Dailey’s OT goal lifts Gaels to ‘A’ title
Mount Saint Joseph tops defending champ Calvert Hall, 2-1; Loyola wins ‘B’
Nathan Dailey scored on a backhand 1:56 into overtime to give Mount Saint Joseph a 2-1 victory over Calvert Hall in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference ice hockey championship game Friday night at Piney Orchard.
Dailey got his stick on the puck as it was moving between the faceoff circles, skated to his left and fired the low shot that got past Cardinals goalie Matt Schaab. Alex Godbold assisted on the play, the first time either team scored since the first period.
“I just tried to put it on net,” Dailey said. “It was awesome. It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”
The victory meant even more for the Gaels (7-11-3), who knocked off the defending champions after losing to Calvert Hall (11-9-1) three times during the regular season.
The fourth meeting proved less charming for the Cardinals, who took an early lead when Coby Smith scored 5:56 into the game. Mount Saint Joseph tied it later in the period when Nick Komisar knocked the puck in after a wild scramble in front of Schaab.
Schaab finished with 36 saves while Gaels goalie Connor Churko made 30 as both teams manufactured several good scoring opportunities. Mount Saint Joseph created more chances as the game went on thanks to aggressive forechecking, but Schaab repeatedly made stops.
The Gaels finally broke through in the five-minute overtime, ending a string of frustration against the Cardinals. Mount Saint Joseph coach Mike Marley said his team needed to keep working from start to finish if it wanted to have a chance at winning — and it did just that.
“We had to stay mentally tough. I think that was the key for us,” Marley said. “It was just a really exciting day for us.”
B Conference
Loyola Blakefield gained a bit of revenge and a championship.
The Dons remembered last year’s MIAA B Conference title game in which Gilman beat them easily. Loyola turned everything around this time, scoring four goals in the first period and rolling to a 9-1 victory over the Greyhounds in the B Conference championship rematch at Piney Orchard.
Simply put, Loyola (13-6) was too big, fast and strong for Gilman (8-6). The Dons outshot the Greyhounds 50-29, jumped on top early and never let up, dominating play throughout.
“[Last year] was definitely on their minds,” Loyola coach Mike Lortie said. “They were committed. They were focused today, and they were hungry.”
Eight Dons scored points as Jason Tucker (one goal, three assists), Logan Simmons (two goals, one assist) and Patrick Meckel (one goal, two assists) led the way.
Aaron McNabney scored the lone Gilman goal, which came in the second period and cut the lead to 5-1.