Brooklyn, Ohio – Along with Saturday night’s varsity and junior varsity basketball headliners at St. Edward (see the corner’s preview story below), Saint Ignatius’ other winter sports teams are also in full gear for
this weekend.

Coach Pat O’Rourke’s Ice Cats, who remain in the top spot in the coaches’ state poll, will be competing in the 18th annual Meadville (Pa.) Bulldog Hockey Invitational on Friday night through Sunday in the
DeArment Ice Arena.

The Ice Cats, who stand 16-3-4 after last weekend’s 3-2 loss to the state’s sixth-ranked Green Wave of Holy Name, will face Erie Cathedral Prep on Friday at 5:45 PM and will return to the DeArment Ice Arena on Saturday for a 1 PM match up with Bethel Park and an 8 PM game versus Sylvania Northview. The semi-final round and championship game will be played on Sunday.

Saint Ignatius will be seeking its fifth consecutive Meadville championship and its eighth overall. The Ice Cats walked out of the DeArment Arena last season with the championship trophy after defeating St. Edward, 4-2, in the title game. Coach O’Rourke’s team rallied from a 2-0 second-period deficit.

*As per the Saint Ignatius bowling website page schedule, Coach John Kastanis' varsity bowling team is slated to match pins against Lutheran West on Saturday at Cloverleaf Lanes. The Alley Cats are coming off a solid 11th-place finish in last weekend’s demanding Bearcat High School Classic in Cincinnati.

The results from the Alley Cats' matches with Benedictine and St. Edward over the Christmas break became available to the corner this evening and are posted at the end of this story.

*On Saturday evening at Cleveland State University, Coach Jeff Ridler’s varsity swimming and diving team will match strides against the St. Edward Eagles. The warm up is at 5 PM, with the start scheduled for 6 bells.

*Coach Mark Sullivan’s underclassmen laden, but oh so promising varsity wrestling team, will be competing in the always challenging Catholic Invitational Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Cleveland State University. The matches begin both days at 9 AM. The Wildcats' men of the mats produced some nice results during last weekend’s tri match with Brunswick and Padua Franciscan.

*And last, but certainly not least, there is more basketball on tap for Monday.

In what will be a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day doubleheader in Sullivan Gymnasium, the Wildcats’ Gold and Blue freshmen basketball teams will face St. Edward’s freshmen teams. The Gold team is scheduled to play at 11 AM, followed by the Blue team’s match up with the Eagles at 12:15.

Here are the bowling results versus St. Edward and Benedictine.

FROM COACH KASTANIS: Here are the bowling results vs. St. Edward High School in the seventh week of the 2013-2014 bowling season. There are three different categories, plus Baker Games:

1) Scratch = Wildcats lose, 2 - 5 (7 point total). Wildcats total pin fall for this category = 2834 (918; 1007; 909) vs. St. Edward High School = 2949 (891; 1051; 1007).

2) Handicap = Wildcats lose in this category, 2 – 5 (7 point total).

3) OHSAA = Wildcats lose, 0-1 (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 = 3197, St. Edward High School Total Pin Fall = 3307.

4) Baker Games (Wildcats) = 184, 179 = Series Total 363 vs. St. Edward High School = 193, 165 = Series Total 358.

Our star bowlers for the fifth week: Sophomore Ralph Deadwyler = 217; 247; 222 = 686 series (Awesome). Ralph also has the highest average in the league at 210 (Awesome). Senior Sean O'Brien = 626 series (Awesome).

On the JV side of things, showing much improvement as well are: Junior Antonio DiFranco = 623 series (Awesome), Freshman Nick Frank = 200 Game (Awesome) and Freshman Devin Venczel = 201 Game (Awesome).

Our JV team is leading the Handicap Division and will possibly lock up this position by next week’s match with Padua.

Here are the bowling results vs. Benedictine High School in the sixth week of the 2013-2014 bowling season. There are three different categories, plus Baker Games:

1) Scratch = Wildcats lose, 0-7 (7 point total). Wildcats total pin fall for this category = 2619 (818; 911; 890) vs. Benedictine High School = 3086 (964; 1130; 992).

2) Handicap = Wildcats lose in this category, 2 – 5 (7 point total).

3) OHSAA = Benedictine High School wins, 1-0 (1 point total). This win is based on the grand total of pin fall of scratch pins, plus total of two baker games.
Wildcats Total Pin Fall= 2917, Benedictine High School Total Pin Fall = 3423.

4) Baker Games (Wildcats) = 151;147 = Series Total 298 vs. (Benedictine High School) = 148;189 = 337.

Our star bowlers for the sixth week: Junior Garret Forst = 582 series (Awesome). Sophomore Gianni Schaefer = 563 series (Awesome).

“We at this point need to focus more and prepare to be ready for the upcoming state tournaments. This loss (to Benedictine) will lock us out for a top seed.”
– Coach Kastanis.

Have a wonderful and safe weekend - Eddie D.