NHC Red Division Teams to be Tested at Padua Tournament
Four teams represent Northwest Ohio against state contenders
Play in the Red Division of the Northwest Hockey Conference started off last weekend with Findlay hosting St. Francis. It was a tight game all the way through, with St. Francis holding a slim 4-3 margin heading into the 3rd Period. However, the Knights scored two goals 11 seconds apart to seal the deal and get the 6-3 win.
Sylvania Northview also squared up against St. John’s on Friday night. Northview outshot St. John’s 44-32, however neither team could find the net more than once and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
St. Francis had another league game against Anthony Wayne on Saturday. Tied 2-2 going into the third period, St. Francis topped off the night by scoring three times in the third period to pull away. St. Francis outshot Anthony Wayne 39-13.
In the final league game of the weekend for the Red Division, Northview hosted Findlay. Findlay struck first but Northview responded with five unanswered goals to give the Wildcats their second league win, 5-1.
There were three league games in the White Division last weekend. It started off with Lake hosting Clay on Friday. Lake scored five times in the first period, four times in the second, and added two more in the third to cap off an impressive 11-1 win.
Lake then played the Blue Devils the next day, scoring six times in the second period on the way to a convincing 10-0 win.
Clay faced Southview on Saturday. Southview scored to get within a goal with 1:10 left in the third period, but Clay put the game away with a late goal for a 7-5 win.
In non-league play, Bowling Green played in the Thornton Park tournament last weekend in Shaker Heights. The Bobcats started with a 2-1 shootout loss against Mentor but then beat Rocky River 4-2 and Hudson 5-3 to finish off the weekend 2-0-1.
Moeller faced two NHC opponents in Anthony Wayne and St. John’s over the weekend. The Crusaders beat the Generals 5-2 on Friday and tied the Titans 1-1 on Saturday.
Perrysburg was only able to get one non-league game over the weekend against the Northern Kentucky Norse [KY] due to complications with the ice at South Metro. They were able to play on Saturday night at the Heritage Bank Center in downtown Cincinnati and it ended with a 5-1 win. Whitmer also had its non-league game against Mason canceled.
Clay split a pair of games in Columbus, winning against the Olentangy JV 6-4, but losing to Dublin Coffman 6-0.
Bedford [MI] hosted St. John’s as the Titans got the win 4-0.
ANTHONY WAYNE (6-6-0, 0-2-0 RED DIVISION, T6TH)
12/17 - Bowling Green (LEAGUE)
The Generals only have one game this weekend, and it is against common league foe, Bowling Green. The Generals look to get their first league win in a showdown at BGSU Slater.
BOWLING GREEN (6-6-2, 0-1-0, RED DIVISION, 5TH)
12/17 - Anthony Wayne (LEAGUE)
12/18 - Amherst Steele
Bowling Green is also looking for their first league win in their matchup against Anthony Wayne. Coming off a good tournament weekend, the Bobcats have hope that this will turns out to be their first of many league wins. The Bobcats also face the Amherst Steele of the GCHSHL.
FINDLAY (6-3-0, 0-2-0, RED DIVISION, T6TH)
Padua Holiday Tournament
12/16 - Shaker Heights
12/17 - Walsh Jesuit
12/17 – Padua
12/18 - TBD
Findlay is playing all GLHL opponents this weekend at the Padua Holiday Tournament. It was a disappointing weekend last weekend with two league losses, however Findlay hopes that a good tournament for them this weekend will give them the confidence they need heading into Christmas.
SYLVANIA NORTHVIEW (5-2-1, 2-0-1 RED DIVISION, T2ND)
Padua Holiday Tournament
12/16 - St. Edward
12/17 - Olentangy Liberty
12/17 - University School
12/18 - TBD
Northview has a tough schedule in this weekend’s Padua Tournament. The Wildcats have the honor of playing the 3rd, 2nd, and 7th best teams in the state according to myhockeyrankings.com. However, Northview themselves are 4th in the state and they feel like they can pull off a couple huge wins this weekend and set themselves up for league play later on.
PERRYSBURG (3-5-1, 1-2-0 RED DIVISION, 4TH)
Karynn Barlow Memorial Tournament: Red
12/16 – Hudson
12/17 - Western Reserve Academy
12/17 – Kenston
12/18 - TBD
Perrysburg is playing in the Karynn Barlow Memorial Tournament in Kent this weekend, in the Red Division, which is the top division. They play three GCHSHL teams in this tournament. The Yellow Jackets look to get some more wins after their win against the Norse last weekend at Heritage Bank.
ST. FRANCIS (3-4-0, 3-1-0 RED DIVISION, 1ST)
Padua Holiday Tournament
12/16 - Olentangy Liberty
12/17 - University School
12/17 - St. Edward
12/18 - TBD
St. Francis plays a mixture of the schedules of Findlay and Northview this weekend. St. Francis took over 1st place of the Red Division with their two league wins last weekend and they look to just keep on winning. Don’t let the below .500 record fool you, St. Francis is known to have one of the hardest schedules in the OHSAA so far according to myhockeyrankings.com and have been doing a good job playing in those games.
ST. JOHN’S (6-3-2, 2-0-1 RED DIVISION, T2ND)
Padua Holiday Tournament
12/16 - University School
12/17 - St. Edward
12/17 - Olentangy Liberty
12/18 - TBD
St. John’s plays the exact same schedule as St. Francis does this weekend, just in a different order. Both teams are fighting for a top spot in the Red Division so this weekend is a good way to show how close these two teams are before they face off later in the season. St. John’s only has three losses this season, however they have not dropped a game since they played the Dayton Stealth on November 27 (five straight games without a loss). The Titans look to keep up this streak this weekend.
WHITE DIVISION
There is only one league game on the schedule for the White Division this weekend and it's between Clay and the Blue Devils. Clay will also play in the Winter Freeze Tournament in Troy where they play Troy, Mason, and Elder, all members of the SWOHSHL.
Whitmer will play in the Karynn Barlow Memorial Tournament along with Perrysburg, however in the White Division. Whitmer will play Bishop Watterson, CVCA, the hosts from Kent Roosevelt, and an opponent to be named later.
Lake will play Bedford [MI] in a home-and-home series where they play at Lake this weekend and Bedford next weekend. Southview will play just one game over the weekend against the Cleveland Wildcats (Blue). Finally, the Blue Devils will play Perrysburg JV and Anthony Wayne JV at home.
--- Braeden Sample (@SticksAndStats) for Ohio Hockey Digest
