NL_032119

44 | March 21, 2019 | the new lenox patriot sports
newlenoxpatriot.com
Hockey
Celtics’ surge falls short against defending state champions
Brittany Kapa
Freelance Reporter
It took just seven seconds
for Providence
Catholic High School to
turn the momentum of
the AHAI state semifinal
game in its favor, but
Loyola Academy Gold
proved why they’re the defending
state champions.
The Ramblers and Celtics
battled it out March 11
at the Edge Ice Arena in
Bensenville, for a chance
to play on the state stage
at the United Center on
March 22. Despite Providence
evening the playing
field early in the second
period, it was Loyola
who regained control and
closed out the semifinal
match 4-2, securing another
trip to state.
The win gives Loyola
Gold a 10-day break before
battling it out against
rival New Trier Green for
the state title.
“We told the guys before
playoff time that it’s
a process,” said Loyola
Gold head coach Donald
Lavarre. “Whether
you continue to advance,
you’re always in the moment.
We will cherish the
moment right now, together,
and tomorrow’s a
new day. We’re still alive.
We get to enjoy going to
practice, team stretches or
whatever team functions
we have.”
The journey to defending
their state title started
with two quick goals in
the first period to give the
Ramblers a 2-0 advantage
going into the second.
Loyola forward Andrew
Buck broke through first,
with Cole Corrigan and
Christian Dunne picking
up the assists. Matthew
Schauwecker, assisted by
Jacob Gonzalez, made it
2-0 roughly two minutes
later, and Loyola Gold
held that lead through the
first.
The Celtics came out
with fire to start the second
period, and after
switching up their lines,
quickly evened the score.
“With playing a more
veteran team, with older
kids, we knew we couldn’t
afford to make any mistakes,”
Providence coach
Nick Iaciancio said. “We
made a couple in the first
period that led to those
goals, but we came back
from that, and I’m proud
of that effort.”
Colin Reis broke
through first less than two
minutes into second-period
play.
Just seven seconds later,
Peyton Botich’s shot
dribbled past Loyola’s
goaltender Matthew Choate
and tied the game with
15 minutes, 18 seconds
left in the period.
“We changed things up,
we decided we were going
to pressure them, so we
got a couple quick ones
off of that,” Iaciancio
said. “We got into some
penalty trouble after that,
and I think that took some
of our momentum away.”
It wasn’t Loyola’s best
hockey in the first minute
and a half of the second,
and Lavarre knew that.
“We fell asleep there
for a minute and a half,
it happens,” Lavarre said.
“It’s unfortunate, but you
didn’t really hear me say
much. It’s about how you
adapt to a little adversity,
and our backs were
against the wall there for
a minute and a half, two
minutes.”
Loyola stayed calm
under pressure, but the
Providence’s Marc Johnston (in green) gets aggressive behind the net against
Loyola’s Hayden Beck March 11 during the AHAI state semifinal match between the
two teams in Bensenville. Photos by Brittany Kapa/22nd Century Media
Loyola’s Eamon O’Brien (left) and Providence’s Graham Garrett try to edge each
other out for puck possession along the boards.
scored stayed even until
the last two minutes of the
period when Aidan Finegan’s
rebound popped
out in Cooper Prawdzik’s
wheelhouse. Prawdzik
took just a second to line
up on a wide-open stickside
net, and took the lead
back for the Ramblers.
Penalty trouble hurt a
young Providence team at
the start of the third, and
a veteran Loyola squad
didn’t waste time turning
that into their advantage.
Gonzalez, assisted by
Finegan, scored the insurance
goal early in the third
period.
“I think 20 seniors going
into the third period
knew that their season
was on the line,” Lavarre
said about his team’s aggressive
third-period play.
Providence, with 13
rookies on the team this
season, two freshmen
among them, played their
best hockey in the last two
weeks of the season.
“It was going to be a
year where it took some
time to mature, luckily
we matured the last two
weeks of the season,” Iaciancio
said.
Sophomore Joe Mc-
Connell, of Mokena, was
disappointed with the outcome,
but his confidence
in his teammate never
waivered during the game.
“Throughout the whole
game I thought we were
going to win, even when
we came out during that
third period even when
we were down two goals,”
he said.
While some sophomores
might be intimated
going up against the defending
state champions,
McConnell knew his best
course of action was to
stay calm, and play his
game. He recorded nine
blocked shots during the
effort.
“I played my game
exactly how I played every
other game, I wasn’t
scared,” he said. “I just
came out and played. I
knew we could beat them.
We just came up short.”
With so many players
returning next season,
Iaciancio has high hopes
for what next season will
bring.
“I just told the returning
players that we’re going
to expect a lot out of
them now, they showed
that they can do what
we asked for and going
forward that’s going to
be their expectation,” he
said.