A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- There is still plenty of women's college basketball left to be played by UConn in the state, with the Big East women's tournament in Hartford and the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in Storrs. But Monday's game against Syracuse is the final regular season home game for the top-ranked Huskies, and the one where they will honor the seniors.

The game at Gampel Pavilion tips off at 7:30 p.m. (because of the ceremonies)

Read Jim Fuller's feature on seniors Maya Moore and Lorin Dixon here

Read Jim's Game Day preview capsule here

-- Closer to home, the Quinnipiac women play host to Monmouth at the TD Bank Sports Center at 7 p.m.
Read more about the Bobcats final home game of the year here

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- The UConn men's basketball team plays a key Big East game at Cincinnati in a game that can be seen on ESPNU at noon or heard on wtic-1080.

Read Dave Borges preview here

-- The Bridgeport Sound Tigers play host to the Hershey Bears at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. Former Sound Tigers Rick DiPietro and Trent Hunter are scheduled to drop the ceremonial first puck at noon.

Read more here

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- The  No. 3 ranked Yale men's hockey team does not control its own destiny for an ECAC title tonight when it plays Cornell at Ingalls Rink at 7 p.m., but a win and loss or tie by Union would wrap up the title in the final weekend.
Read how Yale did not take advantage of an opportunity last night and keep up to date with tonight's action at Chip's hockey blog or on his twitter account
The game is the 12th sellout of the season.

-- The UConn women's basketball team can clinch its 17th Big East regular season title with a win at Georgetown today. The game starts at 3 p.m. and can be seen on CPTV.
Read Jim Fuller's preview story here and find out what Husky and former Register player of the year is injured in his Game Day preview capsule

-- The Quinnipiac men's basketball team has already secured the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Conference tournament, but with 20 wins this season, the Bobcats are worth checking out in their regular-season finale at the TD Bank Sports Center at 4 p.m.
The game will be televised on MSG and broadcast on http://www.wqun.com/

Read Bill Cloutier's Game Day preview capsule here and follow the action with his blog

-- The Yale men's basketball team plays its season home finale against Harvard with a 6 p.m. tip. Yale is out of the Ivy League race but can play spoiler against a Harvard team that has earned Top 25 votes this season.

-- In high school wrestling, expect area teams Xavier and Hand to compete for a title, with other locals vying for individual titles. Championship matches are expected to start at 5:30 p.m. at the New Haven Athletic Center. Check out our spirit blog for some updates

-- There's a full day of boys basketball at East Haven High School with the Southern Connecticut Conference quarterfinals starting at noon.
Joe Morelli breaks down the quarterfinals in his blog here

Follow him on twitter for updates

-- The Hamden Hall boys basketball team plays host to St. Luke's at 6 p.m. for the Fairchester title.

-- In girls hockey, the CCGHL final takes place at 2 p.m. at Yale's Ingalls Rink with North Haven/Amity taking on Simsbury.

A look at the best of the daily sports scene ...

-- The No. 3 ranked Yale men's hockey team starts its final home weekend of the regular season with a game against Colgate at Ingalls Rink starting at 7 p.m. The game is sold out. You can get audio and video at http://www.yalebulldogs.com/

The Bulldogs need a Union loss and two wins to leapfrog to the ECAC Hockey title and earn the top seed for the ECAC playoffs.

Quinnipiac plays at Union Friday at 7 in  a game that can be heard on http://www.wqun.com/

Read Chip Malafronte's preview here

-- The Yale men's basketball team plays its final two home games of the season this weekend, starting against Dartmouth Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for both games.

Read Bill Cloutier's preview feature here

And his Game Day Preview Capsule here

-- In high school wrestling, the State Open begins at 5:30 p.m. at the New Haven Athletic Center

-- In high school girls basketball, two locals compete on conference championship games:
Hamden Hall plays host to Masters for the Fairchester League title at 5 p.m. and Coginchaug plays host to Portland for the Shoreline title at 7 p.m.

-- In high school boys basketball, Hamden Hall plays host to Rye, N.Y. at 7 p.m. in the Fairchester League semifinal. In the other semifinal, Hopkins travels to play at St. Luke's of New Canaan

A daily look at the best on the local sports scene ...

-- The UConn men play host to Marquette at 7 p.m. in their final XL Center appearance of the 2010-11 season. The game can be seen on ESPN.

Read Dave Borges' preview of the game here.

-- The Quinnipiac men, winners of four straight games, play host to Monmouth at 7 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center. Two wins and the Bobcats lock up the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Conference tournament.

