There are nights, given their complexion, that can test a team to its core.
It had all been going so well for University entering a Jan. 21 Great Lakes Hockey League clash with Walsh Jesuit at OBM Arena in Strongsville.
The Preppers were riding an eight-game unbeaten run, including a dominant 4-0 win over defending state champion Gilmour the prior evening in a battle of the Nos. 1 and 2 squads in The News-Herald Top of the Crop.
They had gone 10-1-1 since Dec. 23.
They held a three-goal lead after two periods against the Warriors.
Then disaster struck.
US relinquished that lead in the third, including a pair of tallies in the final two minutes to force extra hockey, and Ryan Kerscher’s goal early in OT sealed the improbable comeback victory for Walsh, 4-3.
The Preppers had gotten a great game from its third line of TJ Lavelle, Mark Filippelli and Gavin Jones, who had contributed two of the three goals and consistently good shifts.
But it all went south as a whole in the third.
Everything is still in focus for US (19-7-1, 3-2 GLHL), of course – from the Cleveland Cup to their frozen-four aspirations.
This one – and its complexion – felt different, though. As well it should.
“Yeah, the Blue line, our third line was going great tonight,” Preppers coach Andy Gerow said. “They ended up creating a 2-on-1 chance that Gavin ended up finishing to get the original goal. Then Mark had a really nice shot to get another goal.
“So, yeah, we were playing good through two periods, but it takes 45 minutes to get a win and sometimes a little extra. We started to get away from what we do to be successful. We took a couple penalties there. They capitalized on the power play, and then, Josh Weiner, Ryan Kerscher and those guys are tough. They made big-time shots when they needed to.”
Jones had given US a 1-0 lead after one, taking a backboard feed from Lavelle and slotting a wrister gloveside at 10:29, the sophomore’s fifth goal of the winter.
#NHhockey US 1-0
Gavin Jones at 10:29 pic.twitter.com/wAmbbExQT1— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) January 21, 2023
The Preppers took a boatload of momentum into the third, with Filippelli striking at 12:39. And with 14 seconds left in the period, Sam Wade hit a neutral-zone tapper up ice for Luke Palmer, who walked in and did well from the right circle for a 3-0 lead.
It didn’t stand.
It began to unravel with a tripping penalty at 3:53. Andrew Holcomb put away a banger on the crease at 4:18 to make it 3-1.
Walsh (12-10-2, 1-4 GLHL) went on the man advantage again with 3:04 left after an interference call.
The Warriors got a Joe Holtzer goal at 13:02 to pull within 3-2.
Then Josh Weiner slotted a screened wrister with 59 seconds left from high in the zone to knot it at 3.
The crosstown trip back to Hunting Valley likely wouldn’t have felt ideal for the Preppers anyway, even if they had been able to grab a goal in OT and gut it out, given the circumstances of regulation.
Unfortunately, it became even more dire of a hard look in the mirror when Kerscher cashed in a snapper of a water-bottle shelfie 1:24 into OT for the game-winner.
The good news, if there was any, for the Preppers was they could get right back on the ice, with a Jan. 22 GLHL encounter with Padua, moved to Mentor Civic Arena due to the continued closure of the Pavilion at Cleveland Heights.
“Sometimes, these learning lessons are tough,” Gerow said. “But we get to go right back out tomorrow. Another big league game. At this point in the season, they’re all big. We’ll look at film. We’ll regroup from this. We’ve got to get right back after it tomorrow.”
