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– Fairfield Prep handed Notre Dame-West Haven (13-2-1) its first in-state loss this season, beating the defending Division I state champions 5-1. Blake Baksay recorded three goals and one assist, while Justin Lewis made 25 saves. The Green Knights’ only other loss came back on Dec. 27, 7-1 to Catholic Memorial of Massachusetts.

– Jeremy Wagner recorded his fourth shutout this season and the school-record 10th of his career as Newington Co-op blanked South Windsor 2-0. The Nor’easters were coming off a 4-3 overtime win over Hall, their second in three days.

– Norwalk/McMahon beat Wilton 6-4, snapping a four-game losing streak. Grady Connell recorded two goals and an assist, helping the co-op overcome a 3-1 deficit.

– Wilton fell to 0-5-1 over its last six following a 5-0 loss to Staples. Aaron Kail stopped all 29 shots he faced to earn the Wreckers’ first shutout this season. Tyler DiMaio and four others scored, while Domenic Petrosinelli and Nikos Ninios had three assists apiece.

– Woodstock Academy beat North Branford 6-1 behind a four-goal second period. Donny Sousa and Max Larkin each scored twice.

– Drew DePodesta’s goal with 7:35 remaining lifted Cheshire to a 3-2 victory over fellow Division II contender Wethersfield. Two days later, the Eagles rebounded with a 4-0 victory over the CT Eagles. Ryan Adduci netted his first varsity goal and Owen Thulen was perfect in net.

– Continuing his big week, DePodesta followed Will Gaudet’s hat trick with one of his own in an 8-5 victory over the Eastern CT Eagles. Rocco Ocone-Krause added two goals for the Rams.

– Alex Petersen got the scoring started for North Haven, which coasted past Daniel Hand 6-1.

– East Haven Co-op salvaged a 2-2 tie with Watertown/Pomperaug after goals from Jack Leary and Griffin Nemoto had given the Warriors a two-goal lead.

– SGWL (1-16) edged Housatonic Co-op 4-3, becoming the last team in Connecticut to score a victory. SGWL had lost its first 15 games, including 14 by multiple goals.

– Guilford was no match for Branford’s Matt Morgan, who scored five times in the Hornets’ 8-5 victory. Branford followed that up by topping Farmington Valley 4-1 behind a solid performance from Dante Dilegge in net.

– Tommy Branca and three others scored, helping Darien bounce back with a 4-1 win over Ridgefield. The Blue Wave shut out St. Joseph 6-0 the following day and will head into their regular season finale against Notre Dame-West Haven at 12-4-3 overall.

– Newtown/New Fairfield picked up a pair of out-of-state victories, beating Fox Lane (N.Y.) 8-3 and Mt. Everett (Mass.) 4-0 behind a shutout from Garrett McCollam.

– CJ Sherwood scored four times to help North Branford down the Eastern CT Eagles 5-1. Mike Matteo tallied two assists.

– Glastonbury made quick work of East Catholic, rolling to a 7-1 win. Ben Howey, Michael Rodriguez and Kyle Gianetti scored as part of a three-goal first period.

– Somerset Berkley improved to 17-1-0 on the season with a 7-0 win over Cambridge. Luke Gauvin, Liam Derocher and Davis Sullivan all netted a pair of goals. Nate Melo also scored and Mason Sullivan chipped in three assists.

– Walpole skated to a 3-3 tie with King Philip for MIAA purposes, but won 4-3 in a shootout to advance to the Songin Cup Finals. Jason Finkelstein, Ryan Jackson and Matt Bianculli all scored. In the final, the Timberwolves downed North Attleboro, 7-1, behind four goals from Bianculli.

North Attleboro earned the right to face Walpole in the Songin Cup Final after a 6-5 win over Mansfield. Mark Ayvazyan had a big night with two goals and two assists. Joe Quinn and Kaden Burns also each netted a pair.

– Tewksbury blanked D1 Winchester for their 17^th win of the season. Jeremy Insogna scored a pair of goals and Tyler Barnes the other. Ben O’Keefe had another solid outing in net earning his eighth shutout of the season.

– Oliver Ames had a huge 3-2 win over Plymouth South. Dan Paul, Jack Perron and Matt Lawson all scored. Brandon Burke had 23 saves in net.

– Silver Lake downed Bridgewater-Raynham 7-2 behind senior captain Aiden Dunphy’s big night. The captain had three goals and two assists in the win to surpass the 100-point mark in his impressive high school hockey career.

– Boston Latin shut out Latin Academy 4-0 with goals from Aidan Fitzpatrick, Matthew Carrera, Patrick Harnan and Richard Bova.

– Lowell Catholic beat Bishop Stang 3-1. Jake Cabral had two goals for the Crusaders in the win.

– Hopkinton handed Lynnfield its first loss of the season beating them 5-4 in round one of the Farleigh S. Dickinson Tournament. Joe Carrazza netted the winning goal with 1:15 left. Pavit Mehra scored a hat trick and Joe Scardino also scored. The Hillers then went on to blank Martha’s Vineyard 5-0 to win the tournament for the third consecutive year. Scardino and Dylan Mansur had two goals each and Cam MacPherson the other.