Read Bill Cloutier's preview capsule here

-- In other men's basketball, Albertus Magnus plays in the second round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference at Johnson & Wales tonight at 7.

Read Bill Cloutier's preview capsule here

-- In girls basketball, Lauralton Hall takes on Newtown in the South-West Conference final at Pomperaug. This can be a preview of a CIAC Class L tournament game.

Read Chris Hunn's breakdown of all the state tournaments here

-- In boys basketball, the Southern Connecticut Conference begins its tournament with first round games.

Read Joe Morelli's breakdown of the first round games here

The schedule (all games start at 6:30 p.m.):

No. 14 Sheehan at No. 3 Wilbur Cross
No. 13 Notre Dame-West Haven at No. 4 Lyman Hall
No. 12 Hamden at No. 5 Fairfield Prep
No. 11 Hand at No. 6 Xavier
No. 10 Cheshire at No. 7 Branford
No. 9 Foran at No. 8 Amity
 
-- In girls high school hockey, Ingalls Rink will play host to the CCGHL playoff semifinals:

Here is the schedule:

Hall/Conard vs. Simsbury 6:45 p.m.
Amity/North Haven vs. Guilford, 8:45 p.m.

-- In boys hockey, Notre Dame-West Haven travels to play East Haven at 4:30 p.m.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- The AHLs Sound Tigers have a pretty great deal with free tickets for kids 12 and under if purchased at the box office.The Sound Tigers take on the Providence Bruins at 7 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard.

Here's the link to the promotion:

http://wl1.peer360.com/b/S4ZdMA7Ws6RhbvKOcOPo/main.asp?hl=4673317


-- In high school hockey, Massachusetts powerhouse Catholic Memorial takes on Fairfield Prep at 1 p.m. at the Wonderland of Ice

-- In high school boys basketball, both area prep schools play host to Fairchester League playoff games. Hopkins plays host to The Masters School at 5 p.m. and Hamden Hall plays host to King at 7 p.m.

-- All four Division II basketball teams are on the road.

The schedule:

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Southern Conn. at Assumption, 7:30 p.m.; New Haven at Adelphi, 7:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Southern Conn. at Assumption, 5:30 p.m.; New Haven at Adelphi, 5:30 p.m.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- Top-ranked Mercy is in Class LL. Hillhouse is in Class L. The two teams split in the regular season. Tuesday, the top two girls basketball teams in the state play for the final time this year in the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament championship. And if both teams go on to win state titles, this will be the game that determines the Register's final No. 1 ranking.
The game is at 7 p.m.

http://www.sportingnewsct.com/ will air the game.

Read Chris Hunn's game stories from the semifinal games here, along with video

Read his Game Day Preview Capsule here

And follow his tweets the Register's girls basketball page

-- The Albertus Magnus men's basketball team tries to duplicate its 2010 magical postseason run starting with its home quarterfinal game of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament against Rivier at 7.

A year ago Mitch Oliver's Falcons took the DIII basketball world by storm with its upset over William Paterson on a last-second half-court shot from Hamden's Byron Reaves. You can see the video here. It's worth another look.

Read Bill Cloutier's Game Day Preview Capsule for the game here

-- The No. 1 UConn women play host to Seton Hall at 7 p.m. at the XL Center in  a game that can be seen on CPTV.

Read Jim Fuller's preview here.

Read his Game Day Preview Capsule here

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

It's getting closer and closer to March and postseason tournaments for high schools are starting to heat up.

-- The Southern Connecticut Conference plays its girls basketball semifinals Monday at Quinnipiac University's TD Bank Sports Center.

Career, No. 6 in the state poll, takes on No. 3 Hillhouse at 6 p.m., followed by No. 1 Mercy vs. Shelton at about 7:45 p.m.

For the schedules from each conference read Chris Hunn's girls basketball blog here

The complete Top 10 can be seen here

-- Prefer high school hockey? LaSalle Academy of Providence travels to take on Notre Dame-West Haven at noon in what should be a good interstate clash.

-- In girls hockey, the CGHL playoffs get started/

The schedule: CCGHL Playoffs — Blue Division first round: No. 5 Amity/North Haven at No. 1 Hamden 4:15 p.m.; No. 3 Notre Dame-Fairfield at No. 2 Guilford (East Haven, DiLungo Rink) 5 p.m.

-- In college women's basketball, Quinnipiac travels to play at Bryant.

Read more here

-- And Joe Frager's Farifield women's basketball team plays Siena in a game that can be seen on MyTV-9 at 7 p.m.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene

-- The No. 3 Yale men's hockey team travels to play Princeton in a 1 p.m. game that can be seen on ESPNU.

