Spring Dates to Circle for Connecticut’s Best

While it's been viewed as a premier hotbed for quite some time, Connecticut's national profile and overall depth continue to rise. In a free post, we're breaking down must-watch games and notable individual matchups for Taft, Avon Old Farms, Darien, Staples, Brunswick, Salisbury, Choate, and Loomis Chaffee, including games that involve out-of-state teams like Ontario's Hill Academy and St. Sebastian's in Massachusetts.

Saturday, March 30: St. Sebastian's (Mass.) at Taft (Conn.)

Taft lost exactly two games a year ago, and one of them was its opener on the road at Sebs. With Max Rosner taking over for Nic Bell, who took over at St. Anne's Belfield (Va.), it was a big offseason for the Rhinos, who added several talented postgrads on offense, however, the biggest addition may have been Top 25 junior Brendan Mullahy Brendan Mullahy 6'2" | 180 lbs | M | Right Hand Taft | 2025 #42 Nation CT , a Notre Dame commit. Coming over from Fairfield Prep (Conn.), Mullahy is one of the best midfielders in the nation and plays like a throwback middie, the type who would stay on for a shift at either end. He's very elusive as a dodger, using changes of speed and direction to separate from his man and drawing doubles to trigger the offense. For Mullahy, this could be a date with ‘24 defenseman  Brendan Fulham Brendan Fulham 6'2" | 190 lbs | D | Right Hand St. Sebastian's | 2024 MA . A late commit to Duke, Fulham plays like an LSM trapped in a close defender's body. He can play down low, but because of his excellent lateral quickness and footwork, Fulham can very easily bump up to the midfield. His stick lives in the gloves of the man he's guarding, and he is elite at getting the ball off the ground and moving it up the field, often creating offense for himself in the process.

Thursday, April 11: Hill Academy (Ont.) at Avon Old Farms (Conn.)

Kyle Jackson is in his first year officially at the helm of Avon Old Farms, and the Winged Beavers (elite mascot) lost a lot to graduation, most notably Duke freshman Benn Johnston, the No. 4 recruit and top-ranked midfielder. Still, Avon is packing plenty of firepower. One of the top players is on the defensive end this year with Rutgers commit  Bennett Della Valle Bennett Della Valle 6'3" | 210 lbs | D Avon Old Farms | 2024 CT . At 6'3, 215 lbs., Della Valle is a bruiser of a defenseman who leaves attackmen still feeling the pain of playing against him when they get out of bed the next day. It's not just about punishment though, Della Valle plays angles very well. If he gives away some ground by overplaying physically, he uses angles well to make up that space. Hill Academy reloads yet again in 2024. The Canadian powerhouse sends players to the elite ranks of DI, and ultimately to both the indoor and outdoor pro ranks on an annual basis. One of the more exciting players to watch will be Marquette commit Hayden Hiltz. Hiltz brings the indoor game outdoors. He can dodge to contact, putting his shoulder into a defender's chest to gain leverage and get where he wants on the field. He can be elusive and split a double team that doesn't play him with enough pressure. Hiltz does damage in transition, too. As a two-way midfielder, he'll handle his matchup on defense, and when the ball hits the ground, he'll be around it and look to push it upfield to attack uneven numbers. 

Saturday, April 13: Staples (Conn.) at Darien (Conn.)

In recent years, this has become the premier public school matchup in Connecticut. Darien has been a decades-long mainstay in the national Top 20, while Staples' growing youth program and participation, along with excellent coaching at the high school level, have propelled them to the national stage in more recent years. Darien has a balance of stars between seniors and underclassmen. Senior Brady Pokorny Brady Pokorny 6'0" | A | Left Hand Darien | 2024 #7 Nation CT  (Notre Dame) will once again be the leader of the offense. The five-star has been a starter since his freshman year and has a knack for the electric. As a dodger, he's at his best attacking from wings, getting top side to his left hand. A fun game within the game in this one could be Darien junior defender  Mark McNamara Mark McNamara 6'6" | D Darien | 2025 #110 Nation CT  (Penn State) against Staples attackman  Adam Udell Adam Udell 5'11" | 175 lbs | A | Right Hand Staples | 2025 #34 Nation CT , a Michigan commit in the Class of 2025. McNamara is a tall, physical defender who wins matchups with angle play and footwork. Udell is a very good change-of-direction attackman, exploding out of rolls and stutter-stepping to separate. Both players present a very good challenge to the other. 

Friday, May 10: Brunswick (Conn.) at Salisbury (Conn.)

Salisbury lost just four games in 2023, one to eventual national champion Lawrenceville and two to Brunswick, with both losses to 'Wick coming just a week apart. Graduation hit both these teams hard, but as it often goes with Brunswick and Salisbury, every year is just a reload. One of the leading weapons for Salisbury this year will be  Cam Kelley Cam Kelley 6'2" | 190 lbs | A | Left Hand Salisbury | 2025 #30 Nation CT , a five-star lefty attackman headed to Notre Dame. Getting a fresh start at the 'Bury after starting his career at Taft, Kelley plays through contact as well as any attackman in the country. He can shoot, pass, and dodge with sticks in his gloves or his hands disrupted like it's no problem at all. Kelley has also shown the ability to punish a defenseman who overplays his left hand by taking an underneath dodging route to score, but if defenders play him straight up, he gets his left with ease. Brunswick has a great matchup for Kelley in junior Princeton commit  Tucker Spiess Tucker Spiess 6'2" | 180 lbs | D | Right Hand Brunswick | 2025 #80 Nation CT . The younger sibling of current Princeton Tiger defenseman Hunter Spiess, Tucker's play can best be described as disruptive. His man is never comfortable. From the moment his man receives the ball, Spiess is attacking their hands with slap checks. Attackmen who like to change direction and try to shake defenders with lateral movement will struggle, as Spiess has outstanding footwork and follows his man's hips. The way Kelley handles pressure, and the way Spiess applies it, will make them a good battle. 

Wednesday, May 15: Choate (Conn.) at Loomis Chaffee (Conn.)

Choate was resurgent a year ago, going 14-3 with wins against national powerhouse teams. Two of those three losses, however, came at the hands of Loomis Chaffee by a combined four goals. The Founder's League is a battle every year and these two teams should once again be in the thick of it. In a game with plenty of skilled players, two specialists may end up having the best battle of all. Loomis senior Joe Hobot is an outstanding face-off prospect. The Long Island native wasn't seen as much as others because an injury caused him to miss significant time during his recruiting cycle, but once more tape got out, there was more demand, and now Hobot is headed to powerhouse Johns Hopkins next year. Hobot takes the field to do two things: win the faceoff, and smash the idea that face-off men don't stay on to play. Hobot has been a part of the Loomis ride, he can clear the ball, he soaks contact like a top line midfielder and handles pressure well. On the other side is junior Kyle Hata. At 6'0, 210 lbs., Hata has the physicality and size to win matchups with strength, but his footwork after the whistle and his hand speed are excellent. He's at his best when he can exit forward. Hata is committed to Maryland. That's right, these two can battle now, and then take that rivalry to one of the fiercest rivalries in the college game too.