By: Clay Crouch ’18

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, Staples faced off against St.Joseph’s in one of the most significant games of the season. The game was at St. Joseph’s home rink in Shelton. Staples came away with an 8-1 victory. Captain Sam New ’18, Matthew Bidgood ’18 and Ryan Purgay ’18 combined for seven of the eight goals. New had the best performance on the team with a total of four goals and one assist.
Staples was the underdog going into the game. They were playing up two divisions by playing the division one St. Joseph’s team. “This game was particularly important because we were able to dominate a division one opponent in a game that many though we were bound to lose,” Captain Brian Gray ’18 said. “I definitely think we played better than expected and likely surprised lots of people throughout the state.”
The win helped propel Staples into the first place position in both FCIACs and the division three of states. “It was an important game,” New said, “obviously a big FCIAC game we knew we could take control and we did just that.”