Read Chip Malafronte's preview capsule of the game here

-- There are three high school hockey games on the schedule Sunday (Remember, because of the amount of snow days, schools are permitted to play on Sundays this year):

Wilton at Lyman Hall (Northford Ice Pavilion), 4 p.m.

Tri-Town at Hand (Northford Ice Pavilion), 6:15 p.m.

Rockville/Manchester/Stafford at Sheehan (Choate Rink), 7 p.m.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- Central Connecticut and Quinnipiac have developed quite a rivalry in men's basketball over the past decade. Central dominated for so long, but with the two teams vying for second place in the Northeast Conference as the regular season winds down, Saturday's showdown at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain should be quite intense.

Two of the top players in the league square off as well with Central's Ken Horton and Quinnipiac's Justin Rutty.

Tip-off is 3:30 p.m.

The game can be heard on WQUN-1220, ESPN-1410 and ESPN-1300.

Read the game day preview capsule here.

-- Penn plays at Yale in men's basketball. The Bulldogs lost to Ivy League leading Princeton Friday and Penn is down this year, but given the chance to see a game at Lee Amphitheater, one should take advantage of the building built in 1932. Saturday's game is a 7 p.m. tip.

-- The No. 2 UConn women's basketball team plays host to No. 8 Notre Dame at 2 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion in a game that can be seen on CPTV. Notre Dame is 22-4, 11-1 in the Big East.

Read Jim Fuller's preview feature on freshman center Stefanie Dolson here

Read the Game Day Preview Capsule here

-- Quinnipiac's men's hockey team plays host to Brown at 7 p.m.

-- In high school indoor track, the very best converge on the New Haven Athletic Center for the State Open starting at noon. Read what teams and athletes to watch here

-- The Whaler Fest of outdoor hockey is in full swing at Rentschler Field in East Hartford with the Whalers/Bruins Alumni game at 4 p.m. followed by the Connecticut Whale-Providence Bruins AHL game at 7 p.m.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- It's a shame this only happens twice a year, but what has become one of the best area rivalries takes place at TD Bank Sports Center at 8 p.m. when Quinnipiac plays host to the No. 3 Yale men's hockey team. The game is sold out.

If someone offers you a ticket, take it!

If not watch it on CPTV and follow the action with Chip Malafronte on twitter and read his college hockeytown blog for pregame notes

Read Chip's preview story here

And his gane day preview capsule here

-- The Yale men's basketball team plays host to Ivy League-leading Princeton at 7 p.m. in a game that will determine if the Bulldogs have any chance of making the Ivy League race interesting. Entering the game they are 5-3 in Ivy play. Harvard is 7-1 and Princeton 7-0.  Here's a look at the standings

The game is on YES.

Read Bill Cloutier's feature on freshman Jeremiah Kreisberg here

Read his game day preview capsule for Yale's basketball weekend here

-- The Yale women's basketball team travels to play Ivy League-leading Princeton at 7 p.m. Princeton is 6-1, Yale 6-2.

See the Ivy League standings here

Read Dave Solomon's column about the Yale women being in the Ivy League race here

Follow Bill Cloutier's college On Campus blog here

-- A little later than usual, the UConn men's basketball team plays at Louisville, with a 9 p.m. start for a game that can be seen on ESPN . Yes, 9 p.m. tip-off. And remember, the last time these two teams met the Cardinal won in double overtime! The good news is you can sleep in on Saturday. And you probably want to stay up because you never know what Kemba Walker will do next.

Read Dave Borges preview of the game here

Read his game day preview capsule here

-- In high school boys basketball, two top 5 teams square off at the New Haven Athletic Center as No. 3 Hillhouse takes on No. 5 Career beginning at 4 p.m. That works out well if you want to double-dip between high school and college basketball, just taking a quick drive down to Yale for the Princeton game.

Here's a look at the Top 10 poll

Follow the action with Joe Morelli on twitter or at his blog 

-- Also in high schools, the wrestling class meets get under way, with wrestlers competing to get in the main draw, which gets into full competion Saturday.

See where Yale's Whale is ranked among the best venues for college hockey by the Wall Street Journal

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

Not a bad day to get to bed early as Friday will offer some late night action with Yale at Quinnipiac hockey at 8 p.m. on CPTV (the game is sold out) and UConn's men's basketball team playing at Louisville at 9 p.m.

But if you want your sports fix, there's still plenty to do  ...

-- The Quinnipiac men's basketball team travels to Rhode Island to play Bryant, a team that knocked off the Bobcats earlier in the year, and recently upset Central Connecticut in overtime.

