SAINT IGNATIUS' FIRST WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW IS ON ICE.
WILDCATS LOOK TO ADD A LITTLE MORE "GRIND" TO THEIR GIFTED SKILLS.
A DISAPPOINTING ENDING TO AN OTHERWISE STRONG 2010-11 SEASON WILL SERVE AS THE MOTIVATION IN '11-'12.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT NOVEMBER 2011
Saint Ignatius' gifted senior forward Paddy Spellacy said it has been in the back of the Wildcats' minds the entire off-season.
"It" was the 4-1 loss to Padua in the district semifinals at Brooklyn's John M. Coyne Recreation Center, a setback that ended an otherwise outstanding 2010-11 hockey season at 30-7.
"We came up a little short last season," said Spellacy, who as just a sophomore was one of the driving forces in the Wildcats' state championship season of 2009-10, the second state title in the history of the Jesuit Preparatory School's ice hockey program and the first since 2000. "We had a good regular season and we were skating through the postseason until we met Padua. We hope to get back there and farther, just like (March) 2010."
Spellacy added one other comment when referring to the Padua loss – "Thank God he graduated."
Paddy was referring to former Bruins standout goalie Justin Goebel, who turned away 47 shots in keying the district semi-final upset over a Wildcats team that had defeated Padua twice during the regular season.
Saint Ignatius head coach Pat O'Rourke '90 emphasized that the Wildcats will be a senior-laden team this winter. And, as multi-skilled and three-year mainstay Liam Geither pointed out, that also serves as a huge motivation.
"It means a lot to the seniors, because as sophomores we all played a part in the state championship," said Geither, who set a school-best, single-season record by totaling 44 assists from his forward spot last season. "And this year, it's our state championship."
Geither and his long-time friend and teammate Spellacy are, as they said, striving to "Go out on top."
"Like the 2009-10 state championship team, we have skill," said Spellacy, who is Saint Ignatius' all-time leader in goals (92), assists (75) and points (167). "But I think we're more of a grinding team (this season). We have a grinder mentality with the skill to finish."
Also returning for Coach O'Rourke is a player who was a grind on opposing defenses last winter.
Center/forward Miles McQuinn, in his first season with the program, scored 48 goals and totaled 81 points, which are both single-season records at Saint Ignatius. McQuinn is entering his junior season.
"Thirty and seven is not a bad record at all," McQuinn said, as he and the rest of the Wildcats were putting in their time in the weight room. "But the one record that matters is what happens in the playoffs, going 6-0, going all the way. When we all look back on it, we're just going to remember that 4-1 up on the scoreboard against Padua last March.
"The biggest thing I learned (from last season) is that you have to be consistent," McQuinn continued. "Whether it's an Eds (St. Edward) game, a Strongsville game or obviously a big game in the playoffs, you have to be consistently good and you have to show up for every second of every game and every shift."
Showing up and complementing Spellacy, Geither and McQuinn last season were two of the most underrated players in Northeast Ohio – Mike Abood and Colton Riemenschneider. Three-year mainstays, Mike and Colton are back for more this winter.
Abood, whose dad, Keith, was one of the premier hockey players in Ohio while competing for Shaker Heights in the late 1970s and is currently an assistant coach for the Wildcats, is an energetic, savvy and talented defender who can score and assist with the best of them. Mike is coming off a junior season that saw him rack up 20 goals and 40 assists.
Riemenschneider, who scored the first goal in the 4-1 victory over Sylvania Northview in the March 2010 state championship game at Nationwide Arena, is a do-whatever-it-takes player, a young man with skill and toughness. Colton can score, be a playmaker, back check and break the puck out of the zone.
Big-game tested senior Matt Kovesdy returns at goal and among the other key elements is the unsung play of senior defenseman Will Smith.
Spellacy and Geither said the Wildcats have plenty of talent, but it goes back to the grinding – the willingness to give up the body. And that is an aspect of the game Coach O'Rourke placed a major emphasis on in preseason, where the 'Cats defeated Gilmour Academy and swept Detroit Jesuit.
McQuinn added that Saint Ignatius has to play it smart while giving up the body, avoid dumb penalties and stay out of the box.
"Certainly we have a lot of talent back, we didn't lose a lot of scoring," said O'Rourke, who has been Saint Ignatius' head coach since 2005, has career record of 163-84-5 and has guided the Wildcats to 61 victories and three ties in their past 78 games. Saint Ignatius is a two-time defending Red North Division champion and has won four of the last five Red North titles.
"We lost some great seniors, but not a lot of scorers, to be factual," O'Rourke continued. "So we have that in spades. The chemistry, I think, is better. We have 14 seniors and they know this is the last go around.
"It's basically Columbus or bust for us, and we don't shy away from that. That's the goal, it's been the goal for the past few seasons and hopefully it's always going to be the goal."
"O Captain! My Captain!" – Coach O'Rourke will call on the leadership of five captains this season. Miles McQuinn and Will Smith will wear the Cs and carrying the As will be Liam Geither, Mike Abood and Colton Riemenschneider.
ANOTHER DEMANDING SLATE: The Wildcats will open their season on Friday night against Amherst Steele in the first round of the Miami of OhioTournament in Oxford. The puck will drop at 8 p.m. The tournament runs through Sunday.
Other highlights on the schedule include the five scheduled games at Progressive Field – four in the Gilmour Academy Tournament on Dec. 2nd through the 4th and the Jan. 5th match up with 2011 state runner-up St. Edward at 7 p.m. – the Dec. 15th game against St. Edward at Winterhurst; the annual Saint Ignatius Christmas Tournament on Dec. 26-28 at the Coyne Recreation Center in Brooklyn; the annual Baron Cup Tournament in Brooklyn on Feb. 8-12; the OHSAA District Tournament in Brooklyn, which begins the week of Feb. 13th , and the annual OHSAA State Tournament on March 10-11 at Nationwide Arena. Yes, we're counting on March 10th and 11th.