Great Lakes Hockey League Drops the Puck on Season No. 7
2019-20 season starts with three pre-Thanksgiving games
The Great Lakes Hockey League opens its seventh season of play this week with three league games in three days, before teams compete in traditional holiday tournaments over the Thanksgiving Weekend.
Shaker Heights and Walsh Jesuit will kick off the GLHL season Friday night at Bartley Arena. Walsh will then host Padua Franciscan on Saturday, and Shaker will play again on Sunday, visiting University School.
The 2018-19 campaign was another successful one for the league, which placed four teams in the top eight in the final Ohio coaches poll, and accounted for three of the four finalists in the Brooklyn and Kent districts.
University School represented the league at the state championship tournament in Columbus, making their 15th appearance in the Ohio Frozen Four. Dublin Jerome’s 3-2 overtime win in the semifinals prevented US from making it back to the championship game for what would have been the sixth time in school history.
The Preppers also appeared in the Cleveland Cup championship game for the fifth time in six seasons, but it was the Holy Name Green Wave taking home the hardware in a 2-1 thriller (see page three). The Namers became the third team to claim the GLHL tournament title after Gilmour Academy (2018) and Saint Ignatius (2014-2017).
The league is back to a seven-team loop against this year as the Lake Catholic Cougars are on hiatus and will not be icing a team this season.
NEW FACES BEHIND GLHL BENCHES—Last year, Andrew Gerow succeeded Andrew Lacroix at University School, and Matt Bartley joined the GLHL coaching fraternity as Shaker Heights entered the league. There will be two more additions to the club this year with Craig Patton (Holy Name) and Pete Calleri (Walsh Jesuit) joining the GLHL head coaching ranks.
Calleri moved into the spot vacated when Pat McKendry stepped down after 15 seasons at Walsh Jesuit. The Holy Name job opened up when program founder Tim Sullivan returned to his alma mater St. Edward after leading Holy Name to the 2019 Cleveland Cup championship.
Patton joins the Green Wave from Cleveland State University’s ACHA program.
FINAL 2018-19 GLHL STANDINGS
| Team (overall record) | W | L | OTL | T | PTS | GF | GA | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilmour Academy (31-2-3-2) | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 37 | 18 | 19 |
| Holy Name (24-10-0-4) | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 54 | 18 | 36 |
| St. Edward (23-8-2-1) | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 41 | 21 | 20 |
| Shaker Heights (17-10-1-6) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 22 | 33 | -11 |
| University School (19-13-3-2) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 33 | 22 | 11 |
| Lake Catholic (21-12-2-0) | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 33 | 38 | -5 |
| Walsh Jesuit (13-17-0-2) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 37 | -15 |
| Padua Franciscan (3-26-0-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 70 | -55 |
2019 CLEVELAND CUP FINAL
Holy Name 2, University School 1
GREAT LAKES HOCKEY LEAGUE—TEAM NOTES
GILMOUR ACADEMY
Gilmour Academy was unable to defend its Cleveland Cup title, but won 31 games, and lost only twice in regulation all year. It was another very successful season for veteran head coach John Malloy’s team, which is 57-10-8 over the past two campaigns. The Lancers and their neighbors from down the road, University School, added another chapter to their rivalry as Gilmour was eliminated by the Preppers, 2-1 in overtime, in both the Cleveland Cup Semifinal and the Kent District Final...Malloy (606 career OHSAA wins) was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in September...GA opens their season in Kalamazoo, MI this weekend with a pair of games against Southwest Blades AAA.
HOLY NAME
On Sunday, in Erie, PA, when Craig Patton takes his place behind the Holy Name bench for the Green Wave’s Season Opener against Cathedral Prep, he will be the only the second man to stand in that position after Tim Sullivan’s 16-year run with the program he started. Patton, who most recently coached the ACHA team at Cleveland State University, assumes the responsibility of Holy Name’s title defense. The Green Wave defeated University School, 2-1, to win the 2019 Cleveland Cup—the first post-season title in program history. The Namers return four of their six 30-point scorers and, while #1 goalie Ross Conforto graduated, juniors J. J. Light and Brendan Greller both saw varsity action last year.
PADUA FRANCISCAN
Third-year head coach Perry Cohagan has put together an ambitious non-league schedule for Padua that includes six different in-season tournaments. Cogahan says his roster, while still young, is bigger and stronger than in past seasons. He feels junior D Seth Kaiser is among the top defenseman in the GLHL and his classmates Giovanni Iannelli and Drew Lampa provide physicality and creativity, respectively. Freshmen Shane Helman and Liam Conway are new faces to watch.
ST. EDWARD
Tim Sullivan, a St. Edward graduate, returns as just the fourth head coach in the history of the storied program. He will be charged with ending a 11-year state title drought—the longest in school history for the 11-time state champions. It is a unique opportunity for Sullivan, a three-time GLHL Coach of the Year who played for four season under 10-time state champion coach Bob Whidden. Ironically, Sullivan and Holy Name ended St. Edward’s 2018-19 season in a 2-0 classic in the Brooklyn District Semifinal. With the change behind the bench, and talent returning at all positions, the Eagles will be a closely-watched team this season.
SHAKER HEIGHTS
The first go-round in the GLHL went well for head coach Matt Bartley and the Red Raiders. Shaker held their own in league play (5-4-1) before bowing out to University School, 4-1, in a Cleveland Cup Quarterfinal game. Shaker ran into the Preppers again in the District semifinals and were eliminated, 4-3. The returning players will likely be more comfortable this time around, but confidence is still something Bartley will be trying to build this season. “Overall we have a young and/or inexperienced team,” he said. “So confidence is something we will need to focus on during the entire season.”
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
Last February, as the GLHL headed into the stretch drive, University School was struggling in its first season under Andy Gerow (‘10). The Preppers were 11-14-2 following a pair of league losses at home to rivals Shaker Heights (1-0) and Gilmour Academy (3-1). But things turned around at that point, with US finishing on an 8-1-1 run that included a berth in the Cleveland Cup championship game for the fifth time in six seasons, and a trip to Columbus for the state tournament.
WALSH JESUIT
Pat McKendry stepped down following the 2018-19 season after 15 seasons at the helm of the Walsh Jesuit Warriors. Former assistant Pete Calleri has moved into the head coaching job with the Warriors while Bill Beard and George Wright will serve as assistants. ”With this being my first season at head coach, the learning curve will be a bit steep,” admitted Calleri. “I expect our team to play with energy and compete with everyone we face off against.” The Warriors will have a young group with only one senior on the roster—forward Nate Colasanti.
--- Scott Harrington for Ohio Hockey Digest
