‘CATS FOLLOW FRIDAY NIGHT’S 8-0 TRIUMPH OVER SHAKER HEIGHTS WITH 8 MORE GOALS AND ANOTHER SHUT DOWN DEFENSE AGAINST THE PADUA BRUINS.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT DECEMBER 2011
After his Wildcats improved to 11-0 by defeating Padua, 8-0, on Saturday evening, Saint Ignatius head hockey coach Pat O’Rourke ’90 was quick to point out the respect he has for Bruins senior forward Mike Palasics and the play of Bruins goalie Austen Peppo.
Yes, a classy gesture by the winning coach.
But the fact of the matter is that the way the Wildcats are playing right now, any team in the entire state would have difficulty staying with them. If that makes the Bruins feel any better.
Despite the spirited intentions Padua brought to the ice at Brooklyn’s John M. Coyne Recreation Center, it was a Red North Division match up that was settled early.
“Right now we’re riding high, so we’ll keep going as long as we can,” said Coach O’Rourke, whose team has outscored its 11 opponents by a combined score of 72-11. Saint Ignatius has five shutouts, including three in a row, and three other teams have managed to score just one time.
“We’re lucky we have 13 seniors,” Coach O’Rourke continued. “We really don’t have any weak spots. We have so much competition within our own program that they know if they’re not playing hard we’ll sit them. Hopefully the competition in our own ranks will keep them on their toes.”
The Wildcats were right on in every phase of the game from the get-go Saturday evening.
With the first period just three minutes old, gifted junior forward and Co-Captain Miles McQuinn took an assist from senior forward Taylor Wolf and slapped it home top shelf. McQuinn was coming off a hat trick in Friday night’s 8-0 victory over previously undefeated Shaker Heights.
Less than three minutes later, standout senior forward Paddy Spellacy, the program’s career leader in points, goals and assists, popped in a 2-0 lamp lighter. Paddy also touched up Shaker Heights’ defense with a hat trick.
Before Padua (3-8) could catch its second wind, McQuinn and Wolf ripped home authoritative shots and the score was 4-0 with 4 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the first period. The Bruins were playing their seventh game in nine days.
“We managed to stay out of the box for the most part,” said McQuinn. “They ended up taking most of the penalties. Now we just have to take this week to prepare for the boys down on Detroit Avenue.”
McQuinn was referring to rival St. Edward, which takes on Saint Ignatius Thursday night at 7 in the Serpentini Arena at Winterhurst. Last season’s state runner-up, the Eagles have enjoyed a long line of success against the ‘Cats at Winterhurst.
Despite some outstanding saves by Peppo, Saint Ignatius’ deep and talent-rich lines continued to take their toll.
Spellacy made it 5-0 with his two-goal night on the ‘Cats’ home ice, senior defender and co-captain Will Smith scored from the slot and sophomore forward Danny Brogan gave his team a 7-0 lead heading into the third period by scoring in traffic off the goalie.
Senior forward Paul Zickes made it another eight-is-great night when he tallied off an assist from senior forward Andrew Steed with 31.1 seconds remaining.
If you’re looking for that one telling stat from Saturday evening, how does a final shots-on-goal advantage of 53-7 sound?
“We have a little bit of history to rewrite over there,” said McQuinn of Saint Ignatius’ long nights at Winterhurst. “Of course it’s going to be a big stage anytime we play Eds. So we’re looking forward to it.”