The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Dynamic Cards off to strong start
If the first month of the season has suggested anything to Mentor coach Paul McKito and the Cardinals’ faithful, it’s that the lights on the goal lamps better be strong.
Mentor has had no trouble finding the back of the net thus far, or the winner’s circle for that matter.
The Cardinals are 10-1-2 after a 6-2 Red North East win Dec. 14 over Cleveland Heights and are ranked No. 2 in The News-Herald Top of the Crop.
Through 13 games, Mentor has recorded 92 goals for an average of a little more than seven goals per game.
Obviously, it will be daunting to keep up that pace for an entire winter.
But McKito, the 2018 NewsHerald hockey coach of the year, has nonetheless been pleased with the early results.
“The most obvious thing is we’re scoring a lot of goals and not giving up too many, to keep it simple,” McKito said.
“We’re at 92 goals for and 25 against, so our plusminus is pretty good. And quite frankly, the kids are playing fast. We’re playing at a great tempo right now. We’re tracking pucks. We’re heavy on the puck when we don’t have it.
“And once we get in the offensive zone, we have five players involved in the attack. We’ve really evolved from last year, even with the loss of some pretty good players. We’ve consciously elevated our offensive attack, and it’s three-dimensional now. We have three lines that can create, and it shows on the scoreboard.”
Mentor already has four players with at least 29 points in Kyle Backston (18 goals, 20 assists, 38 points), Evan McBride (16-20-36), Andrew McBride (8-22-30) and Jack Heller (12-17-29). Evan McBride was a firstteam News-Herald all-star and second-team Red North honoree as a junior with 2628-54.
Backston’s growth sophomore to junior year in offensive-zone punch, going from 13-31-44 to having 38 points before Christmas, has been evident. Backston scored the Cardinals’ biggest goal last season with a quality one-timer late in the third period for a 3-2 Kent District quarterfinal win over Gilmour.
Mitch Elliott (14-8-22) and Luke Jeffery (6-14-20) have also come on well.
McKito runs the McBride brothers and Backston as a fast, dynamic and chemistry-laden first forward line. But as he noted, the secondand third-line play has been very good to complement that.
“We have three lines that are definitely a threat when they step on the ice,” McKito said.
In the defensive zone, McKito returns two-way standout Jack Perish (018-18) to anchor the blue line and is rotating Alex Toth and Madelyn Adamic in goal. Adamic, a highly touted freshman goaltender, has held her own with 92 saves and a 1.67 goalsagainst average. Toth has 127 saves and a 2.14 GAA.
Mentor graduated program staple Jake Tackett, so more minutes were going to be available between the pipes than there have been in a little while.
“We’ve been alternating starts, and it’s been a good formula so far,” McKito said. “We’re going to kind of stick with it until something tells us otherwise.”
With Shaker Heights’ departure to the Great Lakes Hockey League, it forced the hand of the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League to alter its Red Division complexion. Mentor is now in a new Red North East with Rocky River, Cleveland Heights and Hudson. The Red Central consists of Kenston, Strongsville, North Olmsted, Solon and Benedictine.
McKito is hopeful his squad can be a major factor in league play and Baron Cup I down the stretch. With a plus-minus at plus67 before the Cardinals’ next game Dec. 19 in the Thornton Park tournament against Cleveland Heights, he won’t get an argument.
“I think the divisions are good,” McKito said. “The way it’s set up, there’s going to be good games for the most part across the board in the division. I think our side is a little bit stronger than the other side, just based on some of the games we’ve already played.
“But that being said, a game in the Red Division is never easy no matter who you’re playing. Teams come to play, and it matters because you only have 11 league games. They are all so important for Baron Cup seeding and whatnot. So it’s not like you can take a night off when you’re playing a Red Division foe.”