Quinnipiac is tied for third in the NEC with Wagner, a game behind Central Connecticut. Quinnipiac plays at Central on Saturday. Long Island leads the NEC with two losses. Both Wagner and Central have games left with Long Island.

The game can be heard at http://www.wqun.com/

Read Bill Cloutier's Game Day preview capsule here

Check out the Northeast Conference standings here

-- In high school girls basketball, the Southern Connecticut Conference begins its postseason play with four games. Read Chris Hunn's blog to get his complete breakdown of the tournament.

-- In high school boys basketball, we're going to send you south for a doubleheader.

The Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport plays host to a nice doubleheader when Central and Harding tip off at 6 p.m. and St. Joseph and Bassick play at 8 p.m.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- There's just something that feels right about the Big East when Georgetown matters and right now, Georgetown matters in Big East men's basketball.

No. 9 Georgetown visits No. 13 UConn at the XL Center at 7 p.m. in a game you can see on SNY.

Read Dave Borges' preview of the game here

Read his game day preview capsule here


-- In local Division II college basketball, Adelphi visits Southern Connecticut for a Northeast-10 doubleheader, with the women tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m.

In the men's game, SCSU tries to hop into seventh place in the 16-team conference. Adelphi is 14-9, 10-9. SCSU under first-year coach Mike Donnelly is 12-11, 9-10.

Here are the NE-10 standings for the men

In the women's game, it's the start of the Owls "Pink Zone" for breast cancer awareness.

-- The Fairfield men's basketball team, winners of 20 games thus far this season, play host to Marist at 7:30 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport.

With a win, Fairfield would capture the MAAC regular-season championship and the top-seed in the MAAC tournament, which will be played at Webster Bank Arena. Fairfield is 20-5, 13-2 in the MAAC. Fairfield has a three-game lead in the MAAC standings with three games to play.

If you have not been to the Arena, it's very easy to get to off 95, just a quick U off the ramp, and the parking garage is right next door to the arena, and very short walk.

Read more about the game here.



-- In high school boys hockey, it's Guilford's turn to play outdoors when it faces St. Bernard's-Bacon Academy-Norwich Free Academy at 6 p.m. at Rentschler Field as part of the Whalers Hockey Fest.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

In boys basketball No. 5 Career travels to play Lyman Hall at 7 p.m. The Trojans (14-3) gave the Panthers (15-1) a scare the last time the two met, but Career held on for a 57-55 win a little more than two weeks ago.

Also Xavier, the SCC Quinnipiac champion at 11-6, 6-, travels to play No. 3 Hillhouse (16-1, 8-0), the SCC Hammonasset champion at 7 p.m.

In girls basketball, Hamden Hall plays host to Hopkins at 5 p.m.

In high school hockey, Hamden travels to play Fairfield Prep at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport at 7:30 p.m. APOLOGIZE. THIS GAME WAS IN OUR SCHEDULE BUT IS NOT LISTED UNDER CIAC. THIS GAME SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN LISTED. AGAIN, OUR APOLOGIES.

In women's college hockey, Yale plays host to Brown at 7:30 p.m. If you've wanted to check out Ingalls Rink and have not had the chance because the men keep selling out, this is your chance to see one of the more unique college athletic facilities.

A daily look at the best the local sports scene has to offer ...

Quite busy for a Monday, with good variety. Almost like a box of Valentine's Day chocolates.

-- In women's college basketball, No. 14 Oklahoma travels to take on No. 2 UConn at the XL Center in Hartford at 7 p.m. in a game that can be seen on ESPN2. Just a guess, but bet Oklahoma's Sherri Coale is in red today.

Read Jim Fuller's preview of the final non-conference game of the year for UConn here

You can follow Jim's updates from the game on twitter

-- A little closer to home, Sacred Heart plays host to Quinnipiac in a Northeast Conference basketball doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. with the women. The men play at 7:30 p.m.

The Quinnipiac women are in third place in the NEC with a 9-4 conference record. Sacred Heart is in a three-way tie for fifth a game back. Here are the standings A win by the Bobcats helps their goal to secure a home game in the first round of the NEC tournament.

The Quinnipiac men are also in strong contention for a home game in the NEC  tournament with five games left. Here are the men's standings

Sacred Heart needs some help but is still in contention for one of the eight playoff spots.

Both games can be seen on MSG.

-- It's high school hockey day at Rentschler Field with rivals Amity and St. Joseph taking the ice at the outdoor venue at 4 p.m. and Wallingford schools Sheehan and Lyman Hall following at 7:30.

