CMA A hockey advances to state finals, B falls just short
CULVER — The Culver Military Academy boys Varsity A hockey team won three-straight games this weekend to advance to the Indiana State High School Hockey Association (ISHSHA) 4A state championship. The CMA Eagles play the Fort Wayne Carroll Chargers in Evansville, Indiana, this Saturday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. for the title.
The ISHSHA play downs began with varsity A playing South Bend Adams.
This game proved to be their toughest test of the weekend, with the Eagles up just one goal heading into the third period. However, they got their act together and scored two more goals in the final period to win 4-1.
The team carried that momentum into the following games, as CMA easily handled South Bend St. Joseph 6-1, and Zionsville 4-0.
Things were tougher for the varsity B team in 2A.
The Eagles fell 4-2 versus the South Stars Red in the opening match. But the Eagles rallied to remain in the hunt, winning their next two games in overtime, 1-0 over Homestead and 3-2 over Columbus. In the semifinals, the Eagles couldn't hold on against Leo, losing 5-0.
This level of success is nothing new for the Culver hockey program.
If varsity A wins on Saturday, it will mark seven-straight state championships for the team. The prep and 16u teams are looking like the teams to beat heading into the Mid-am district playoffs. The Academy girls prep team is getting in on the winning action, posting more than 30 wins this season, while garnering a top 20 national ranking.
In addition to their success on the ice, several CMA players were recognized for their performance off the ice.
Drew Collins, Mason Gho, Adam Hagerman, Hugo Larios, Sam Watson, and Russell Wilkinson all won Academic Allstate.
In addition to the individual academic honors, the entire team won the Henry G. Schallert Team Academic Award for posting a league-high 3.63 combined team GPA.