– Gloucester beat Swampscott 9-2 behind four goals from Colby Jewell. Brett Cunningham, Brady Salah, Chris Karvelas, Drew White and Cade Cooper also scored for the Fishermen.

– Duxbury beat Archbishop Williams in the first round of the Buddy Ferreira Classic, 3-1. Reilly Murray, Connor O’Connell and Aiden Harrington all scored. Sam Mazanec was strong between the pipes.

– Minnechaug closed out their regular season with a 2-1 win over Northbridge. David Noel had both goals for the Falcons. Drew VanZandt had two assists and John Pollard had 29 saves in goal.

– Concord-Carlisle clinched a playoff spot with a 3-2 win over Bedford. Noah Thorpe scored a pair and Jay Carter had the other.

– Canton avenged an earlier season loss to Franklin with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win. Griffin Hughes scored the game-winner. Colin Blake also scored for the Bulldogs.

– Wilmington won 6-3 over Melrose and coach Steve Scanlon earned his 375^th career win. Nathan Alberti netted a hat trick. Brian Barry, Brett Ebert and Casey Robbins also scored.

– Plymouth North earned a 4-3 overtime win over D1 Barnstable. Josh Bates scored the overtime winner. Logan Greeley, Aidan Mackenzie and Sean Hallissey also scored in the win.

– Bishop Feehan held on for a 3-2 win over Malden Catholic. Mary Lamoriello, Chloe Bryda and Isabella Hasenfus each had a goal for the Shamrocks. On Monday the Shamrocks edged King Philip, 2-1, with both goals from Molly Braga and 41 saves by Avery Blanchard.

– Lucy Irwin had two goals, and Kailin Sullivan and Gianna DeMedeiros each had one as Central Catholic doubled up Wayland-Weston, 4-2.

– Norwood picked up a key 4-3 win over Martha’s Vineyard thanks to goals by Morgan Roach, Michaela Reen, Micaela Brown and Lindsay Rogers. With a goal and assist in the game, Morgan Roach reached the 100-career point mark.

– Two goals by Lanie Cawley propelled Frankin to a 4-2 win over Westwood in its final regular season tilt. Ava Vilella and Julia Flynn added goals for the Panthers, who head into the post-season 9-8-3.

– Shawsheen/Bedford outlasted Masconomet, 6-5, thanks to three goals from Violet Lorusso, two from Becca Sobol and one from Paige Fuller.

– Canton squeezed passt Algonquin/Hudson, 2-1, in a rematch of last year’s D2 title game. Anna Lehan and Abby Brogan had the goals for the Bulldogs.

– Hingham rallied from two goals down to beat Pembroke, 4-2. Addison Garrity scored a pair of goals, while Caroline Doherty and Abigail Kennedy had a goal apiece.

– Bishop Fenwick toppled Weymouth, 4-1, as Abbey Millman, Abi Bruner, Molly Sullivan and Mya Jewell found the back of the net.

– Goals by Sammi Ryan, Kat Schille, Hannah Forget, Sarah Doherty and Breena Lawrence powered Methuen/Tewksbury to a 5-1 win over Beverly/Danvers.

– Meghan Carney scored the lone goal in Duxbury’s key 1-0 win over Sandwich.

– Jenna Chaplain, Abbie Poole and Gabbi Oakes each had a goal as St. Mary’s got past HPNA, 3-1. Maggie Pierce then scored a pair of goals in St. Mary’s 4-0 blanking of Billerica/Chelmsford.

– King Philip held off Braintree, 4-3. Kelly Holmes fired home two goals for KP. Mara Boldy and Katie McGann each scored once.

– Ella Spinazola and Meaghan Keough each had a goal as Woburn slipped past Belmont, 2-1.

– Reading knocked off Arlington, 2-1, with goals from Gianna Bonfillio and Ally Sumner.

– Goals from Kiera Sweeney and Abby Gropman gave W/E Bridgewater a 2-1 win over Nantucket. The two teams met the next day as well, and Nantucket came away with its first win of the season, a 3-2 victory on Emerson Pikarcik‘s goal with 4.8 seconds left in regulation.

– Both Emily Coogan and Alana Nevin had six-point games as Martha’s Vineyard downed Scituate, 7-3. Coogan scored four goals and had two assists, while Nevin scored twice and dished out four assists.

“Their choices also diminished dramatically by strain, like Indica or sativa they went maybe down to five of each kind,” Jeff Glidden, of Deep River, said.

It was these frustrations with a different hybrid dispensary that brought Jeff Glidden to the Fine Fettle Dispensary in Newington.

“There is 25 different choices on any given day that are both recreational and medical,” Glidden said.

On Jan. 10, 2023, adult-use cannabis sales began across Connecticut.

With the change in the market, some medical patients expressed concerns in the variety of products available for sale. Advocates took the issue to state leaders.

“The oversight we have had so far has largely not been in service to patients, they do not have a voice in their own program,” Medical Cannabis Patient Advocate Lou Rinaldi said.

House Majority Leader Jason Rojas is pushing for those voices to be heard.

