Saint Ignatius Makes it Four in a Row
Wildcats down Dublin Jerome in State Final
COLUMBUS, OH --- It was a record-setting day for the Saint Ignatius Wildcats as they defeated Dublin Jerome 7-2 in the OHSAA state championship game on Saturday, March 9, 2019, winning their fourth consecutive state title — the most championships won in a row in OHSAA Boys Ice Hockey history. Following the win, Saint Ignatius’ seven goals is the most they have ever scored in any of their previous six state championships, and their seventh state championship ranks second all-time for most ice hockey state championships in Ohio.
“It does not have that meaning yet. I am still excited. It has not quite sunk in yet,” head coach Pat O’Rourke told reporters after the game. “I have not thought about what it means in the whole history of Ohio hockey. I am sure we will someday but it is cool. We are very proud.”
Three of Saint Ignatius’ seven goals were scored by junior Joey Trobenter. He became the 11th player to score a hat trick in the state championship game. The most important goal of all was the one that he scored out of the gate in the third period, extending his team’s lead to three goals.
“That goal at the beginning of the third period was a back breaker. It put them up 5-2,” said Dublin Jerome head coach Pat Murphy. “If we could have gotten goal three, I do not know if the outcome would have been different … but that fifth goal kind of knocked the wind out of us.”
Saint Ignatius opened the game by scoring the first four goals, wasting no time to make their mark on the scoreboard early. Junior Matt Sullivan scored the first, skating on the left side of the ice and sniping Dublin Jerome senior goaltender Mike Bishopp over his right-side blocker 1:06 into the game.
Although the Celtics allowed a quick score, they were provided a prime opportunity to tie the game. Saint Ignatius senior Aedan Conway was called for interference 22 seconds later, putting Dublin Jerome on the power play for the first time.
It was no surprise to see a physical game, considering the implications of today’s game. Saint Ignatius senior goalie Benny Savarino was an exchange with a Dublin Jerome forward in front of the net, getting called for a slashing penalty -- As a result, the Celtics would gain their second man advantage.
Shots were hard to come by, as the Celtics were only able to throw two total pucks on net total during the two power plays. With no luck scoring, St. Ignatius took advantage by scoring on their own power play, as Trobenter tallied his first.
The Wildcats ultimately gained a 4-0 advantage in the early moments of the second period. Dublin Jerome elected to call a timeout, sparking an energized scoring run that was much needed.
“We took a time out to kind of regroup. The one thing we did not want to do is let the game get away from us. They were taking it from us at that point. I think we responded well after that time out. We refocused,” said Murphy
Dublin Jerome scored two goals in the matter of two minutes, the first coming on the power play. Junior Matt Kish buried the puck, deflecting a shot from the point by junior Nolan Kunzelman, sneaking it by Savarino.
The Celtics jumped into a game they almost had no business being in and they noticed the importance of finally cracking the scoreboard. “We definitely felt the momentum shift,” said Kish. “We went out there and played hard. Scored a couple of goals. It felt like we were dominating at that point in time.”
Savarino came into today’s game with two consecutive shutouts. Kish ultimately became the one to end the 116 minutes worth of no goals allowed by Savarino.
Following the Kish goal, Dublin Jerome gained all the momentum. On the ensuing face-off senior Nick Augenstein scored on a breakaway, cutting the deficit to two goals. They entered the locker room trailing 4-2 and 22-9 in the shots category.
Murphy said, “We basically said we have one period left. Let’s try to win it. We have to win at least 2-0 in the third to try and win this game. One period left, we were trying everything we could to get back in it. We said in the locker room that the worst lead in hockey is a two-goal lead.”
Saint Ignatius responded strongly in the third period with the early score, including two insurance goals by juniors Greg Langermeier and Cam Kurtz. Savarino record an assist on the last one. “I do not have any memory of ever recording an assist,” he said. “It is the first for me. I will take the apple.”
Going up against a strong defensive team was a tall task for Dublin Jerome. They were out shot by Saint Ignatius 33-12, with only three shots in the first and third periods.
“Well, we got beat by a better team today. Our kids played hard. We never quit. That is a really good hockey team. They deserved to win,” said Murphy.
Dublin Jerome’s impressive feat does not go unrecognized. After more than a dozen attempts by Columbus high school hockey teams, the Celtics became the first team ever to clinch the state title game. They finish the season with a 34-3-0-1 record and a season that was, “The best season in school history by a mile,” according to Murphy.
Saint Ignatius closes their season with a 27-9-0-1 record, and an undefeated 7-0 in state title games. For those that believe the Ignatius Prep team should not be here, O’Rourke has a message for them.
“One thing I would say, we call ourselves ‘prep’ to help us with the scheduling. We are not a boarding school. We are not a true prep school. We like to play that elite competition,” said O’Rourke.
“The other thing I would say is no one was saying it when we were 7-25 a couple of years ago. I will never forget that year,” he said. “This championship is for those boys that are on this team that knew what we had to do.”
“They knew the plan. We knew that we were not going to necessarily going to see that pay off at this point in time. We built it. We put in a lot of hard work. That is all it takes is hard work from the coaching staff and the players. If anyone wants to do it, the blueprint is out there. I have no sympathy for them whatsoever.”
--- Kyle Kelly for Ohio Hockey Digest
