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Cheshire goalie #35 Ryan Miller, right, and teammates celebrate after defeating East Haven co-op 3-0 in the SCC Division 2 boys hockey final at Bennett Rink in West Haven, Conn., Friday, March 6, 2026. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media)
WEST HAVEN - Friday night's conference final had been circled on the calendars of just about every boys hockey player at Cheshire since late December, when East Haven handed the Rams their only loss of the regular season.
Fast forward two months, and the Rams finally got their revenge.
Behind 36 saves from senior goaltender Ryan Miller, top-seeded Cheshire shut out second-seeded East Haven 3-0 in the SCC/SWC Division II hockey final at the Edward L. Bennett Rink.
"I wasn't playing in that game, but it still hurts to see my team lose a perfect season," said Miller after he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "It's good to be back and get back in the win column against them."
The meeting in the SCC title game was the third between the two teams, the first two won by East Haven in 1997 and 1998. The Rams and Yellowjackets have also met in the last two CIAC Division II championships, with each winning once.
"East Haven-Cheshire the last few years has been back and forth," Cheshire coach Anthony Giusto said after his team improved to 21-1 and won its fifth SCC title. "Two years ago, we took them down in the state final. Last year, they got the better of us a couple of times, and even early in the year this year, they got the better of us. It's always nice to put a banner on the wall, and it's nice to beat East Haven when you are doing that."
The story of this game was special teams, Cheshire's defense, and the play of Miller in goal. The Rams scored a shorthanded and a power play goal, rotated seven defensemen, and rode the play of Miller, who made 14 saves in the second period and 15 more in the third.
"I've got seven defensemen who play regular shifts and they're all one better than the other," Miller said. "I just love all of them. They really help me out here."
Mark Laskin got things going for Cheshire just 1:07 seconds into the second period when he beat East Haven goaltender Brian McGovern off an assist from Jake Soderlund for a shorthanded goal and a 1-0 lead.
The Rams, ranked fifth in the GameTimeCT Top 10 poll, increased the lead to 2-0 when Aidan Amatruda sent Dylan Kozlowski in on a breakaway and Kozlowski scored between the pads of McGovern with 2:02 left in the second.
In between the two goals, it was Miller time. The senior goalie denied East Haven's Preston Cantele twice within a minute to open the period, stopped Cantele again on a 2-on-1 break with 4:10 remaining in the period, and denied Dante Garea off the right wing 30 seconds later.
"He was dialed in," Giusto said of Miller. "You could tell from the drop of the puck he was seeing the puck real well. You get a performance like that from him, and you score a few timely goals, you feel pretty good in a game. He's been that way all year. His stats speak for themselves this year. He gives us a chance to win every single game."
Cheshire capitalized on special teams again, this time with a power play goal to open the third period. Zachary Hooper scored from in front off assists from Colin Dempsey and Luca Ocone-Krause 4:21 into the third period, making it 3-0.
Miller again rose to the occasion in the final eight minutes of the game to preserve the shutout as he turned aside Garea from in front with a pad save, Cantele twice from the point, and made a magnificent pad save on a blast from the slot by Garea with 4:50 remaining.
"He played a great game," East Haven coach Lou Pane said of Miller. "I think we outshot them for the game. In that third period, he made some outstanding stops. All the credit to him. He played really well. Cheshire played really well as a team. We couldn't finish some of our chances."
McGovern finished with 26 saves in the loss for East Haven as the seventh-ranked Yellowjackets fell to 18-3-1.
Player of the Game
Ryan Miller, Cheshire:The star goalie was stellar in net, making 36 saves, including 15 in the final period.
Quotable
"Honestly, we are going to keep it the same. We have been winning, so whatever we have been doing has been working, so we're just going to keep doing that."
- Cheshire goalie Ryan Miller on the upcoming CIAC tournament.
Cheshire 3, East Haven 0
EAST HAVEN 0 0 0-0
CHESHIRE 0 2 1-3
C-Mark Laskin (Jake Soderlund), 13:53
C-Dylan Kozlowski (Aidan Amatruda), 2:02
C-Zachary Hooper (Colin Dempsey, Luca Ocone-Krause), 10:39
Shots:East Haven 36, Cheshire 29.
Saves: East Haven-Brian McGovern 26, C-Ryan Miller 36.
Team records:East Haven 18-3-1, Cheshire 21-1.
This article originally published at Cheshire boys hockey avenges only loss this season with win over East Haven in SCC D-II final.
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