skip navigation

Great Lakes Hockey League Weekly Vol. 6 No. 9

By Scott Harrington, 01/31/19, 5:45PM EST

Share

GILMOUR ACADEMY CONTROLS THEIR FATE

After Holy Name’s win over Lake Catholic in Mentor Wednesday night, the regular season title race is down to the Green Wave and Gilmour Academy, but there is still some jockeying to do for seeding in next week’s Cleveland Cup.  It is cold outside, but the action is heating up in rinks all around Ohio and the Great Lakes Hockey League is no exception.

Gilmour can win the title outright by winning that game, giving the Bruins a huge opportunity to play spoiler.  Holy Name answered with a 7-2 win over the Lake Catholic Cougars at Mentor Civic Arena on Wednesday night, putting the ball back in Gilmour’s court as they play Padua Franciscan at OBM Arena in Strongsville Friday evening.  That put the Lancers one point ahead of Holy Name with one league game remaining for each team.  The Gilmour Academy Lancers vaulted into first place with a 3-1 win over the University School Preppers on Sunday.

Help they ultimately did not get.  needed to beat Shaker Heights Friday at Winterhurst and still get some help in the other two games.  The Namers’ win eliminated St. Edward, who was still in the mix but

The Red Raiders eliminated University School from the race by beating the Preppers, 1-0, in Cleveland Heights on Saturday.

Whichever team ends up with the regular season title, it will be the school’s first. Although Gilmour is the defending Cleveland Cup champion as the winner of the league tournament.

  tidy eight-team single-elimination bracket (1-8, 2-7, etc.).  With the league back at eight teams, the tournament is a  The 2019 Cleveland Cup will take place at OBM Arena next week beginning with the first two quarterfinal games on Tuesday evening.

The championship game will take place Saturday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m. with the league’s annual award ceremony taking place in the first intermission.

The 2018-19 GLHL All-Star Team will be revealed, along with winners for Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and the Sportsmanship Award.

GREAT LAKES HOCKEY LEAGUE - TEAM NOTES

GILMOUR ACADEMY > Sophomore goaltender Toby Herlong filled in as an injury replacement with the Gilmour JV team and scored an empty-net goal  “It was an unforgettable moment,” Herlong said (SEE VIDEO HERE)...After, potentially, celebrating a league title on Friday, GA will not take the weekend off, playing non-league games against Toledo St. John’s and Kiski School (PA) to keep their game sharp for the Cleveland Cup.  

HOLY NAME > The Green Wave headed to Michigan last weekend to play a pair of games against a AAA team from Fraser, MI.  The Namers, who have the most prolific offense in the league, were shut out in both contests...After wrapping up league play Wednesday night, the Namers will do some scoreboard watching Friday, then host Findlay of the Northwest Hockey Congerence in a non-league game Saturday night to close out their regular season...As league play concludes this weekend, six of the top seven scorers in the GLHL (league games only) are Namers.  The Green Wave scored 54 goals in 10 GLHL games this season.

LAKE CATHOLIC > Lake Catholic senior forward Jacob Schmitt is closing in on the GLHL’s overall scoring title.  Schmitt’s 32 goals are one more than F Tanyon Bajzer The Green Wave have wrapped up their league slate, so Schmitt knows what he needs to do.  at Walsh Jesuit Saturday night two points behind a pair of Holy Name skaters.  In league play, Schmitt (10-6-14) goes into the Cougars’ last league game  of St. Edward and his 58 points are five more than Bajzer’s 53.

PADUA FRANCISCAN > Justin Eles scored his fourth goal of the game in overtime to give Padua a 5-4 win over Grand Rapids Catholic West (MI) last Saturday.  The win should give the Bruins a pre-tournament confidence boost.  “It was an important win for us for a lot of reasons,” said head coach Perry Cohagan.  “Most of all we executed well, especially in transition, and really across the whole team.  We also dealt with adversity, giving up a lead and then coming back to win it in overtime.  There was no quit even at the end of a road trip.  I am looking forward to continuing to grow as a team as we play some top teams this weekend, a real test before playoffs start.  We are young, but if we can continue to apply what we do in practice against top competition, I will remain proud of this team and it's future.”