To read about the UConn-Sacred Heart game from Sunday and to see photos and video from the event click here

-- The Beanpot has some local flavor in Boston tonight.

Wallingford's Pat Mullane takes the ice for Boston College in the Beanpot final at 7:30 p.m. against Northeastern.
Two locals take the ice in the Beanpot consolation game tat 4 p.m. for Boston Univeristy as the Terriers take on Harvard. Senior Joe Pereira is from West Haven and leads the Terriers with 12 goals, and freshman Patrick MacGregor is from Hamden.

Both games can be seen on NESN

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...


-- What to do on a Sunday night with no more football? Easy. Head up to Storrs to watch UConn vs. Providence in men's basketball or simply turn on the game on ESPN at 7 p.m.

Check out Dave Borges' blog here for early notes about the game

Follow Dave on twitter during the game

Read today's preview and capsule here

-- Rather watch some high school hockey? On a Sunday, you ask? Yes, since the CIAC has allowed games to be played on Sundays to make up for all of the lost games due to the weather.
Ironically, two Catholic schools play tonight at Bridgeport's Wonderland of Ice.
And two very good Catholic schools as No. 5 Xavier travels to play No. 2 Fairfield Prep.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ....


This is a busy day, despite Yale men's basketball and Yale and Quinnipiac hockey playing on the road, and the UConn men preparing for a Sunday night game against Providence.

-- At the University of New Haven the men's and women's basketball teams play a Northeast-10 doubleheader with the men playing at 1:30 and the women at 3:30 against LeMoyne.
At halftime of the men's game, the Chargers will retire the uniform number of legendary baseball coach Frank "Porky" Vieira. Rumor has it he could play a little ball, too.

Here's a link to information about the event

The basketball doubleheader is part of New Haven's Pink Zone day for cancer awareness. Read more about the games, or get links to video and radio broadcast here.

-- The  UConn women play at Providence at 2 p.m. today in a game that can be seen on CPTV.
Read Jim Fuller's preview here
Read Jim Fuller's game day capsule here, which includes an update on a local player from Hopkins

-- Coming off a huge win over Ivy League leader Harvard Friday, the Yale women's basketball team plays host to Dartmouth at 7 p.m. at Lee Amphitheater. Yale is one game behind Princeton and Harvard in the Ivy League standings.

-- The Quinnipiac women's basketball team plays host to Sacred Heart at the TD Bank Sports Center at 1 p.m. Read more about the game here, including links to live video cast

-- The Quinnipiac women's hockey team plays host to Union at the TD Bank Sports Center at 4 p.m.


-- The Yale men's hockey team looks to get back on top of the ECAC standings with a game at Clarkson at 7.

-- The  Yale men's basketball team plays at Dartmouth after a three-point loss at Harvard Friday.

-- In high school indoor track, the New Haven Athletic Center will play host to the final two divisional state meets. Class M starts at 10 a.m. and Class LL at 4:30 p.m. Read about those meets here

-- Foran high school will be the site of the Southern Connecticut wrestling championships. Read more about the meet here

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

-- High school hockey fans have been waiting a long time for New Canaan and Hamden to play. The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 18, then postponed twice before agreeing on this date.

Hamden is No. 3 in the Register state poll, New Canaan No. 1. Game time is 6 p.m. at Astorino Rink in Hamden.

Read what player is out of the lineup for New Canaan here, and follow the action with Dan Nowak on twitter if you can't get to the rink.

-- In boys basketball, the two best games to see are Wilbur Cross at Xavier and Cromwell at Valley Regional. Both games start at 7 p.m.

Cross is tied for the Oronque lead and Xavier tops the Quinnipiac division.

Cromwell and Valley Regional are the top two teams in the Shoreline Large division.

-- The New Haven Athletic Center continues to host the best of the state's indoor track meets with Class L today. The meet starts at 4 p.m.

Read more about the meet here with Mike Pucci's capsule preview.

-- It's a quiet weekend on the college front, as both Yale's and Quinnipiac's men's hockey teams travel, as well as Yale's men's basketball team.

Read about Yale hockey's road trip here

Read about Quinnipiac hockey's road trip here

Read about Yale's basketball game here

The Yale women's basketball team plays host to Harvard at 7 at Lee Amphitheater. Yale is in third place in the Ivy League, two games behind league-leading Harvard.

Here are the Ivy League women's standings

In AHL action, the Sound Tigers play host to Wilkes-Barre Scranton at 7

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

Develop a cold, a stomach ache, an unexpected obligation, and head over to Union Station, hop on a train and head to the city. You deserve it. Heck, your kids have missed, what, 34 days of school this winter, what's an afternoon of work.

