Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
homerhorizon.com SPORTS<br />
the Homer Horizon | March 15, 2018 | 45<br />
Hockey<br />
Celtics cannot overcome penalties in state quarterfinal<br />
Chris Walker<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
Penalties have plagued Providence,<br />
while Stevenson has had the<br />
Celtics’ number all season long.<br />
Nothing really changed during<br />
the March 7 quarterfinal game between<br />
the two teams in the Amateur<br />
Hockey Association of Illinois<br />
Red Varsity Division state playoffs<br />
in Bensenville, as the Patriots advanced<br />
with a 5-1 victory.<br />
Providence, the state runner-up<br />
the past two seasons, saw its season<br />
come to an end at 28-17-7.<br />
“The penalties came up and bit us<br />
again,” Celtics coach Nick Iaciancio<br />
said. “All year long, every time we<br />
had any momentum, we were called<br />
for something. We had a power play<br />
and took a penalty, and, come playoff<br />
time, you can’t overcome those<br />
as often as we had to.”<br />
The Celtics, who had tied Stevenson<br />
3-3, and lost 3-1 and 6-2<br />
previously, were cited for nine infractions<br />
this time.<br />
“We were tight against them and<br />
only had the one game that got a<br />
little out of hand,” Iaciancio said.<br />
“The one we tied was in a tournament<br />
when they scored on a last<br />
minute face-off play, so we’ve<br />
played them pretty good.”<br />
Stevenson (54-17-2) converted<br />
its power play chance at the 6:00<br />
mark of the first period when Adam<br />
Offenbach slipped a pass to Trevor<br />
Hilt, who sent a shot out of the<br />
reach of Providence goalie Kameron<br />
Bustos.<br />
The Celtics had chances of their<br />
own to draw even, but attempts by<br />
Dylan Gorski, Cam Cutler, Colin<br />
Ries and Jack McConnell were offline,<br />
deflected or snatched up by<br />
Stevenson goalie Elias Sandholm,<br />
a transfer student from Sweden,<br />
who saved 27-of-28 shot attempts.<br />
The Patriots extended their lead<br />
to 3-0 in the second period on a<br />
transition goal from its leading<br />
scorer, Jackson Leptich, and then a<br />
bit of a lucky goal from Seth Cohen<br />
as the puck caromed among a<br />
crowd of players and slipped past<br />
Bustos.<br />
“I told the guys in between periods<br />
that we outplayed them and<br />
out-chanced them in the first two<br />
periods, but we weren’t getting<br />
bounces,” Iaciancio said. “Sometimes,<br />
you have to make your own<br />
luck, and that’s what we were hoping<br />
to come out in the third period<br />
and try to do. Other than giving up<br />
the goals we gave up, I was happy<br />
with how we played in those first<br />
two periods.”<br />
One thing the Celtics weren’t<br />
blessed with this season was a<br />
bunch of big-time scorers, although<br />
they had a handful of talented<br />
guys that were capable of<br />
finding the net.<br />
Gorski was the lone one to find it<br />
for the Celtics, as he cut their deficit<br />
to 3-1 at the 10:38 mark of the<br />
third period. McConnell and Ryan<br />
Kaup assisted on his effort.<br />
Tom Davis and Shane Horan had<br />
solid scoring chances shortly thereafter<br />
to attempt to draw the Celtics<br />
to within a goal, but both had their<br />
shots turned away from Sandholm.<br />
Offenbach gave the Patriots additional<br />
breathing room when he<br />
scored at the 5:43 mark of the third<br />
period, and Leptich sealed the game<br />
when he delivered just 1:26 later.<br />
“We obviously knew anything<br />
could happen against them, so we<br />
tried to come out at our best, and<br />
I think we did a pretty good job of<br />
that,” Leptich said. “We just tried<br />
to stick what we do best against<br />
them: Defense, floor checking,<br />
blocking shots and staying disciplined,<br />
and that seemed to work<br />
out well for us.”<br />
Despite falling short of a thirdstraight<br />
appearance in the state<br />
title game at the United Center, the<br />
Celtics still finished with a strong<br />
postseason run after losing to<br />
Benet in the Kennedy Cup.<br />
“That was tough, but they came<br />
back and have played well the last<br />
few weeks,” Iaciancio said. “If you<br />
go back eight or nine years ago,<br />
this would’ve been a great finish.<br />
Expectations are a little higher<br />
now, but I think we realize we’re<br />
not going to win every time, but<br />
getting to the Elite Eight year after<br />
year after year is a sign of a successful<br />
program.”<br />
Dylan Gorski scored the lone goal for Providence in its state quarterfinal loss March 7 to Stevenson at Edge<br />
Ice Arena in Bensenville. 22nd Century Media File Photos<br />
Jack McConnell (right) was one of the leading scorers for the Celtics. He assisted Dylan Gorski’s goal.
Change language