Game Recap

Buckeye Cup State Championship Tournament
Ice Prowlers home versus the Medina Bees
@ the Alice Noble Ice Arena (Wooster, OH)
Friday, March 4th, 2005

PROWLER OFFENSE A NO-SHOW AT BUCKEYE CUP OPENER

The Prowlers had finished their regular season in first place in the GCHSCHL with a 21-3-0 record (24-5-0 overall). They went on to the Blue Jackets Cup GCHSCHL Championship Final before losing 4-3 (2/21/2005)in triple overtime to arch-rival Westerville. In seasons past, that would have been the end of the season. This year though, there is more hockey to be played as the Prowlers represent the GCHSCHL in the inaugural Buckeye Cup State Championship Tournament.

The tournament takes the top teams from the GCHSCHL (Columbus), the North Coast High School Hockey League (NCHSHL) in Cleveland and the Cincinnati High School Hockey League (CHSHL) in Cincinnati, and gives them the chance to compete for the state title. As the GCHSCHL's top team in the regular season, the Prowlers earned the number one seed from Columbus and opened the tournament against the Medina Bees (5-3-2) who held the number three seed out of Cleveland.

The Prowlers had defeated the number one seed from Cleveland, the Jackson Polar Bears, by a score of 6-3 (10/31/2004) back in their first game of the season, but had no idea what to expect from the Cleveland teams in this tournament. After a tough loss in the Blue Jacket Cup Finals, the Prowlers hoped to jump right back on the horse to start off this tournament, but ran into a wall as they took the ice at the Alice Noble Arena in Wooster, Ohio.

As is always the case when two unfamiliar teams face off, the tempo was one of caution when the game started. The Prowlers dictated the play for most of the period, but the Bees kept stride keeping the score knotted at 0-0 after one period of play. A fresh ice cut between periods in the Buckeye Cup tournament games gave both teams a chance to regroup between periods, but may have played more to the advantage of Medina.

The second period was more of the same in this tight checking game. Both goaltenders stood strong in net. Freshman Miles McGrew got a little help from the metal as the Bees were inches from scoring with 5:04 remaining in the period. As the Medina shot came off the crossbar, the Prowlers were able to turn the play around quickly, but junior Taylor Walcutt was stopped on a breakaway in the Prowler's best scoring chance of the period.

The third period started with the Prowlers shorthanded. The Prowlers killed off that penalty and then hit a post of their own while shorthanded again when senior alternate captain Anthony Kantor's shot clanked off the post at 11:14 of the third. The Bees broke the scoreless tie with 7:22 remaining in the game sneaking a shot past McGrew. Just under two minutes later, the Prowlers received their first and only power play opportunity of the game, but were unable to produce. They then found themselves shorthanded for the forth time in the game and the final 1:45 of regulation. The team pulled McGrew for the extra attacker and a chance to tie the game and finish with 2-1/2 points in the tournament standings, but were unable to score and were shutout for the second time this season.

A heartbreaking loss, the Prowler offense did not come prepared on this night. Producing only one point in the tournament standings, the Prowlers now will hold on for an outside chance at still qualifying for the tournament's Semi-Final round when they face the Mooney/Ursuline Thunder (NCHSHL) at 8:00 PM on Saturday (3/5/2005) at the Center Ice Sports Complex in Canton, Ohio.