Head to the Garden for UConn-St. John's men's basketball at 7, but give yourself time to stop and indulge in a little pastrami on rye and a nice pint beforehand. Think of it as an early Valentine's Day gift to yourself.

No. 10 UConn has won nine straight regular-season meetings with St. John's, but was smoked in the first round of the Big East tournament by the Johnnies last year. And St. John's is no slouch this year. Just ask Duke.

OK, OK, WAKE UP!! The game is on at ESPN at 7. You can read about it in Dave Borges' preview and his preview capsule in between finishing up those reports for work. And don't forget to stop and get a quart of milk on the way home!

But do yourself a favor. If you've never been to the Big East tournament at the Garden, get your tickets now and plan a trip. It really is worth it.

-- The very best of high school indoor track will take place at the New Haven Athletic Center starting Thursday with Class S and runs through Saturday. Read more about who to watch for in Mike Pucci's preview capsules.

-- The Southern Connecticut Conference gymnastics championships are at 6:30 p.m. at Law. Read more in Chris Hunn's preview capsule.

Here are Thursday's high school schedules

Boys basketball
Girls basketball
Boys hockey
Girls hockey
Boys swimming

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

It's NEC rivalry week in men's basketball, and Sacred Heart travels to play Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center at 7 p.m.

Coach Dave Bike, who won his 500th game earlier this season, has Sacred  Heart pushing for an NEC tournament berth. The Pioneers are 4-8 in conference play, two games out of eighth-place with six games left. The top eight make the conference playoffs.

Quinnipiac and coach Tom Moore are tied for fourth place at 7-5 and are 15-8 overall.

Bill Cloutier previews the game here or you can read the preview capsule here.

The two teams play Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Pitt Center in Fairfield.

You can see the complete NEC standings here

-- Connecticut high school hockey has a couple out of state opponents visiting with Rhode Island power Mount St. Charles playing at No. 3 Hamden at 6 p.m. Mount St. Charles has won three straight state titles and 40 overall, including 26 straight through 2003. Hamden has won two straight state titles and  17 overall.

Seton Hall Prep of New Jersey has struggled this year with a 3-12 record and play at No. 2 Fairfield Prep at Bridgeport's Wonderland of Ice at 6:45 p.m.

And there will be an interesting in-state matchup with No. 6 South Windsor (12-2) taking on No. 7 West Haven (7-3-2) at Bennett Rink at 6:30 p.m. There has been a lot of debate over the past few weeks on the Register state poll as to where these programs belong.

For the Register's Connecticut state hockey poll click here


-- In high school indoor track, the Naugatuck Valley League championships begin at 4:30 p.m. at the New Haven Athletic Center. This meet is usually filled with some impressive performances with the likes of Woodland, Seymour, Wilby and Holy Cross in the mix.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

In high school boys basketball, two very good rivalry games on tap.

First, Hopkins travels to take on Hamden Hall at 5 p.m. Hoops Morelli writes that "this is a makeup game from last Tuesday due to a snowstorm. Hamden Hall won the first meeting 87-81 on Jan. 16. Darren Payen had a triple-double (12 points, 13 rebounds, 12 blocks) for Hamden Hall and Lucas Hausman had a game-high 34 points for Hopkins the last time."


Then at 6 p.m. at the New Haven Athletic Center, Wilbur Cross takes on No. 3 Career at 6 p.m. Career can wrap up the SCC Oronoque with a victory. And a loss means Cross would be 0-4 against the city schools. according to Morelli.

In girls basketball, you can get to the NHAC early for a 4 p.m. tip-off for No. 7 Career vs. Wilbur Cross in a game that Chris Hunn predicts will determine the SCC Oronoque title. 
 
-- The UConn women travel to play West Virginia in a 7 p.m. game in Morgantown. West Virginia is ranked No. 17 nationally and UConn No. 2. West Virginia was upset over the weekend by Pittsburgh. The game will be on CBS College Sports. Check your local cable listing to see if you get it. It is mostly a premium sports service.
 
-- There are plenty of local college games to attend, as Albertus Magnus, New Haven and Southern Connecticut all play host to men's/women's doubleheaders.
 
The schedule:
Men: Mount Ida at Alberus Magnus, 5:30 p.m.; Assumption at New Haven, 7:30 p.m.; Pace at Southern Conn., 7:30 p.m.
 
The SCSU men are in eighth place in the 16-team NE-10 and with a win over Pace would improve to .500 in the conference under first-year coach Mike Donnelly. Considering how far this program dropped, that is quite a turnaround.
 
