It was a busy week of holiday hockey for Geauga County high schools, with Chagrin Falls, Kenston and NDCL all in action.
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It was a busy week of holiday hockey for Geauga County high schools, with Chagrin Falls, Kenston and NDCL all in action.
Games included the Tigers’ comeback victory over Normandy, 2-1; the Bombers’ 7-2 victory over Twinsburg at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse; and the Lions’ run to the championship game of the Nordonia Thanksgiving Hockey Tournament.
On Nov. 26, the Tigers took on the Normandy Invaders at the Michael A. Ries Ice Arena.
After a scoreless first 15 minutes, the Invaders took a 1-0 lead in the second period.
“We started out pretty slow the first two periods,” Chagrin Falls Coach Craig Hoberman said. “But third period, we came out buzzing, and it made a difference.”
Added Caden Smith, “The first two periods were a little rough. That’s usually what we do. We get it going third period, and usually finish it pretty strong.”
Helping to keep the game close for the Tigers was goalie Nathaniel Newton.
“I was staying focused by just trying to keep my focus on the puck and not what else is going on around,” said Newton. “I pretty much just tried to zone everything out besides the puck, and just every single time that a shot came, I would just be watching the puck, where it went, and everything that was going on.”
Down 1-0 midway through the third period, the Tigers evened the game at 1-1 on a goal by Caden Smith.
Coach Hoberman described Smith’s game-tying goal.
“One of the wingers pushed the puck out to the point, and Josh Baraona, who is one of our freshmen defenseman, had a nice one-timer on net,” said Hoberman. “Caden Smith had a great tip-in to score that first goal, which was huge to really give us some energy for the rest of the period.”
With less than a minute left in the game, Elliott Despres scored to give the Tigers a 2-1 victory over Normandy.
Afterward, Despres described his game-winning goal: “Just a quick wrap around the net, and I managed to get it right under his pad.”
The Tigers finished the Normandy Thanksgiving Tournament with a 2-1 record. In the final game of the tournament, they defeated the Lakewood Rangers, 10-4.
In their victory over the Rangers, the Tigers were led by Despres, Matt Revnew and Henry Westendorf, who all had hat tricks, scoring three goals each.
In addition to the Tigers, the NDCL Lions made an excellent run to the championship game of the Nordonia Thanksgiving Tournament by winning three games in a row. The Lions defeated Mayfield (8-1), Aurora (4-3) and Westlake (3-2) before falling to Parma, 5-3, in the championship game.
In their season opener Nov. 20, the Kenston Bombers defeated Solon, 11-3, led by Gavin Rowell (five goals), Troy Krahe (four goals), Luke Mack (one goal) and Tommy Moores (one goal). Then, on Nov. 25, they defeated the Twinsburg Tigers, 7-2, in the Rocket Mortgage Classic to improve to 2-0 on the season.
The Bombers next face St. Edwards Nov. 30, while the Tigers and the Lions next play Dec. 3 against the Orange Lions and Canfield, respectively.
