Bulldogs pull a surprise, go to Baron Cup final

If teams have not figured it out by now, it’s their own fault.

Don’t underestimate the Bulldogs.

White South champion Orange was the latest to learn the lesson as Olmsted Falls handed the Lions their first division loss of the season, 4-1, in a Baron Cup II semifinal on Feb. 9 at Brooklyn’s John M. Coyne Recreation Center.

Olmsted Falls advanced to the Baron Cup II final on Feb. 11 at 3 p.m., where the Bulldogs will have the chance to defend their title against the team it shared the White North title with this season: Amherst.

“It feels great to be back in the Baron Cup final,” sophomore Zach Henley said. “Some people didn’t think we were going to make it. But we did and we’re going to come back out hard and play for the title again.”

While it took the Bulldogs almost 13 minutes to get a goal, there was no denying that Olmsted Falls (15-10-0) controlled the pace of the puck throughout the first period, dominating Orange (20-5-0) on the forecheck while maintaining possession of the puck with relative ease.

“It felt good from a coaching standpoint,” Olmsted Falls coach Zach Walczak said. “That’s what we tried to hammer home. You have to get the puck deep on them and tire out that first line of theirs. I think we stayed disciplined and really played well out of the gate.”

After peppering Orange goalie Danny Moore throughout the first period to the tune of a 17-3 shot advantage, the Bulldogs managed to get on the board with 2:21 remaining in the period on a Henley power play goal.

Junior Max Kirth-Gruszczynski made it a 2-0 game with 58 seconds remaining when freshman Brady Fitzpatrick found him while skating

on net.

As good a team as Orange is, Walczak knew they would regroup and come out hard in the second period.

“You ask any hockey coach, and two goals is the scariest lead you can get,” Walczak said. “It was important that we come out in the second period and not give them any hope of winning the game. They were undefeated in the White South for a reason. They’re a good team. They were going to regroup.”

And the Lions did, matching the Bulldogs with 13 shots each in the period. That did not prevent Olmsted Falls from making it a 3-0 game on a shorthanded goal by junior Dom Conte.

The cushion was good to have, as Orange got on the board via a 2-on-1 rush while shorthanded, with Jake Sonkin beating Olmsted Falls goalie Angelo Hanson.

“I think we got a bit too confident and played laid back,” Hanson said. “It was definitely a different feel in the second period. I wish I could have stopped them all, but I feel like I did a good job having my team’s back after they helped give me a lead to work with.”

The Bulldogs got the goal back nearly five minutes later when Henley notched his second goal of the game.

Now, Olmsted Falls turns its attention to Amherst, where they will once again be considered underdogs in spite of splitting the regular season series with the Comets.

“In the locker room, one of our captains, Jake (Kerkay) said, ‘Does it make you mad that we’re at our home rink and wearing our away jerseys?’” Hanson said. “Being an underdog just kind of gets us ready. We like that role. Whether we deserve it or not, we’re used to it now, so we’re going to use it to motivate us.”