West Hartford’s Hall High School defeated Enfield, 6-4, in the CIAC Division III boys hockey semifinal on Monday, March 16, 2026.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Savannah Cote. Photos by Savannah Cote and Scott Sulkazi

Hall hockey continued its unforgettable season Monday night, battling an Enfield team that earned its semifinal spot with wins over Spartan Ice Hockey and an upset of Wilton. Coming off a thrilling comeback victory against the Terriers, Hall entered with momentum – but was immediately tested in a fast-paced, back-and-forth contest.

The action started almost instantly. Connor McHugh found the back of the net just 24 seconds into the game, assisted by Benjamin Putnam, giving Hall an early 1-0 lead. Enfield responded minutes later, as Cooper Love scored off a feed from Ethan Samek to tie things up. Just seconds after the equalizer, McHugh struck again – this time unassisted – to regain the lead at 2-1.

The intensity didn’t slow. Enfield answered once more at the 4:42 mark, when Kyle Malecki buried a goal assisted by Samek to even the score at 2-2, where it remained through the end of a high-energy first period.

Hall regained control early in the second. Putnam scored 2:42 into the period off a setup from McHugh to put Hall back in front. Enfield continued to push, however, tying the game again at 6:43 on a goal by Samek, assisted by Gavin Tamayo.

But Hall had another response ready – Putnam completed his hat trick later in the period, again assisted by McHugh, giving Hall a 5-3 advantage heading into the third.

In the final period, McHugh delivered the decisive moment. While shorthanded, he broke free and scored unassisted, completing a hat trick of his own and extending the lead to 6-3. Although Enfield scored one more time, McHugh’s goal ultimately sealed the victory and sent Hall to the state championship with the 6-4 win.

After the game, both McHugh and Putnam downplayed their individual performances, emphasizing the team-first mindset that has defined Hall’s run.

“We don’t really care about the goals – we never have this year,” McHugh said. “It’s always just one common goal, and that’s the next game. The hat tricks don’t matter at all … whatever helps the team win.”

With another complete team effort and a relentless offensive attack, Hall now turns its focus to the ultimate prize – the state championship.

Hall, which entered the tournament as a No. 5 seed will be back at Quinnipiac fon Thursday night to face the No. 10 seed E.O. Smith-Tolland Bucks – a 4-1 winner Monday over Milford – in the Division III finals.

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