Branford Hockey Joins West Haven Co-op Ahead Of 2025/26 Season

Dominic Konareski
3 hours ago
2 min read

The last five years has seen rapid changes for West Haven High hockey. 2022 marked the first season that the team would be a co-op after a lack of interest. 2023 would then see the drop down to DII, ending an era of Division I hockey that spanned over 75 years.

Now in 2025, West Haven hockey is now adding a team to their co-op list and it’s a familiar rival. Branford.

Players from Shelton, Seymour and Oxford have been allowed to join West Haven since 2022 and now Branford. The school joins the co-op program ahead of the 2025/26 season in what is part of a two-year deal.

Branford Athletic Director Brian Zaklukiewicz said “I think I called every school in the SCC [Southern Connecticut Conference]” to see if teams were interested in joining Branford if the team was made a co-op. Last season, Branford hockey went 9-9-2 and were the 13th seed in the DII playoffs. West Haven is coming off of a 7-11-2 season in what was a down year after being a legitimate contender in 2023/24.

“They are a well run machine,” Zaklukiewicz said to The Buzz when he was speaking highly about West Haven’s rink and team facilities.

The West Haven v. Branford rivalry isn’t one of the biggest for Blue Devils hockey as that goes to Hamden and cross-town Notre Dame. Branford has always given the westies a good bout, but now it is time for a joined fight in hopes of a state championship.

The 2025/26 schedule has not been finalized, but the first game is expected to be around the middle of December.