The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Teams trying to navigate challenging time windows
Hockey at all hours of the day and night is simply the nature of the beast, especially because rinks are not exactly at every corner like a chain store.
It can be especially true amid the bridge between the holidays and the new calendar year, as area squads can attest on an annual basis.
Kenston, for example, took on nonleague foe Amherst Steele in a game slated for 2:40 p.m. Dec. 22.
Three days before Christmas on a weekday afternoon is unique for an ice slot, even in hockey.
“The time of day is weird for the kids,” Bombers coach Tom Fritsche said. “I could tell some of them probably just woke up, like at noon, and came to the rink. But the mid-week games, and we played (at 2:10 p.m. Dec. 21 against Avon), too, so the time of day is a little weird. But any time we play a team, the kids seem to feel it out — they don’t really know how the team stacks up against them. And then they start playing. So it is a little feeling-out process.”
On Dec. 30, University had a tough time slot to stare down as it went to Ries Arena in Parma to take on Holy Name in Great Lakes Hockey League action.
The game was an 8:30 p.m. puck drop and was the last league contest in Greater Cleveland of the calendar year. US fell, 3-2, in overtime.
While the Green Wave had much to do with that outcome playing a very solid three-plus periods to record their first-ever win over the Preppers, US coach Andre Lacroix said the latenight slots such as this or a 9 p.m. or later game at a holiday tournament can be tricky. And so can the 7 a.m. holiday games that are known to occur a handful of times each winter in Northeast Ohio.
“I told (Holy Name coach Tim Sullivan), ‘It’s past my bedtime,’ ” Lacroix said. “And we didn’t start until quarter to 9, because of the (youth) game before us. Anytime after 9 p.m., that shouldn’t happen. We should play earlier than that anyway, to be honest — 7:30 or 8 p.m. at the latest is a good time to play a game. But 8:30, right before New Year’s and during the holidays, it’s a bad time to play.
“I’d rather see the kids get up for a late game, because the kids have a hard time getting up for school. So mentally, I don’t think they’re there to start with. So I wouldn’t want to play an early game in the morning. I would rather play at night. Hopefully during the day they’ll rest.”
The concern can also extend to early- or mid-week games. Several coaches over the years have noted, for example, Lake Catholic’s home slot — typically 7 p.m. Wednesdays for league competition — can be a challenging turnaround.
This week across Greater Cleveland, there will be 10 games in league play or holiday tournaments scheduled for 7:30 p.m. or later.
One-timers
A look at a few area highlights from games this past week as the new calendar year started:
• University rebounded a 3-2 overtime loss Dec. 30 to Holy Name to ring in the new year with a pair of Great Lakes Hockey League wins less than 24 hours apart in a home-andhome with St. Edward.
US won the first game, 1-0, in overtime at Cleveland Heights, getting a goal from Tyler Alt. The Preppers dispatched the Eagles at Winterhurst, 2-1, on Jan. 7, getting goals from Jack Henry Muha and Alt. Goaltender Kyle Flatow started both games, with 24 saves in the former and 30 in the latter.
The two victories marks US’ 39th and 40th over the Eagles in 66 tries since the 2000-01 season in the Greater Cleveland powers’ storied rivalry.
• Gilmour was runnerup in its Brother James Memorial tournament, falling, 2-0, on Jan. 7 to Bethel Park (Pa.). The Lancers had defeated Bethel Park, 4-0, two days prior to bounce back from a 3-0 setback to Bishop’s College School (Quebec) to open the tournament.
• Benedictine lit the lamp early and often in a 9-4 White South victory Jan. 5 over Brecksville. It marks the most goals in a game for the Bengals since defeating the Bees, 13-4, on Dec. 10, 2016, and is the eighth time in the last five seasons they have scored at least nine goals in a game. Mike Price and Matt Carson each netted a hat trick for Benedictine in the Jan. 5 win.
• Mayfield snapped a 1-5 stretch with a 10-0 Blue South victory over Brush and was competitive in a 4-2 loss to league power Brooklyn on Jan. 7. The latter was noteworthy because the Wildcats were mercy-ruled by the Hurricanes, 10-0, on Dec. 14, and lost to them, 8-2, on Dec. 27.
• Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin snapped a threegame losing skid with a 3-2 White South win over fellow area squad Chagrin Falls on Jan. 6. Trent Szmania had two goals and an assist for the Lions.