Game Recap

Ice Prowlers away versus the Athens Bobcats
Blue Jackets Cup GCHSCHL Championship Tournament
@ the Dispatch Ice Haus
Sunday, February 19th, 2006

PROWLERS BEAT ATHENS TO ADVANCE TO FINALS

The Prowlers will advance to their fourth straight Blue Jackets Cup Finals this afternoon after they knocked off the GCHSCHL regular season champion Athens Bobcats 4-3 in overtime this morning. The Prowlers now have a chance to reclaim the Blue Jackets Cup from the Westerville Warcats who defeated them in triple overtime last season to win the trophy (2/21/2005). The Prowlers took the hard route to the Finals though. After a second round loss, the Prowlers were forced to beat the rest of the league through the losers bracket.

They knew that Athens would be their toughest opponent yet as they finished three points behind them in the regular season standings. The Bobcats had just lost 4-3 in overtime to the Warcats the night before, and were looking for payback to get back to the finals for their third time in five seasons.

The game started out with the power play being key as both teams traded goals with the man advantage in the first. Senior alternate captain Taylor Walcutt netted the first for the Prowlers with 5:50 remaining in the period (assisted by junior alternate captain Brian Rossi and junior Nick Hess). Athens countered just 1:19 later though when Braddock Caesar guided a bouncing puck through traffic and behind junior goaltender Justin Lohrman to even the score up at 1-1 after the first.

The second period saw back and forth play, but the Prowlers finally beat goaltender Alex Hubbard with 2:57 remaining when Rossi sent a pass across the ice to junior Cody Berkebile who fired a shot that was tapped in on the doorstep by sophomore Luke Wilkins to put the Prowlers up 2-1 going into the second intermission. The Prowlers killed off big penalties to start and end the period which was key to them keeping the lead going into the third.

The game got a lot more interesting though when Kevin Fisher scored for the Bobcats just 32 seconds into the period converting a 2-on-1 break for Athens to tie the score at 2-2. The Prowlers converted a power play goal when Berkebile cut in from the point and beat Hubbard glove side high to regain the lead 3-2, but the Bobcats had no quit in them as they pulled their goalie in the final minutes and were able to convert a scramble in front into a goal with just 8.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

The two teams went to overtime, but the game was ended when Hess bored in on goal and blew a shot past Hubbard 2:28 into the extra period to advance the Prowlers back into the Blue Jackets Cup Finals.

The team jumps right back on the ice at 2:00 PM at the Dispatch Ice Haus in a rematch with the Westerville Warcats in this year's Cup Finals. The Prowlers took their first Cup in 2003 from the Bobcats who were the 2002 Cup Champions and look to do the same this year to the Warcats. But, a Warcat win ends the Tournament, while the Prowlers must win to force a deciding game at 7:30 PM on Monday (2/20/2006) back at the Dispatch Ice Haus.