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2021 Brooklyn (West) District Preview

By Scott Harrington, 02/20/21, 9:00PM EST

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Reports of the Wildcats’ death have been greatly exaggerated

PHOTO: Patrick Gallagher

No Ohio school has won more state championships than St. Edward’s 11. But the Eagles have not won it all since 2008 and the rival Saint Ignatius Wildcats have ruled the roost in the Brooklyn District in recent years.

Tim Sullivan, who was a part of the 1992 St. Edward state championship team as a player, returned to the program as the head coach prior to the 2019-20 season. In his second year at the helm, the team was the wire-to-wire #1 team in the state coach’s poll and won the Great Lakes Hockey League’s Cleveland Cup for the first time in the eight-year history of the league, but the slate is wiped clean for the district tournament.

The Eagles’ ancient rival Saint Ignatius, meanwhile, has won four consecutive state titles. They were on their way to a fifth after defeating Ed’s by a 9-0 count in last year’s District Final, but COVID-19 brought the Drive for Five to a premature end.

Hit hard by graduation, the Wildcats struggled early in the year and won just two of their first seven games. It appeared the reign over varsity hockey in Ohio had come to and end, but head coach Patrick O’Rourke has coached his young group up and they are not the same team heading into the post-season that they were in November.

Following an 8-2 loss to St. Edward on January 8, Saint Ignatius has gone on a 7-0-2 run that includes wins over ranked teams St. Charles, University School, Upper Arlington, Olentangy Orange and Northview. The tied came against #2 St. Francis and #3 Gilmour Academy.

Suffice to say, reports of the Wildcats’ death have been greatly exaggerated. 

So, while both teams have been going through their own transitional periods over the last year or so, the 2021 district tournament could very well come down to the two of them once again.

Rocky River comes in hot as the #3 seed, fresh off a Baron Cup championship in which they got over the hump for the first time in three years against Mentor in the battle for Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League supremacy.

The Pirates head into the district tournament on an 11-2-1 run with wins over Perrysburg, Mentor (2x) and Amherst Steele (2x).

Amherst moved up to the Red Division of the GCHSHL this season after running roughshod over the White Division for the previous three seasons. They are seeded #4, and should not be taken lightly, but failed to beat the top three teams in the GCHSHL during the season and went out in the Baron Cup semis.

The Comets squeaked past an old White Division rival, Avon Lake, in their opening game of the district tournament on Friday night by a score of 1-0. Next up they get another Southwest Conference rival, Avon. The Eagles were Baron Cup II champs, winning in overtime, and scored with 3.4 seconds left in regulation to force OT in their opening district playoff game before topping Benedictine of the Red Division, 2-1.

That should be another great game, but the winner will have their hands full in the next round, likely facing top-seeded St. Edward next Saturday.

Two more Great Lakes Hockey League teams, Holy Name and Padua Franciscan, begin district play on Saturday. They struggled to compete with the top teams in the GLHL, but should both be considered dark horses based on the stellar play of their goaltenders, Brendan Greller and Aidan Knox, respectively.

The Namers go up against Olmsted Falls first, but their branch of the bracket will take them through Saint Ignatius. Padua opens with Parma but will have to get through Rocky River’s section of the bracket.


Click the OHSAA logo to see an updated Brooklyn West District bracket


Click the On Air logo to listen to our state-wide league tournament wrap-up and district preview show

Wouldn’t it be nice

I want to point out a few first-round results and play “what-if” for a moment…

#17 Bay and #18 Elyria Catholic met in a first-round game, as did #13 Normandy and #15 North Olmsted.  EC edged Bay, 3-2, while Normandy got past North Olmsted, 8-4.

Wouldn’t it be great if these were district semis or finals in a Division II or Division III tournament instead of first-round games in this one-size-does-not-fit-all bracket?

Elyria Catholic’s reward for their victory was getting mercy-ruled by St. Edward in their next game – as their seniors capped off their varsity careers with an 11-0 loss in which they didn’t even take the ice for the third period. Normandy advanced to play River and was quickly dispatched by the Pirates, 8-1. (Over in the Brooklyn East bracket, Brush seniors were on the wrong end of a 15-0 score against Shaker Heights of the GLHL in their final high school game).

I spoke with Beavercreek head coach Greg Gutterman last week and the Beavers and their chief rivals from Archbishop Alter took matters into their own hands a few years back.

After watching their seniors get blown out in the final games of their careers for a few years, they started the POD tournament (it stands for “Post Ohio District”). They invite teams from across the state to compete in what they call the “unofficial Division II state championship” the last weekend in February at South Metro Sports in Dayton.

“I really couldn’t stand watching my players – especially my seniors – end their season with a lopsided loss,” Gutterman said. “It’s their last game and it’s 10-0 after two periods and they are crying about it. I couldn’t stand it.”

Gutterman referred to My Hockey Rankings, saying there was a real separation point at around the 84.00 or 85.00 point. The POD tournament attracts those teams in the 81.0-83.0 range.

“It’s really competitive with one- and two-goal games all through the tournament,” he said. “The kids have a ton of fun. Even if they lose, they’re not getting slaughtered. It’s a great way to end their season – especially for the seniors.”

This year’s event is full up, but they have already secured ice at Springfield Chiller for next season. Interested teams should contact Bill Daniels  at veritable@aol.com) or Coach Gutterman at academyhockeyOH@gmail.com.

It’s a shame that they had to take it upon themselves to put the event on, and it’s a shame that it’s unofficial, but good for them for doing what is best for their players!

 

--- Scott Harrington for Ohio Hockey Digest