The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
North Olmsted reigns supreme at The Q
Led by Riley Vertosnik’s hat trick, North Olmsted topped Bay as the two teams enjoyed a pre-Christmas engagement on the big ice of Quicken Loans Arena. Plus, Kenston topped a tough Amherst squad.
If the first shot was any indication, Bay’s defense was in for a long night.
North Olmsted’s Riley Vertosnik scored on the first shot of the game and the Eagles looked perfectly at home on the big ice of Quicken Loans Arena as North Olmsted topped Bay, 10-5, on Dec. 22.
Vertosnik led the pack up ice 33 seconds into the game and lit the lamp to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead.
It was not something that the junior was expecting.
“I mean, I shot the puck and it went in,” Vertosnik said. “It’s just how the game works sometimes. You just have to take the shot when you have it, and I had a chance. I definitely didn’t expect us to go up so quickly though.”
The early goal was an indication of how on point the North Olmsted (6-4-0) offense was going to be, as the Eagles took another 13 shots in the period and ended the game with 53 shots on goal.
Five Eagles scored in the win, while nine registered a point on the scoresheet.
“We had guys contributing today that don’t normally contribute,” North Olmsted coach Ben Palacko said. “The thought was to get some guys on the ice that don’t normally play, because it’s a special event. We’re at The Q and everything. I think they all enjoyed this one.”
Rapid scoring was the story of the game, as Bay’s Jake Gaudino was not to be outdone, scoring 43 seconds later on the Rockets’ first shot of the game when he found himself in a one-on-one with North Olmsted goalie Joey Warszawski.
It was the first of four goals for Gaudino on the night.
“It’s tough to describe when he’s on the ice,” Bay coach Ian Skacan said of Gaudino. “He makes it fun and interesting every time he lets the puck go.”
Gaudino gave the Rockets (6-5-1) the lead with 8:52 remaining in the first, but rapidfire North Olmsted goals in the span of 18 seconds from Vertosnik and Jake Hirz put the Eagles on top, 3-2, at the end of the first period.
The teams traded goals with Vertosnik and Gaudino both completing the hat trick in the second period, while the lone senior on the North Olmsted roster, Ryan Godin, scored his first career goal at the high school level.
Godin, who is the normal starting goalie for the Eagles, said scoring at The Q is a memory that will not soon fade.
“Anytime you get to score a
goal, particularly when you’re a goalie, it’s cool,” Godin said. “Making it at The Q makes it just that much more magical.”
With the Eagles holding a slim 6-5 advantage entering the third period, the wind seemed to leave the Rockets early in the period when Justin Christ and Godin scored 21 seconds apart to push the North Olmsted lead to 8-5 with 12:41 to play.
“I think our guys were disappointed after the first couple of periods,” Palacko said. “We knew we could tighten up defensively and I think the morale started to boost up a bit and we knew we were starting to take over. We just didn’t really let up from there.”
North Olmsted got a pair more to close out the game from junior Travis Vitaz, who said scoring the goals — particularly as a player who normally patrols the defensive end of the ice — made the experience of playing at The Q even better.
“It feel pretty nice,” Vitaz said. “I never get to do that. I never really get to score. I split time between defense and offense, but I still think I have a bit of a defensive mindset, so I’m not usually going to score. Getting to score twice out here, it was a great feeling.”