The Gilmour Academy Lancers will make their third appearance at the state tournament and the first since 2011 following a 4-1 win over Mentor in the Kent District Final at KSU Ice Arena Friday evening.

Mentor scored first in the contest, but Gilmour took a 2-1 lead by the end of the first period and never trailed after that.  Two minutes into the game, Gilmour’s Frankie Valenti had two chances right in close.  Linemate Charlie Tuggey skated to open ice and fired a 20-foot wrist shot from the right circle but Mentor netminder Alex Toth (32 saves) was equal to the task each time.

A cross-check put the Cardinals on the power play five and a half minutes into the period.  Mentor’s Kyle Backston took the puck down the left wing and went wide around a sprawling Gilmour defenseman before sliding a crisp pass onto the tape of Luke Jeffery in the slot.  Jeffrey snapped it home to the stick side of Gilmour goaltender Tobias Herlong (18 saves) from 10 feet out at the 6:51 mark.

Valenti tied the game at 12:19 with an assist from Tuggey, but Mentor kept up the pressure.  The usually smooth Gilmour breakout was frustrated by a strong Mentor forecheck late in the first period.  The Lancers were beginning to show some frustration, but they managed to exit their zone and score the go-ahead goal.

Valenti cut across the offensive blue line, drew a defender to him, then feathered a pass to Tuggey who had room to skate to the net and move from his backhand to his forehand, beating Toth along the ice when he was forced to move across the crease.

The “Gray Line” of Tuggey, Valenti and Joe Roddy took over in the second period.  They were swirling all over the Mentor zone, skating with the puck, firing shots on net and finding each other with passes.

Tuggey got the puck close to the net and drew a hooking call, then set up Valenti to cash in on the power play.  The puck moved around the umbrella down to Tuggey low in the right circle and he fired a pass through the slot looking for Valenti.  The puck did not make it through, and a scrum ensued, but Valenti stuffed it under Toth to make it 3-1 GA.

Gilmour head coach John Malloy kept throwing the line over the boards.  Tuggey took with the puck down the middle of the ice and danced around two Mentor defenders before dishing a pass intended for Valenti.  The play did not result in a goal, but the trio was right back out there as soon as they got their wind.

“I was pretty tired,” Tuggey said after the game.  “I was exhausted, but we had to step up and the whole team knew what had to be done.  We wanted it for Justin (Evans), who couldn’t play, and for each other.”

Malloy said, with Evans out, he needed the Gray Line to step up and wanted to match his top players with Mentor’s as Cardinal head coach Paul McKito played his top two lines with great frequency.

Evans, who leads the Lancers with 30 goals, did not suit up for the game and Malloy said his status for the state tournament is to be determined.

Mentor ramped up their physical play in the third period, but Gilmour was able to use their elusiveness and skill to keep the puck moving.  It started to get chippy 3-4 minutes into the period, but GA got a back-breaking goal at the 7:31 mark. 

Freshman Matt Bauman, a left shot playing in his fifth varsity game, skated down the left side of the ice on a two-on-one with cousin, junior Colin Bauman, who was dressing for just his second game of the season.  Matt held onto the puck until the last possible second, then fired a sharp pass across to Colin and the right-shot directed it into the open cage past a defenseless Toth to give Gilmour a three-goal lead and, as it turns out, close out the scoring.

The Cardinals finish their season with a 33-3-1 record.

“Mentor was awesome,” Malloy said.  “They just keep coming.  They have some real talented kids.  We beat a heck of a team today.  There’s a reason they only had two losses.”

The veteran coach explained the difference between the two teams.

“We have some guys who are good at being elusive and getting loose,” Malloy said.  “Mentor is more straight up-and-down the ice.  They have speed and toughness – real gritty.  We have guys like Tuggey, Valenti and (Luke) Robertson who can go side to side a little bit and create their own space.”

Malloy said he had senior Bryce Hofstrom address the team before the game.  Hofstrom was a freshman on the Gilmour team that won just four games for the entire 2016-17 season.  Now, after some growing pains, then some deep runs the last two years, the Lancers finally get back to the state tournament.

“Ever since freshman year I’ve wanted to go,” Tuggey said.  “I don’t know how to describe it.  I’m so excited.”

--- Scott Harrington for Ohio Hockey Digest