New Canaan defeats Fairfield Prep in CIAC Division I final, captures first state championship since 1972

New Canaan celebrates their 3-1 victory over Fairfield Prep in the CIAC Division I Boys Ice Hockey Championship at Quinnipiac University's M&T Bank Arena in Hamden on March 23, 2026. (Arnold Gold/Hearst Connecticut Media) HAMDEN - Goodbye 1972, hello 2026. For the second time in its history and the first time in 54 years, the New Canaan boys ice hockey team is a state champion after defeating Fairfield Prep 3-1 in the CIAC Division I final Monday night at Quinnipiac's M&T Bank Arena.

Junior Drew Harmon netted the winning goal off assists from seniors Rogan Lowe and Anthony Delcarmine with 2:02 to play, then a few minutes later, New Canaan skated into the history books with the title. "This has been our goal ever since I've been here and probably years before that," Lowe said. "This has been the goal for (New Canaan) since 1972, so to do it means so much.

All the hard work we've been putting in year-round and all the setbacks we've had, it's for this moment. " New Canaan's five-decade drought of championships was a mind-boggling anomaly given the Rams' history of success. They've won 23 FCIAC championships, more than double that of any other team, and finished runner-up in the CIAC finals 10 straight times, including in each of the past two seasons when they lost first to Notre Dame-West Haven and then to Darien.

Lowe, Delcarmine and defensemen Cam Lyden and Jackson Crowell have been to the last three finals with the Rams. "I'm just so happy for them," New Canaan coach Clark Jones said. "They work so hard and when something like this happens, you just think about the work they did and you think about the alumni that have helped build this.