Despite losses, PRPC still aiming for Cup title

As seen in ThisWeek News
Thursday, November 16, 2006

JEREMY STEWART
ThisWeek Staff Writer

By David J. Yunker/ThisWeek Cody Berkebile of Pickerington/Reynoldsburg/Pataskala/Canal Winchester fires a shot at Athens goalie Shaun Ludwin last Sunday at the Dispatch Ice Haus in Nationwide Arena. The teams tied at 1. Berkebile, who was a starter on defense last season, also will play forward. He was fourth on the team last season with 19 goals.

By David J. Yunker/ThisWeek Adam McGrath of Pickerington/Reynoldsburg/Pataskala/Canal Winchester skates past a fallen Nick Gates of Athens last Sunday at the Dispatch Ice Haus in Nationwide Arena. McGrath, who had 23 goals and 23 assists last season, attends Pickerington High School North.

AT A GLANCE: Coach: Jay C. Catherine, first season Next game: Friday vs. Olentangy at Chiller North Key players: Cody Berkebile, Justin Lohrman, Adam McGrath, Brad Noskowiak, Brian Rossi and Dan Smith

Even though the Pickerington/ Reynoldsburg/Pataskala/Canal Winchester club hockey team lost the Greater Columbus High School Club Hockey League's top scorers from its first line and will use a first-year starter in net for half of its games, first-year coach Jay C. Catherine said the goal remains a Blue Jackets Cup championship.

"We have a lot of returning players," said Catherine, who served as goaltender coach under former coach Marty Laroche the last four seasons. "We don't have many that are new to the team."

PRPC tied Athens at 1 last Sunday and is 1-1-5. It will play Friday at the Chiller North against Olentangy, which opened 2-6-1.

The Ice Prowler will rely heavily on the play freshman Dan Smith (Pickerington North). He will split starts in goal with Justin Lohrman (North), who started 33 games last year and had an .849 save percentage with a 2.74 goals-against average.

"After last year we have a lot of experience in goal," Catherine said. "The addition of Dan Smith will help balance us out.

"The advantage (of playing them both) is that one goaltender doesn't have to carry the whole workload. They're in there for 45 minutes. A forward can come out after a bad shift. When a goaltender has a bad game, it shows up as a loss. Now we have both that are capable goaltenders."

The two-goaltender system worked well in the past for the Ice Prowlers. The two-time Blue Jackets Cup champions captured the second of consecutive titles during the 2003-2004 season as Jesse Betts (Pickerington Central) started 20 times and Zach Ahern (Central) had 17 starts.

Juniors Brian Rossi (North) and Cody Berkebile (North) are the starting defensemen playing in front of Lohrman and Smith.

Rossi and Berkebile, who are co-captains, started 34 and 31 games respectively on the blue line for a team that gave up 60 goals during the regular season last year, the second-fewest behind Athens (33).

Catherine describes Rossi as the Ice Prowlers' "most stable defensemen," who "has been able to take a leadership role with the team."

Berkebile, who was fourth on the team in goals last season with 19, also will see time at forward.

Other defenders include senior Loren Chrisman (North), juniors Tyler Annetts (Central), Zach Novotni (Watkins Memorial), Ryan Straker (Licking Heights) and Zach Wiard (Watkins Memorial), sophomores Ryan McMullen (North) and Dan Johnson (Central) and freshman Alex Daniels (Reynoldsburg).

The offense is going to have to replace graduate Taylor Walcutt, a forward who was the league's leading scorer, and Nick Hess, a senior who has become the fifth Prowler to play for the Columbus Junior B Blue Jackets.

Hess, a forward, was the Ice Prowlers' second all-time leading scorer when he left with 145 points (70 goals, 75 assists) in 101 games. His brother, 2004 graduate T.J. Hess, is the all-time points leader with 187 in 145 games.

PRPC hopes the offense will survive with sophomore forwards Adam McGrath (North) and Brad Noskowiak (Reynoldsburg), who were the only freshman to make the all-star team last year.

McGrath had 23 goals and had 23 assists last year and was the leader in assists during the Blue Jackets Cup tournament with 10. Noskowiak has been injured this season, but Catherine expects to have Noskowiak back at full strength for Friday's game.

"We call Brad a sniper. He can score from far out. He hits hard and is accurate. The only issue with him is getting him to shoot," Catherine said. "McGrath blends skating speed with being really good with the puck. Every shift he brings a lot of intensity."

Also returning to an offense that scored 162 goals last season are seniors Geoffrey Killan (North) and Max Matsanoff (North), juniors Bobby Castricone (Central), Tyler Cole (North), Taylor Markell (Central), Aaron McKenzie (North), Tommy Newhard (Hartley), Luke Wilkins (alternate captain, Canal Winchester) and Austin Zurbriggen (Canal Winchester) and freshman Taylor Kantor (Pickerington North).

Catherine believes Westerville, Athens, Newark, Hilliard/Southwest and Olentangy are on equal footing, saying "there are six teams vying for four spots." The seventh team in the league is Northeast, which finished the previous two seasons 6-41, including 0-24 last year.

Rossi was more concerned with the way his team finishes games.

"We have the talent to be successful," he said. "The biggest thing we need is to have a work ethic all game and not be passive and let teams back in the game in the third period."

Last season the Ice Prowlers finished 14-7-3 with 31 points, three points behind champion Athens (16-6-2, 34). The Ice Prowlers lost in the Blue Jackets Cup final for the second consecutive season.

The second-place finish in the Blue Jackets Cup tournament earned the Ice Prowlers a No. 2 seed in the Buckeye Cup state championship tournament.

There, they lost in the second round to eventual champion Medina 2-1 of the North Coast High School Hockey League and in the losers bracket to Massillon Jackson 4-1 of the NCHSHL.