Rojas introduced a bill which would create the position of a cannabis ombudsman in the state to improve quality and safety for medical patients.

“We thought creating a person that can serve as a go between patients and the department might be the appropriate person,” Rojas said.

Rojas said the concept of the bill he proposed has been included in a separate bill, which will be heard by the General Law Committed during a public hearing on Thursday.

“After the public hearing, we will have an opportunity to revise the language to more accurately reflect what the intent is and also reflect what we might hear during the public meeting,” Rojas said.

Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull said in a statement:

"The DCP team has worked hard to protect patients since the inception of the program over ten years ago, and continues to do so today. We are aware some patients have expressed concerns regarding the availability of certain products following the opening of the adult-use market and the increase in the allotment for medical marijuana patients to five ounces per month, as allowed by the law. The department is monitoring and evaluating the information in the seed-to-sale tracking system, complaints, and the medical preservation plans as well as communicating with the producers as necessary. We look forward to working with the legislature and others on finding ways to further ensure that patient input remains at the forefront of Connecticut’s cannabis program."

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NEWINGTON — Fine Fettle employees cut the ribbon as customers cheered at its Berlin Turnpike location Tuesday morning, marking the start of recreational cannabis sales in Hartford County.

A small line began to gather outside the location about an hour before the doors opened for sales Tuesday morning. Several medical patients got in line early in hopes of beating the crowd. Elijah Giguere, of Hartford, was one of the first customers in line to purchase cannabis for recreational use.

"There's a lot of people excited for adult use," Giguere said. "I was up late at night, I saw the menu dropped and I put in my order."

Giguere ordered an eighth-of-an-ounce of flower. He used to frequent the Massachusetts dispensaries, but now he won't have to make the trip.

Fine Fettle required all customers to pre-order products before entering the store. Customers were required to present a valid identification and proof of their pre-order before being allowed inside the store. Inside, there were registers designated for medical and recreational use so there was little congestion.

The Newington location is one of seven retail locations, three of which owned by Fine Fettle, that began selling cannabis for recreational use on Tuesday.

The first man in line Tuesday morning was 70-year-old Shawn Merritt, a medical patient from Bristol who said he'd been using cannabis since "back in the '70s."

"I smoked weed way back then," Merritt said. "I smoked weed my whole life. I have been on medical for three years because of a motorcycle wreck. I have been on every pill you can imagine. Opioids and everything. They never worked for me. Marijuana is the only thing that's ever worked for me."

Merritt came to the Newington location Tuesday despite the anticipated crowds because his monthly order was ready for pick-up. While he's been coming each month for about three years, he still got to walk under the balloon arch into the store and celebrate the historic day.

"I would never dreamed this in my entire lifetime," Merritt said. "Five years ago, you would have said 'marijuana is going to be legal and you can walk in off the street and buy it?' I would have said 'not in my lifetime.'"

As the morning progressed, there was limited car congestion Tuesday in the parking lot at Fine Fettle. Parking attendants helped customers find designated spots and greeters guided people through the lines.

Marghie Giuliano, chief compliance officer at Fine Fettle, said the smooth launch and minimal crowds could be attributed to "months of work" and the hiring of over 100 new employees statewide.

The pre-order model, according to Fine Fettle CEO Richard Carbray, is an attempt to avoid long lines like those seen when Massachusetts launched recreational cannabis sales in 2018.

"We really have to be conscious of the potential of traffic," Carbray said. "We don't want to happen what happened in Massachusetts with huge lines and people getting upset because of sitting in cars waiting."

On her way out of the store, Alyssa Michaels clutched a small white bag with her purchase, which she had pre-ordered online. Michaels, of Newington, used to drive to Massachusetts to buy cannabis. She said the prices in Massachusetts are better, but she is excited to be able to buy cannabis so close to home.

"It's a lot more expensive here," Michaels said. "I am going to try this out, see how it is. I am here to support Connecticut. I am excited for it to kick-start. In a couple of years, I'd expect the prices to be a lot more competitive."

Eric Halpern, who runs inventory at Fine Fettle, said pricing in Connecticut is lower than when Massachusetts launched adult-use cannabis in 2018, but higher than the prices in Massachusetts now.

"I think this is the highest the price points would be," Halpern said. "As more producers come on board and the supply goes up, the prices should come down."

The Newington location will not yet stock a full range of edible products, but will offer indica and sativa strains of flower, pre-rolls and vapes. Halpern explained that some of the limited variety is attributable to state regulation.

"The state is allowing only certain categories of products on the recreational, adult-use menu," Halpern said. "Flower or pre-rolls that are 30 percent or less THC. On the medical menu we will have similar products that are more potent."

Similar to Massachusetts, Connecticut dispensaries are able to sell pre-filled vape carts with no limit to potency. The edibles also have the same dosage restrictions as Massachusetts, but come in less varieties, flavors and forms.

In February, Fine Fettle plans to open a second Hartford County location in Manchester that will only offer recreational cannabis.

"It is long over-due for us to have responsible adult-use of cannabis in the state of Connecticut," state Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, said as he cut the ribbon Tuesday. "Please enjoy these products responsibly."

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