Chik Chatting: Darien playoff picture

It's that time again. Another regular season is winding down, and several Darien teams are making a playoff push. The boys and girls hockey teams are both in a very favorable position to make the FCIAC and State playoffs, the girls basketball team is on the bubble and the boys basketball team will look to play the role of spoiler.

So, with only five or six games remaining on most Darien team's schedules, we're going to take a peek at the FCIAC playoff picture and size up the Blue Wave's chances in each tournament.

After falling to some stiff competition in the season's early goings, the Darien boys hockey team has reeled off eight consecutive victories to move from 1-3 to 9-3. Darien's first and most recent wins (6-1 over New Canaan on Dec. 19 and 3-2 over St. Joseph on Wednesday) may be the most impressive. Darien is playing a disciplined brand of hockey while establishing a dangerous powerplay, and this team has the look of a tough out in both the FCIAC and State Tournaments. Its ability to string so many wins together could bode well come playoff time.

The Darien girls hockey team is off to a 10-4 start and has proved that it is certainly in the upper echelon of Connecticut hockey teams. With its only four losses coming against Simsbury, Ridgefield, Greenwich Academy and New Canaan, Darien is winning all of the games it is supposed to. It's highly likely that Darien will have to top undefeated New Canaan if it is to reach its championship aspirations, but as we've seen in the past, anything can happen in a single elimination playoff tournament. If Darien maintains its standing and reaches the FCIAC and State Playoffs, it definitely has a chance.

Perhaps no sport has as much of a logjam in its playoff standings as girls basketball, and Darien is no exception. As of Monday, Darien was in a six-way tie for sixth place at 8-5 before beating McMahon to move to 9-5. Having won five of its last six, Darien is playing with the urgency required to make a late-season playoff charge. Single elimination playoff tournaments tend to favor teams that conclude the regular season with strong play, and if Darien gets in, anything is possible. Darien plays a critical game tonight on the road against Norwalk, which is 10-5.

While still mathematically alive for the State Tournament, the Darien boys basketball team isn't likely to see postseason action. While Darien has endured its fair share of struggles, it still has a chance to play the role of spoiler for other FCIAC and/or State Playoff hopefuls. In addition to impacting the playoff pictures, Darien would undoubtedly want to come up with a signature win in the late goings of the 2012 season.