Brooklyn, Ohio - Coach Pat O'Rourke's varsity hockey team breaks the game open with three goals in the third period and goes on to a 5-0 victory. The state's top-ranked team improves to 24-4-3 overall and wraps up a record fourth consecutive Red North championship.

WE WILL HAVE A COMPLETE HOCKEY GAME STORY COMING UP ON THE CORNER, BUT FIRST, AS PROMISED, WE WANT TO GIVE YOU MORE NEWS ON THE WILDCATS' 2013 VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE. *NOTE: THE HOCKEY GAME STORY FOLLOWS THE FOOTBALL ITEMS.

This afternoon, we reported that Saint Ignatius Athletic Director Rory Fitzpatrick '88 has secured a Week 1 football date with Michigan power Brother Rice, a game that will be played at Wayne State University (see the corner's story below from this afternoon). We also reported in that story that Rory was close to securing a Week 6 game, which would give the Wildcats the mandatory eight games you must have in order to qualify and compete in the OHSAA postseason playoffs.

Well, tonight at the Wildcats' hockey game, Rory told the corner that he has secured the eighth game. Saint Ignatius has signed a two-year contract with Lawrence Central High School near Indianapolis. The Bears of Lawrence Central will travel to Parma's Byers Field for a Week 6 match up with the 'Cats and Saint Ignatius will travel to Lawrence Central in Week 1 of 2014.

Lawrence Central put together its first undefeated season at 15-0 in 2012 and brought home its first state championship (Indiana 5A). The Bears averaged nearly 40 points per game en route to garnering national attention.

Here is how Saint Ignatius' 2013 schedule shapes up as of this moment, as Rory is still seeking two more games to round out the 10-game regular season slate.

Week 1 - versus Brother Rice at Wayne State University; Week 2 - at Mentor; Weeks 3 and 4 - vs. Erie (Pa.) schools Strong Vincent and McDowell at Byers Field; Week 5 - versus Paramus Catholic at Byers Field; Week 6 - versus Lawrence Central at Byers Field; Week 7 - open; Week 8 - open; Week 9 - versus St. Xavier at John Carroll's Don Shula Stadium and Week 10 - versus St. Edward at Lakewood Stadium.

****And, staying with football for a brief moment, add Tennessee to the list of major college programs who have offered a scholarship to Saint Ignatius junior All-Ohio linebacker Kyle Berger. There was a nice article on Kyle's recruiting process in the Jan. 26 issue of The Ohio State University's "Buckeye Sports Bulletin."

HERE IS THE HOCKEY GAME STORY

By Eddie Dwyer, from the John M. Coyne Recreation Center

Saint Ignatius head hockey coach Pat O'Rourke '90 was pleased with the fact that the Wildcats' 5-0 victory over Strongsville on Tuesday night gave his team a record fourth consecutive Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League division championship.

However, while winning the Red North West Division crown was definitely one of his team's goals this winter, Coach O'Rourke would have preferred something more out of the state's top-ranked program on Tuesday night than what he described as a bit of a lackluster performance.

"It wasn't our best effort, but in the third period we popped a few, finally," Coach O'Rourke said after his Ice Cats upped their record to 24-4-3 and will now take a 14-game winning streak into Saturday's regular-season finale against St. Edward at Brooklyn's John M. Coyne Recreation Center. Saint Ignatius will be seeking to go 3-0 against the Eagles in the regular season.

"We had a big advantage in shots, obviously." Coach O'Rourke continued. "But they were kind of sagging back and playing sort of a trapping defense, which we haven't seen much. It was good to see it before the state tournament, because we'll probably see it again."

Employing their trapping defense from the get-go and getting an admirable performance in goal from senior Madeline Dixon, the Mustangs, who are now 3-22-1 on the season, hung with the Ice Cats for two periods.

Dixon weathered some early storms with a nice variety of glove, stick and pad saves, but Saint Ignatius took a 1-0 lead on a goal by sohomore forward Jack Mazanec with 4 minutes and 17 seconds remaining to be played in the first period. Standout senior Captain Miles McQuinn and unsung junior defenseman Harry Smith provided the assists.

Described by Wildcats head junior varsity coach Drew Vilinsky '87 as a "responsible, hockey-smart player who reads the game well," Mazanec alertly read McQuinn fueling the attack high side before sending home the puck.

It remained a 1-0 game for most of the second period primarily because of the work of both goalies. Dixon continued her nice efforts in front of the net and Saint Ignatius senior keeper Sean Williams came up with an impressive one-on-one save.

However, neither Dixon nor the Mustangs' "trap" could be held accountable for the Ice Cats' second goal - a missle from near the blue line by the gifted McQuinn off a power play with 4:27 left in the second period. Junior forward Beck Schultz assisted on Miles' authoritative shot.

McQuinn started the decisive third-period attack by scoring smoothly from the slot off Dixon's stick side. Junior forward Danny Brogran assisted on what gave the Ice Cats a 3-0 lead with the final period barely two minutes old.

Dixon, who saw 44 shots to only five for her counterpart, kept her composure and came up with a solid sequence of saves before Smith made it 4-0 by tallying off an assist from sophomore forward Jack Wiegandt.

Smith's effort came with 7:39 to go in the third period and Saint Ignatius wrapped up the scoring on a goal by Schultz off a lead assist from Brogan at 3:09.

"It was a trap not unlike basketball, it was like a 1-3-1," Coach O'Rourke said of the defense the Mustangs employed. "They did a good job with it. It was a good move on their part. We'll see it in the early round of the state tournament, I'm sure. It was good to practice against it, but it took us a little bit longer to solve it than I would have liked."

Coach O'Rourke also credited the tough work by Dixon in goal, a player he fully expects to go on and play in college.