As NDCL Senior Hockey Captain Colin Krajnak began his senior year, he was not sure how the upcoming Lions’ hockey season would progress.
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As NDCL Senior Hockey Captain Colin Krajnak began his senior year, he was not sure how the upcoming Lions’ hockey season would progress.
The Lions had graduated most of their 2024-2025 starters and only had two seniors returning for the upcoming season.
Although many of Krajnak’s friends from other teams expressed little concern in having to face the Lions, he was not deterred from his belief that the Lions could achieve success.
After moving into the Blue South Division of the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League (GCHSHL) for his sophomore year, the Lions finished second to last, Krajnak said. Then, last year, the Lions narrowly missed a Baron Cup spot as they finished second behind the Lakewood Rangers.
“This year, I told myself ‘It’s time for a change. Got to change around the trajectory of the program,” Krajnak said.
And that’s what happened.
With a focus on playing together as a team, the Lions won the Blue South Division of the GCHSHL as they went undefeated, 12-0 in conference play.
After the Lions completed their unblemished regular season with a 10-0 shutout of the Lakewood Rangers on Jan. 31, they faced the CVCA Royals in the first round of the Baron Cup on Feb. 2.
After trailing 2-0 going into the final period, the Lions pulled off a dramatic comeback as they defeated the Royals 3-2 in an overtime thriller.
In achieving success this season, Krajnak said that a turning point was how the Lions regrouped after their Thanksgiving Tournament where they lost to Solon, 9-2, and forfeited to the Chagrin Falls Tigers due to low numbers of players.
“(After that tournament), I said at practice, let’s have a turning point right now,” Krajnak said. “Let’s do something that hasn’t been done here before. And everyone stepped up. Everyone bought in. The work ethic at practice (and in games) was great all season.”
Heeding the advice of their captain, the Lions did something that no other Lions hockey team had done in school history. They were the first to win the Blue South Division of the GCHSHL outright.
To win the division outright, the Lions finished the regular season on an 10 game winning streak defeating Brooklyn (11-0), Cleveland Heights (6-2 and 2-1), Nordonia (6-4), Bay (4-0 and 6-2), North Olmsted (2-0 and 3-1), Lakewood (9-1 and 10-0).
In going on an excellent winning streak, when the Lions were faced with adversity, Krajnak said that the team kept their composure by keeping each other confident and reminding each other to stay in the present moment.
“A motto we use when we’re having a rough period or game (is), ‘Got to put it behind us, put it in the rear view mirror’.”
The rear view mirror motto was key to the Lions comeback victory over CVCA in Baron Cup play on Feb. 2.
Trailing 2-0 to the Royals going into the third period, the Lions put the first two periods in the rear view mirror.
“We said, ‘this third period is offering us a brand new chance’,” Krajnak said. “We had so many chances we just couldn’t capitalize. Our coach told us it’s almost like breaking the seal when you have a bunch of water. Once you get one, the rest are going to start falling, and that’s essentially what happened.”
To get the victory over the Royals and advance in Baron Cup play, scoring goals for the Lions in the third period were sophomores Josh Hollobaugh and Nic Davis.
After Josh Hollobaugh scored just 42 seconds into the third period to make the score 2-1, Davis got the game-tying goal with 5:35 remaining in regulation.
“I crashed the net and got it over the goalie’s stick,” Davis said.
In overtime, Davis scored the game winning goal on a breakaway with 2:35 left in overtime to advance the Lions to a matchup with the top seeded Westlake Demons on Feb. 3.
“The kid whiffed on the puck, and I went down, I saw the goalie come out,” Davis said. “I wanted to shoot it, then I was just like I probably should take (the puck) to the side, and I was wide open and I just put it in.”
He continued: “It was probably one of the best moments of my hockey career.”
The Lions 11-game winning streak came to an end on Feb. 3 with a 6-2 loss to the Demons.
Scoring goals for the Lions against the Demons were Davis and Krajnak.
For the season, the Lions have been led offensively by Davis (43 points – 27 goals, 16 assists) and Krajnak (33 points – 20 goals, 13 assists), Josh Hollobaugh (28 points – 13 goals, 15 assists) and Klara Stergar (10 assists).
In goal, junior Nate McClellan has only allowed 41 goals this season while accumulating an 87% save percentage (273 saves).
Earning First-Team GCHSHL were Davis and Krajnak.
Josh Hollobaugh and Klara Stergar earned Second Team GCHSHL honors while McClellan received Third -Team All League recognition.
Also, Lions Head Coach Keith Abood was named the GCHSHL Blue Division Coach of the Year.
The Lions will next take the ice in the OHSAA State Hockey Tournament. Seeding for the OHSAA Hockey Tournament will be announced on Feb. 12.