Women: Assumption at New Haven, 5:30 p.m.; Pace at Southern Conn., 5:30 p.m.; Simmons at Albertus Magnus, 7:30 p.m.
 
Assumption and Pace are two of the top four teams in the NE-10, trailing DII powerhouses Bentley and Franklin Pierce. SCSU and UNH have both struggled thus far.

-- In women's hockey, New Hampshire visits Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center at 7 p.m. The Bobcats, who have been in and out of the Top 10 rankings nationally the past few weeks, have never beaten UNH of Hockey East, dropping all seven decisions. Read more about Quinnipiac's game with New Hampshire here.

A daily look at the best on the local sports scene ..

In girls basketball, a matchup of South-West Conference division leaders as Lauralton Hall 11-2, 10-0 SWC Patriot) travels to play at Newtown (12-3, 11-3 SWC Colonial).

Also, Haddam-Killingworth, led by Emily Anderson (22.0 points per game) travel to play at Shoreline Large Division leader Coginchaug (14-3, 13-2), led by Audrey Biesak (15.4 ppg).

In wrestling, one of the best wrestlers in the region, Patrick Gillen leads Shelton against the top team in the region, Hand, which is ranked third in the state wrestling poll, at 6:30 p.m.

This release was sent to us today:

The University of New Haven and Southern Connecticut State University Departments of Athletics hosted their inaugural 'Unity thru Hoops' event on Saturday in conjunction with the basketball teams’ Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. The event focused on promoting diversity and fostering an environment of inclusion within the greater New Haven community.


Clubs and organizations from both Universities with similar goals partnered together and set up information tables in the lobby of Charger Gymnasium to share ideas about unity in a diverse population. Student groups from both institutions also performed dance routines between the women’s and men’s games. A new cheerleading group from the New Haven Boys and Girls Club also performed between games.

The 2011 ‘Unity thru Hoops’ partnership begins the annual event which will alternate between the UNH and SCSU campuses every year. The event exemplifies goal five of the NCAA Division II Strategic Plan which states to partner and build collaborative relationships with other organizations to support and enhance the diversity of student-athletes, administrators and coaches at the local, conference and national levels.

Visit http://www.newhavenchargers.com/ or http://www.southernctowls.com/ for more information

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

Southern Connecticut is the host of the Northeast-10 men's and women's swimming championships throughout the day. Both the men and women, two of the most dominant programs over the past decade in their respective league and sport in the region, are leading after two days of competition.

You can read more here

-- Well, the CIAC's new directive allowing make up games on Sunday is being used today.

Sheehan travels to play Xavier at 1 p.m. and East Hampton is at North Branford at 2:30 p.m. in boys basketball.

-- In men's college basketball, the MAAC-leading Fairfield Stags take on Rider at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. Tip-off is 3:30 p.m. Fairfield is 11-1 in the MAAC.

Fairfield's game notes are here

-- Make it a double and take in the Fairfield women's basketball team's game against MAAC leading Marist, the Gonzaga of women's basketball. That game tips off at 1 p.m. Fairfield is 15-7 and 8-3 in league play. The Stags have knocked off Marist once each in the past two seasons. Marist is 20-2.

Fairfield's game notes are here

It's also a chance to catch up with Milford's Casey Dulin, a freshman who is seventh in scoring with 4.5 points per game. She is averaging just fewer than 10 minutes per game.

And each of these events gives you plenty of time to get home, prepare the wings and sit down to relax kickoff for the Super Bowl.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ....

-- The No. 2 UConn women should get a competitive game from No. 9 DePaul, which is 12-1 and 9-0 in the Big East. The game is at 2 p.m. on CPTV.
Read Jim Fuller's preview here, and game day capsule here

-- The No. 6 UConn men travel down to New Jersey to take on Seton Hall at 7 p.m. The game is on ESPNU. You can also listen on WTIC-1080 AM or follow Dave Borges on twitter
Read Dave Borges' preview here.

-- The No. 3 ranked Yale men's hockey team plays host to Dartmouth tonight at 7. The game is sold out. But if someone offers you tickets, take them. Read about Yale's win over Harvard Friday night here.
The game will be televised on the YES network.

-- Quinnipiac's men's hockey team tied No. 9 RPI on Friday and hosts No. 11 Union tonight at 7. Tickets are available for that game. Check http://www.quinnipiacbobcats/ for details.
Read the Quinnipiac game story here from Friday.

You can listen to the game on http://www.wqun.com/ or see video for a fee at http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/

-- Yale's men's basketball team plays host to a very good Columbia team at 6 p.m. tonight. Columbia had won nine of 11 before losing to Brown Friday.

