown opponent that may have wanted to never meet the Dragons, as Hamden poured on 11 goals in the contest, including 5 in the second period. Goals came from all over the roster, with Charlotte Corilla netting a hat trick, Rohrbaugh with a pair, and defensemen Sawyer Mirando, Benjamin Cataliato, and Liam Canning all finding the back of the net. Brecken Baker picked up his second assist of the tournament and was +4 for the game.

As the result of some odd bracketing, game three was a must win to guarantee a trip to the semifinals. This would be the first meeting between the Dragons and the Northern Lights of Simsbury. “I think the kids got all the nerves out in the first couple of games. Going into the game versus the Northern Lights, the team was very loose and confident that they would outwork the unknown opponent,” said Coach Mirando.

It proved to be the toughest competition yet, with no score through 1 period. Scoring opened early in the second, with Reed netting a goal 1 minute into the period and another five minutes later. Marcella Francese added two more goals less than a minute apart with assists from Sawyer Mirando and Cassidy Lirette. The Lights scored late in the second to get on the board but that’s all they would get & the Dragons would move on to play Sunday.

The semifinal pitted Hamden in a rematch against Central, and the result was the same. Hamden blasted out of the gate, opening a 3-goal lead after 1 period. The Dragons added 3 more before Central got on the board with a late goal. Francese had a 5-point game, with Rohrbaugh, Reed, and Violette Catalioto also finding the net. This 6-1 thumping would move the Dragons into the final against the top seed, Stamford. The two teams split their games during the regular season, with Hamden hammering the Sharks 7-2 in September and Stamford shutting out the Dragons in Hamden 2-0 in early January. Stamford brought size and hard shots that may have been difficult for Hamden to counter.

“All tournament I had a feeling that we would be playing Stamford in the final. We were on such a roll that I knew we could beat them and also have some fun doing it,” said Coach Mirando.

Stamford struck early, with a goal from Tyler Thompson 90 seconds into the game. This was the first time Hamden had trailed all tournament & the Dragons went into the first intermission down 1-0.

“After ending the first period down one goal, I let the team know that while it wasn't our best period, we needed to stick to the game plan and play our brand of hockey for another 30 minutes. If we did that, everything would work out,” said Coach Mirando.

At this point, the Dragons knew they had a game on their hands and needed to be physical to counteract the size of the Sharks. After being held scoreless in the first period, Francese found the net early in the second after a delayed tripping call seemed to put the Sharks into disarray and she found a nearly open net to place the puck. Two minutes later, Violette Catalioto found the net with an assist from Reed, and late in the period, Francese found the net again with help from Violette Catalioto and Lirette.

Against the bigger Sharks, a 2-goal lead didn’t feel like enough to be comfortable, so the defense buckled down. Down 2 skaters in the third period with Violette Catalito and Sawyer Mirando in the box, the Dragons were able to kill the penalty and maintain the lead. Physical play and excellent backchecking from Nicky Del Prete and MJ Kean helped to foil any attempt the Sharks tried to muster. Even when facing shots, Smith-Wyckoff was in true tournament form, turning away every shot for more than 40 minutes.

When the final seconds ticked down and the clock read all zeroes, the Dragons had accomplished what they set out to do—end the tournament on top.

“This is a great group of kids, and I had no doubt that if they came together and played hard no one would stop us in this tournament,” said Coach Mirando.

This was the second CHC Peewee title in a row for Ray Mirando and Chris Catalioto, and they did it at the same rink as last year.  “For three of our return players this, is a back-to-back championship won in Newington,” said Coach Mirando. “With the great turnout from other Hamden teams to support us in the finals and our great results here, we should start calling it ‘Hamden North.’” 

Coach Mirando credits the players but also his coaching staff, including Catalioto, Tracy Baker, and Todd Kean. "My coaching staff has done a great job working with the kids all year to bring out the best in them. It has been a special group this year, and I wish everyone future success in their hockey endeavors.”