Brooklyn, Ohio - One the corner, we usually post our weekly "Where the 'Cats play" as the weekend approaches.

However, with the Christmas break coming up, some of the Wildcats' varsity sporting events are being played earlier this week. So we thought we would jazz up your Monday blues by whetting your appetite for Saint Ignatius' outstanding winter sports teams.

Wednesday is not only the hump day this week, but also the beginning of another big week for the Wildcats and their faithful.

On Wednesday night, Coach Jeff Ridler's swimming and diving team travels to Strongsville for a meet with the Mustangs at 6. Derek Hren and company will also be in action on Saturday at Cleveland State University, as they compete in a Tri-Meet versus Findlay and Fremont Ross at 2 p.m.

Saint Ignatius' varsity hockey team (7-2-1), fresh off its impressive weekend victories over St. Edward on Friday night at Winterhurst and Shaker Heights on Saturday evening at The Q, will ride a three-game winning streak into Wednesday night's faceoff with the Lake Catholic Cougars in Mentor. The puck will drop at 7.

Area ice hockey gurus will tell you that Lake Catholic is a much better team than the one the Wildcats defeated, 7-1, back in November. But then, as St. Edward and Shaker Heights can attest to, so are the Ice Cats.

The Ice Cats will spend their weekend at the Padua Holiday Tournament at IceLand USA, where on Friday they will face a very strong program from Toledo St. John's Jesuit. The puck will drop at 5 p.m. If you are a Saint Ignatius hockey fan, you probably remember these Titans. Over Thanksgiving weekend, St. John's took on the Wildcats in the championship game of the Miami of Ohio Tournament and Saint Ignatius held on, 3-2.

Coach Mark Sullivan's wrestling program will also be facing one of Toledo's finest this weekend, as the Mat Cats travel to Central Catholic on Saturday for a match up with the Fighting Irish of Lucas County. Action gets under way at 1 p.m. Saturday's visit to the Glass City will be an excellent test before the tradition-rich Brecksville Holiday Tournament on Dec. 28 and 29.

If you want to get in the spirit before you venture out for your final weekend of Christmas shopping, stop by the Cloverleaf Lanes on Saturday morning and support the red-hot Alley Cats, a.k.a. the Saint Ignatius bowling team.

The Alley Cats, as Coach John Kastanis' Sunday report on the corner points out (see below), have been knocking 'em down in style. They will look to do more of the same in Saturday's match versus Holy Name at Cloverleaf. The pins start flying at 9 a.m.

And, as we referrred to in The Plain Dealer rankings post below, the Wildcats' varsity basketball team will put its 2-0 record on the line Saturday night when it travels to the storied Memorial Field House in Canton to face the always talented McKinley Bulldogs. The respective junior varsity teams will play at 6, with the varsity tipoff scheduled for 7:30. THE CORNER WILL PREVIEW THE ANNUAL WILDCATS-BULLDOGS ENCOUNTER TOMORROW (TUESDAY) NIGHT.

Rounding the corner and sharing with you the outstanding quote Wildcats head varsity basketball coach Sean O'Toole '87 shared with his players before practice on Monday.

"The first to apologize is the bravest ... The first to forgive is the strongest ... And the first to forget is the happiest."

Words we can all take to heart, not only this blessed season, but throughout our lives.