skip navigation

GLHL Winning Streak Comes to a Close, but Ice Cats Notch 2 Weekend Wins

By Jack O'Rourke, 01/23/17, 10:00AM EST

Share

It is tough in any sport to go wire to wire as No. 1. Last season, high school hockey fans saw Toledo St. Francis dethroned at the eleventh hour in the OHSAA State-Semifinal by the No. 2 Wildcats.

The Wildcats went 2-1 this weekend, beating the Padua Bruins and Gilmour Lancers, 4-1, and 6-0, but fell to the University School Preppers, 4-2, ending a 35-game Great Lakes Hockey League unbeaten streak. 

The Wildcats produced some of their best brand of hockey over this past weekend, and they are beginning to look ripe for a deep postseason run. If the Wildcats plans are uninterrupted by familiar foes such as St. Edward, University School, and St. Francis, the Wildcats could be lifting gold come mid-March, and hear “Free Day” chants in the Fr. Sullivan Gym.

On Friday night, the Ice Cats faced off with Padua, in what some would call a “trap game”. Padua’s senior goaltender Lindsay Wallace kept the Bruins in the game the whole way.

Just 29 seconds into the game, Seth Whitney lit the lamp for the Wildcats. The senior has been an integral part in the team’s success this year. Later in the period, Andrew Zedella whipped a slapshot past Wallace to cement a two-goal lead the Bruins would never get over.

In the second, Eric Lile scored a rebound goal to take a three-goal lead. After a Padua goal by Joey Borsuk, Lile netted his second to finish out the 4-1 win. Benny Savarino made 12 saves on 13 shots.

In the main event of the weekend, the Preppers soared to an early two goal lead on Saturday. Savarino calmed down from there, through, only letting in one more goal. With under a minute left in the first, Mike McCaffrey changed Mr. Momentum with a late goal to make the score 2-1.

In the second, after back and forth play, a late Wildcat too-many-men penalty resulted in a power play goal against. After ten scoreless minutes, McCaffrey scored another, and breathed a new life into the team.

However, the Wildcats could not add another to the scoreboard and fell, 4-2, after an empty net goal.

On Sunday, the Wildcats faced Gilmour Academy. The Wildcats beat the Lancers 6-0, on the road. The game featured freshman Michael Boehm’s first varsity goal with 10 seconds left.

Cullen Frebes added two, Connor Koehenke scored his first of the weekend, and Bain Kurtz scored another Wildcat goal. Payton Wetzel put up a nice performance for the Lancers.

The Wildcats will play on January 31 against Holy Name at 8:30 p.m. for a chance to clinch the division for the third straight year.