*AND WE ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALLEY CATS AS THEY WERE KNOCKING THEM DOWN AGAINST LUTHERAN WEST THIS WEEKEND (SEE AFTER THE HOCKEY AND WRESTLING RECAPS).
POSTED BY EDDIE DWYER (COPYRIGHT)
Hockey savvy sophomore center Aidan Spellacy provided the game winner 7 minutes into overtime on a power play as the Ice Cats rallied past the Eagles, 6-5, in Sunday's championship finals of the 18th annual Meadville (Pa.) Bulldog Hockey Invitational at the DeArment Ice Arena. Coach Pat O'Rourke's varsity program has now won five consecutive Meadville titles and eight overall.
The assists on Spellacy's sealer went to gifted junior wing Matty Geither and ever-present junior forward Ethan Whitney. Saint Ignatius, which improved to 20-3-5, tied the score with 1:55 left in regulation on a power play goal by talented and hard-nosed senior defenseman Nick Gajkowski.
Coach O'Rourke's 'Cats were up 4-2 in the second period, before St. Edward came storming back with three straight goals. It was 5-4 heading into the third period and stayed that way until Gajkowski's clutch lamplighter.
Sophomore goalkeeper Dylan McKeon had 26 saves in the win. Providng the Ice Cats' other goals were Whitney, who slapped home two, junior forward and assistant captain Jack Wiegandt and the selfless, but oh so gifted senior captain and defenseman Harry Smith.
Coach O'Rourke described what was another chapter in the storied St. Edward-Saint Ignatius rivalry as "an excellent game and effort by both teams."
The Ice Cats also defeated the Eagles in last year's championship game in Meadville, 4-2, as they rallied from a 2-0 second period deficit. Earlier this month, Saint Ignatius turned away St. Edward, 3-0, in a Great Lakes Hockey League match up at Winterhurst. The rivals will go at it again on Friday night in a GLHL game at the Brooklyn Ice Arena, aka "The Big Barn on Memphis." The puck is scheduled to drop at 8 PM.
VARSITY WRESTLING - Coach Mark Sullivan's team finished sixth overall after Sunday's final matches at the annual Catholic Invitational Tournament in Cleveland State University.
Wildcats standout senior captain Anthony McLaughlin won the 182-pound championship, freshman Quade Rasmussen was third at 106, freshman Tristan Brady took fourth place at 145 and junior Michael Penn finished sixth at 220.
The top six teams were: 1. Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller with 239.5 points, 2. Toledo Central Catholic with 209.0, 3. Padua with 145.5, 4. St. Xavier with 144.5, 5. Lake Catholic with 141.5 and 6. Saint Ignatius with 141.
BOWLING
From Saint Ignatius head bowling coach John Kastanis.
Here are the bowling results vs. Lutheran West High School in the tenth week of the 2013-2014 bowling season. There are three different categories, plus Baker Games:
1) Scratch = Wildcats Win 7-0 (7 point total). Wildcats total pin fall for this category = 2854 (831; 922; 1101) vs. Lutheran West High School = 2034 (665; 632; 737).
2) Handicap = Wildcats win in this category 5-2 (7 point total).
3) OHSAA = Wildcats Win 1-0 (1 point total). This win is based on the grand total of pin fall of scratch pins, plus the total of two Baker Games.
Wildcats Total Pin Fall = 3231, Lutheran West High School Total Pin fall = 2277.
4) Baker Games: (Wildcats) = 187;190 = Series total 377 vs. Lutheran West High School = 114;129 = 243.
Our star bowlers for the tenth week: Junior Garret Forst = 204; 254 = 625 series (Awesome), Senior Sean O'Brien = 203; 245 games, Series = 612 (Awesome), Sophomore Gianni Schaefer = 209 game (Awesome) and Sophomore Ralph Deadwyler = 225 game (Awesome).
On the JV side of things, showing much improvement as well were: Freshman Nick Frank = 205; 219 games, Series = 424 (Awesome) and Junior Josh Jarosz = 203 game (Awesome).
FROM COACH KASTANIS: "I see much more improvement as a team, as we are working very hard on overcoming issues during a game. I believe we are learning much more as we conquer these issues at the time of happening. I must say between the Bearcat Tournament and this match the team has averaged 200 plus in the Baker game matches This shows that they are working as a team should. I am very proud of this team in how they are coming together and working hard just in time for the upcoming state tournaments. We will continue on this track of success.
"One other note, in the third game of this match, 1101, our Wildcats, as a team, placed third-high game series, replacing St. Ed's as the third high game."