ST. EDWARD > The St. Edward Eagles were denied an opportunity to play their final league game on Friday with a first-place finish still a possibility, but there is still Cleveland Cup seeding on the line as they host Shaker Heights at Winterhurst...The Eagles have reached the 20-win mark for the ninth season in a row, but have yet to win a GLHL season or tournament championship.  Tanyon Bajzer hit the 30-goal plateau with a four-goal effort against Grand Rapids Catholic West (MI).

SHAKER HEIGHTS > The Red Raiders have bounced back from a season-long three-game losing streak with three wins in a row—tying their season-high winning streak...Freshman G Garrett Ritts stopped all 28 Preppers shots, and junior F Logan Mears Ritts sports a 2.06 goals-against average and .901 save percentage.  It was the first career shutout for Ritts, who stopped 21 of 23 shots in a 5-2 win over #6-ranked Olentangy Liberty in his previous start.   scored the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win over US.

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL > The University School Preppers enter the final weekend of the regular season on a three-game losing streak during which they have only scored three goals.  On the bright side, senior G Critter Coughlin stopped 55 of 59 shots (.932) over the weekend...The Preppers have a balanced attack, with five players with 10-13 goals, but need a player—or players—to get a hot stick as tournament season approaches.

WALSH JESUIT > Walsh Jesuit snapped a three-game skid with a 6-1 win over Linsly (WV).  Sophomore F Sacha Trudel Trudel is second on the team with assists (15) and points (27)...Walsh will try to extend their seven-game winning streak against Lake Catholic in their regular season finale on Saturday...The last time to Cougars defeated the Warriors was by a 5-4 score on January 2, 2015.  figured in five of the six Warrior goals, scoring two and assisting on three others.

 

GLHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK - DOMENIC CASSAMATTA, GILMOUR ACADEMY

For the second time this season, Gilmour Academy senior forward Domenic Cassamatta is being recognized as the Great Lakes Hockey League Player of the Week.

Cassamatta, who was also recognized in the second week of the season, scored three of the Lancers five goals in a pair of big wins last weekend.  

“It is an honor being Player of the Week but I can’t take all the credit,” said Cassamatta.  “Both of those games were amazing team games and my line mates are the ones who helped make it all happen.”

Cassamatta has a hot hand for Gilmour.  He has scored six goals and 10 points over the last five games, collecting multiple points in four of those five games. 

He scored both goals in Gilmour’s 2-1 win in Saturday’s non-league win over visiting North Allegheny (PA), and also scored a big insurance goal just 47 seconds after David Zarycki’s game-winner mid-way through the third period of Sunday’s big 3-1 win over University School in a key league game.

The Lancers have a shot at winning the Great Lakes Hockey League regular season title this week, which would give them the #1 seed for their defense of the Cleveland Cup, which they won with a 3-2 overtime win over University School last February.

PREVIOUS WINNERS—Tanyon Bajzer (St. Edward), November 28; Dominic Casamatta (Gilmour Academy), December 5; Brennan Dickey (Holy Name), December 19; Geremy Davison (Walsh Jesuit), January 4; Niko Negron (Holy Name), January 11; Amaedeo Cantini (Lake Catholic), January 18; Jacob Schmitt (Lake Catholic), January 23

GLHL ALUMNI BIO - STEVEN LeVASSEUR, WALSH JESUIT '18

Steven LeVasseur finished his high school career by leading Walsh Jesuit in scoring as a senior last year.  Now, he has joined two former Warrior teammates—Logan Rossiter and Easton Kindall—with the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II program at the University of Cincinnati.

LeVasseur has produced 37 points (15-22-37) through his first 22 collegiate games.  He started off with a bang, putting up seven points (3-4-7) in his Bearcats debut—a 12-1 win over Bowling Green on September 22.

Some observers might be surprised to see a true freshman come in and put up points at a prolific rate with a nationally-ranked program, but Walsh Jesuit head coach Pat McKendry is not one of those people.

“It is not surprising that he is excelling at the level in which he is today,” said McKendry.  “Steven did everything for our program, power play, penalty kill, regular shifts, you name it and he did it.”

The Bearcats are ranked #4 in the Southeast Region of ACHA Division II—just ahead of a pair of rivals from the Tri-States Collegiate Hockey League, #5 Miami, OH and #10 Ohio State.

“Steven was a player that everyone could look up to for his sportsmanship, drive, and love of the game,” McKendry added.  “We are so proud of Steven and his accomplishments—a Warrior forever!”