The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
THE LOCAL TALENT RISES TO THE TOP
Southwestern Conference teams well represented at tournament
In a day dominated by Morning Journal area players, it’s only fitting that an area skater determined the championship game.
With 3:09 remaining in the championship game, Avon’s Leo Goetz lit the lamp at Quicken Loans Arena to put the Black team up, 3-2, as the Black team ultimately topped the Blue team, 4-3, in the GCHSHL Senior AllStar Tournament on March 17.
“It was nice,” Goetz said of his game-winner. “We played well as a team. It was nice to play one last game with all of the seniors.”
Goetz’s goal was one of 11 scored by Morning Journal area players during the All-Star Tournament.
Of the 20 goals scored, athletes from the area were involved in 12.
To take it a step further, 11 of the 20 goals involved a player from the Southwestern Conference, a fact that did not escape Avon’s Zach Zwierecki, who scored three goals during the tournament — including a pair during the championship game to help the Black team to the title.
“I think if we had just an SWC All-Star team, we could probably
play with Ignatius and all of those teams,” Zwierecki said with a smile.
Joining Zwierecki and Goetz from the Morning Journal area in the scorebook were North Olmsted’s Shane Malinak (three goals, one assist), Kyle Sukenik (two goals, one assist) and Justin Malinak (one assist), Rocky River’s Ian Herrmann (one goal, one assist) and River Whitnable (two assists) and Westlake’s Ellis Langermeier (one goal). In all, area players accounted for 17 total points.
While the offensive side had its fingerprints all over the afternoon, Olmsted Falls goalie Zach Snyder and Midview goalie Logan Perkins drew the task of trying to stop the best the league had to offer.
Snyder, who split time with CVCA’s Brooks Montgomery, stopped eight shots in 20 minutes of action, while Perkins was the lone goalie for the Red team and notched 13 saves through 40 minutes.
“It’s been pretty cool,” Perkins said. “It’s always fun playing at The Q. I’m not sure why I was the only one (goalie) on my team, but I’m happy I got to play the whole time. This is just a fun time to play one more time.”
The Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League changed the normal format of the Senior All-Star Game this year from a traditional 5-on-5 game to something similar to the NHL All-Star Game.
Four teams competed in a mini tournament of 4-on-4 skating. Each game consisted of two 10-minute periods, with running clock in effect. The winners of the first round advanced to the championship, while the losers battled for third place.
“It was pretty fun,” Langermeier, who scored a goal for the White team in the third-place game, said of the new format. “There’s a lot of open ice and just to get out here and shoot around is great. It was pretty fun.
“I liked it. I hope they keep doing it for kids coming up. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it, too.”
One player who did not take the moment for granted was Amherst’s Jaret Mead. Considering the Comets did not have a program last year, Mead said it was a humbling experience to even be selected to play in the All-Star Tournament.
“I never thought I’d end up here,” Mead said. “(Heading into the season) I hadn’t skated for a while. I just didn’t think the year would go this well for us. This has been a great experience. I’m just glad I had the opportunity to come out here and represent our team.”