The Bulldogs had a thriller Friday night, edging Cornell by one point. Read the game story here.

Here are the Ivy League standings through Friday

-- Both Quinnipiac's men's and women's basketball teams travel to take on Long Island in key NEC games.

The men are tied for third at 7-4 in the NEC. LIU is 9-2 and leads the conference. Read the game day preview capsule here.

The women are 7-3 in the NEC, and in a three-way tie for third, one game behind co-leaders Robert Morris and St. Francis, Pa.


-- In Division II basketball, the University of New Haven travels to take on Southern Connecticut State in a basketball doubleheader, with the women tipping off at 1:30, followed by the men at 3:30 p.m.

-- Many games were being postponed for high schools Friday night, but all indications were the Shoreline Conference track meet at the New Haven Athletic Center would go as planned, starting at 9 a.m.

If it's played, Hillhouse at Wilbur Cross boys basketball at noon is worth seeing, as is Career at Hillhouse girls basketball, also at noon.

Check our Spirit Blog for postponements.

-- In AHL action, the Sound Tigers play host to Springfield at 7 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with Sacred Heart at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. The Sound Tigers have a special promotion on their web site

A daily look at the best the local sports scene has to offer ...

It's a great day to be a sports fan in the area. And with more snow/sleet/rain predicted for Saturday, you might want to break out for a night.

-- The New Haven Athletic Center is the finest indoor track facility in the state for high school sports, playing host to dozens of championship meets. Friday, at 4 p.m., the Southern Connecticut Conference holds its championships.

There are two schools of thought to track meets:
The first is the assumption that you stand and watch people run in circles. Those people have not attended a meet.
The second is the reality that you can watch several events at once, standing on the infield watching either the long or high jump, pole vault or weight events, while watching a relay race. You also get extremely close to the action, and with indoor track, you can hear and feel it as well. During sprint events its like clapping and you can feel the track vibrate.

-- Both Yale and Quinnipiac play host to ECAC hockey games.

No. 3 Yale plays Harvard; Quinnipiac plays No. 9 RPI.

Yale is sold out, but if someone offers you a ticket, or your business has them, scoop them up. Yes, Harvard is down this year, with just four wins, but this is still Yale-Harvard and no matter the sport, the rivarly is so intense. The atmosphere in this building is always exceptional, but when Harvard comes to town, let's just say the excitement just bursts out of the spout of the Yale Whale.

You can also watch a live video stream for a fee here.

Quinnipiac's TD Bank Sports Center is not sold out for Friday's game. Check http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/ for ticket information.

The Bobcats have been a bit inconsistent this season, but one thing has been consistent: they score first, they win. Quinnipiac is 12-1-3 when it scores first.

Quinnipiac also has a video stream for a $9.99 fee. You can learn more here. Or you can listen to the game at http://www.wqun.com/

-- In men's basketball, Yale plays host to Cornell at 7 p.m. This starts a stretch of six of its next eight games at home for Yale.

If you have never been to a game at Yale's Payne Whitney, stop putting it off. This is really a gym with character ... 79 years worth of character. You get the chance to sit in chairs. A little tight, but chairs nonetheless. Look around if you go, from the moment you walk in the main entrance to the exquisite architecture that surrounds you. Then look in the trophy cases. Then look at the ceiling and the balcony and all around. Take it all in. It's one of the oldest gyms in the nation. Enjoy it.

Take a look at the banners over the rafters. Try to figure out why they are in that order.

As for the basketball, Cornell is not the same team that went to the NCAA tournament the past few years. They are 0-4 in the Ivy League. Yale is 2-2 and has arguably the best big man in the league in Greg Mangano, a home-grown product from Notre Dame-West Haven.

-- And if the AHL is what you enjoy, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers travel to take on the Connecticut Whale at 7 p.m.

A daily look at the best of the area sports scene ...

In college men's basketball, Quinnipiac travels to St. Francis, N.Y. for a 7 p.m. game. At 6-4 in the conference and tied for third, this a pretty key game for the Bobcats.

St. Francis is one of five teams at 5-5 in the league. A win here gives a little bit of separation, but there is so much basketball left to be played.

Read Bill Cloutier's game day capsule here.

The Northeast Conference standings are here.

And the game can be listened to at wqun.com

New Haven travels to AIC for a men's and women's basketball doubleheader, the women play at 5:30, the men at 7:30 p.m.

On the high school scene, if school is in session it will be hard not to find a basketball game as teams scramble to make up contests postponed.