A new season is officially underway in the Summit City and while the results Wednesday night weren’t really a surprise, the way we got there was at times. A pair of compelling games get this season off on the right foot and sets up two incredibly interesting matchups in Week Two. These early weeks are always about learning how the teams fit together and next week will give us a great indication of just how everyone stacks up with our preseason 1v2 and 3v4 facing off. That’s for next week though, first things first…
Leo 4, Homestead 2
In our opening game, the environment was stellar to kick things off. The action was a little slower to get going as both teams were held off the scoresheet despite a couple of good chances going each way that Drew Baumert and Connor Gould were able to turn away. The deadlock was broken just under ten minutes into the period when the Lions notched the season’s first goal. Alex Hendricks was able to capitalize on an Ethan Hyde turnover at the Spartans’ blue line and walked down the slot largely unopposed, then ripped a wrister past the glove of Gould at 9:21 of the period. Things would settle back in for the final third of the first period and shots on goal would finish with a minor Homestead lead, totaling seven to Leo’s six in the opening 15. The second period saw the pace pick up and the goals picked up as well with Leo extending their advantage. Colten Calhoun, last season’s SCS Rookie of the Year, reintroduced himself to city play by collecting another Homestead turnover at the top of the zone and subsequently fitting a shot through a pair of Homestead defensemen who were inadvertently screening Gould. The shot was just barely inside the far post but found nothing but net and a 2-0 lead for Leo. Sam Schwartz, a driver of the bus all night for Leo, finally was rewarded for his effort late in the second period when he scored a goal of his own. Schwartz received a pass from Jackson Crawford at the Leo blue line and carried it down the left wing before wiring a wrist shot over the shoulder of Gould with 3:54 still on the clock.
Action picked up more going both ways in the final frame with Homestead getting a goal on the board to start mounting their comeback bid. A mishandled puck from the Lions became a turnover that Thomas Chapman centered it for Sam Loxton who buried it. Loxton really tried rallying the troops further with an emphatic celebration that even resulted in a collision with Gould. Now within two goals continued trying to mount a charge but it was to no avail. A goal from Tyson Finefrock a little over five minutes later restored the Lions’ three-goal lead and really put the Spartans on the backfoot again. Leo geared up a two-on-one chance towards Gould but Jonah Haines’s pass to Calhoun was just a hair off the mark sending the puck towards the wall. Another failed Homestead clearing attempt was sent back below the goal line where Calhoun picked up the puck and fed a backhand pass to Finefrock, somehow missing the sticks of two Homestead players. Finefrock redirected the puck to the back of the net to finish the play off with just 4:49 to play. However, that goal didn’t stop the Spartans as they got right back within two not even a full minute later. Cam Hurley pinched in on the blue line to keep the play alive and found some open space in the right circle. He utilized it before dishing a pass off for Andrew Litwinko whose first try was stopped but didn’t make the same mistake on the rebound.
4:02 wasn’t enough time for Homestead to score another goal, but they did come close on a couple of occasions in the closing minutes. With 2:26 to play Gould was pulled coming out of a Homestead timeout, which combined with an existing power play made it a six-on-four advantage for the Spartans. Leo caught some good luck on a couple of late clears that allowed them to ease the pressure on Baumert with just one high-quality look against which was turned aside. Despite the loss, Homestead led in shots on goal every single period, adding up to a 27-22 advantage overall, which shows some promise heading into next week’s showdown with the Vipers.
Carroll 6, Vipers 1
The defending champions got back to their winning ways in city play with a dominant display against the Vipers. It took Carroll about half of the period but when the floodgates opened up once the offense ignited. The first goal belonged to Viktor Wolff but, like many of the Chargers’ goals Wednesday, it wasn’t that simple. Wolff popped out from below the goal line and fired a shot at Vipers goaltender Brody Rosswurm who made the initial stop but inadvertently kicked it in when he looked behind him to find the puck between his legs. Then just 18 seconds later it was another Carroll goal. Adlee Scheerer’s shot from the left circle was blocked by Michael Scully but the puck caromed over to Colsen White, who was left completely unattended to by the Vipers defense, at the back door for an easy tap-in. The pain subsided only briefly for the Vipers as Carroll had more offense still in their pocket before the end of the period. In yet another unfortunate turn of events for the Vipers, an off-target pass from Carroll just slid right past Eli Rinehold which allowed Finn Cupp an opening. Cupp dutifully took that opening and was helped by Simon Watson blowing a tire trying to get turned around. From there it was a breakaway for the Carroll Junior and he made no mistake, executing a slick backhand-forehand move to slide the puck behind Rosswurm for the 3-0 lead.
Finally, the Vipers were able to slow the bleeding and less than a minute later they were able to find a goal of their own. Jackson Bertels worked his way to the right side half wall and cycled the puck back down towards the corner for Colton Franks. Franks was able to dip around a Carroll defenseman before making a pass back to Bertels, now cutting towards the net, who redirected the pass up over the shoulder of Luke Vanantwerp with 3:23 still to play in the first period. The Chargers were quickly back on the attack though and they were able to find another goal before the period came to a close. Yet again the Vipers found themselves lost in the defensive zone and overcommitted to the play. This time they were caught with too many players in the corner which allowed Dylan Braun to make a pass up the wall to a wide-open AJ Baldwin. Baldwin, with enough time to cook a three-course meal, leisurely skated down to the top of the right circle and fired a shot to the back of the net to restore the three-goal lead without even a hint of pressure. Mercifully, the buzzer sounded to end the first period 1:06 later.
Carroll would have the better of the play again in the second period but ultimately neither team was able to score in the middle frame. Carroll again put 12 shots on net in the period making the two-period total 24-7 in their favor. With the lack of goals, the second period was characterized by a pair of 2/10s for the top Carroll forwards. At 6:12 of the period Carter Gnau was sent off for checking from behind and then with 2:47 before the intermission, Braun was booked for charging. The third period was a closer affair in the shots on goal category with the Vipers still being outshot but only by one as they held Carroll to just five. However, Carroll made their opportunities count and had two goals added to their tally. The first goal of the period was another example of the Vipers’ defensive errors Wednesday as they had all five players below the hash marks, a no-no in 99.9% of situations. Cameron Whisler was able to get out to the point and limit the time Sam Krauhs had as Krauhs rung a shot off the post but Dylan Carteaux found the rebound and buried it at 6:36 of the period. Another tough scene unfolded moments later in what is undoubtedly the most unfortunate way the Vipers could have gotten scored on. A defensive zone faceoff was won by Bertels and Watson was able to pick it up cleanly. In what was almost certainly a set faceoff play, Watson immediately looked to fire the puck to the far side to try and spring an odd-man rush up ice. It was a prime example of wrong place wrong time as Watson inadvertently ripped it off Rinehold standing at the top of the crease, leaving Rosswurm no chance as it went past him for the own-goal. The rest of the game went without any other goals and cemented the 6-1 opening night win for Carroll as they look to match last season’s 15-0 regular season.
