Totally tublar dude

The Green Wave riders of Holy Name, took 5 extra sets last night.  Four complete extra's and one partial, to down the last standing member of the Brothers of the Holy Cross schools.  Gilmour, and St Ignatius fell out earlier. 
Welcome to the big surf competition. 
The question for Holy Name is will they drop in like Kelly Slater and have a killer ride

or will they look far more like this guy....

Personally...as much as like pirate talk, and the intrigue of a potential all public state final four, it wont happen.  Here is why...aside from St. Johns over in Cleveland having been the #1 ranked Team in the state all season.

Holy Name has J. Bucell with 6 goals and 11 assits for 17pts and ranked 7th among league scorers, as their top gun.  Rocky River has E Sperli at 13 goals and 6 assist for 19 pts, 4th in scoring as their leading plunderer.  Holy Name has J. Meehan at 9 goals and 6 assist for 15pts, ranked 10th.  Rocky River has B DeLano at 3 goals, 9 assists for 12 pts and K. Kopechek at 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 pts ranked 15th and 18th respectively. Yet even with those guns, season goals for tips to Holy Name. The defense for the two teams Holy name has given up 185 shots this year and surrendered 10 goals.  Surfer Sam Pikus has a .94 save %.  Rocky River has surendered 226 shots, sundered 20 goals and deckhand Jake Nicholson has a .92 save %.  Those numbers drop in favor of our surfers at Holy Name as well.  Better D, better goalie in the smallest of margins.  What is deal breaker for Pirates in my book is the head to head this season.  Holy name 8 goals for and 3 agaist.  That is it.  Game one a close 4-3 Holy Name win and the second a 4-0 rout.  The experience and confidence in this series is in the hands of Holy Name.

By Order of the Lord thy God, the Plundering Stops

 

While sweeping a team any team in the regular is great, it comes with some expense.  You only have to win this one game.  This one game, that's it.  Rocky River need only be well coached and play their perfect game to loot the chapel.

  Scouting Ohio Hockey's final Rankings published Feb 4th 2013
1. St. Johns- odds of a title win 1-1
2. Walsh- odds of title win 4-1
3. Shaker- odds of title win 10-1
4. Orange- odds of title win 27-1
5. St. Ignatius odds of title win 5-1
6. Holy Name odds of title win 24-1
7. Sylvania Northview- odds of title win 30-1
8. Liberty odds of title win 50-1


Who we have left and what it looks like today
1. St johns even money
2. Sylvania Northview 7-1
3. Shaker 8-1
4. Holy Name 8-1
5. Rocky River 15-1
6. U.S 15-1
7. Liberty 20-1
8. Jerome 23-1

odds of an Public final...humm 14-1?

ARRRR! The Pirates booty.

ARRR!  The Pirates are plundering and pillaging! Their treasure chests are nearly running over.  Congratulations, on last nights glorious win over St. Ignatius.  
The 3-1 victory has Rocky River kept you in the fight.  The war for the Championship is not nearly over.  That path requires 3 more challages.  The first of which is March 2, 1500hrs at Brooklyn.  Rest not easily, and nor celebrate this victory.  Instead you must, hoist sail, batten down the hatches, and make ready your guns.   With a light hand on the helm, steady winds at your back you are closing in on your next opportunity.  Rocky River has three top 20 players at 4th Eric Sperli with 13 goals and 6 assist, 15th Brandon DeLano with 3 goals and 9 assists and 18th Kyle Kopechek with 5 goals and 5 assist.

 

The Red Raiders and University School match up.  March 1st 1930hrs at Kent State.

This game look has the teams splitting their head to head to head.  

As we look at production, Shaker has three players in the top 20.  5th Longman with 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 pts.  Jacob Shick with 10 goals and 6 Assists for 16pts. Connor Siwiki with 8 goals and 2 assists for 10 pts.  Totaling 26 goals, 26 assist for 52 pts. Ranked 5, 8 and17

University School has two in the top 20.  Evan Krueger 5 goals and 7 assist for 12pts.  Tyler Dalton 5 goals and 6 assist for 11 pts.  Ranks 14th and 16th for a total of 10 goals and 12 assist and 22pts.  half the production of the Raiders even if we add in 22nd ranked Clarke Jones with his 4 goals and 9 assist US is still out gunned, this tilt just reads Shaker.

 

Red Raiders Rolling. Shaker Heights beats Walsh 5-3

The Red Raiders defeated Walsh last evening.  The game puck had to go to the Red Raiders leading scorer Siwiki, who netted a HAT TRICK!  Congratulations.  The other pair of lamp lighters came from Longman and J. Shick.  The Red Raiders have reached the district finals to face Gilmour or US.  That game is played this evening at 1930 at KSU.

I had several emails asking me why Northview can not win against St. Johns in the Sylvania District finals.  Stating this or that and mostly that the league games were split and that Sylvania has momentum.  So I will lay it all out as to why Northview cant win.
1. Last team to repeat State Titles was St Edwards in 2004, then in 2005.  Prior to that Bowling Green High School won three in a row, 1997, 1998, 1999.  Before that St. Ed's won three in a row 1994,1995,1996.  The team to repeat before that was Padua.  A Padua team which I would like to point out, had Brian Holzinger on the roster in the 1988 and 1989 title wins.  Who then went on to be drafted 124th by the Buffalo Sabres NHL and the marched right to BGSU where he won a Hobey Baker.
2. Reality.  ST. Johns has 179 goals for, and 63 against  Vs. Sylvania 150 goals for and 63 goals against

3.  Head to head  St. Johns has 4 goals for 1 against.  Northview has 1 Goal for and 4 against.

4.  In League play  St Johns has 6 of the leagues top 20 scorers.  Northview has 4

5. The St Johns Top scorers total 34 goals, 67 Assists for 101 points
    The Northview top scorers       19 Goals, 42 Assist for 61 points

6 St. Johns top 6 scorers in the league are 1, 2,3, 8,10 and 20
Northview top 4 scorers in the league are 4,7,9 and 17

7. The nod in goal tending goes to Barrett at St. Johns

8.  The nod on experience goes to Northview.  Where by experience I mean that which comes from a winning culture.  All of the current Sr.s at Northview have an association with the 2009 runner up at states, and the wining season in years prior.  Add in the years since 2009 and the 2012 Title, and Northview is a head here.

The real question is how do you add it up?
I look at the head to head and season consistency and that Northview doesn't match up.
Should you like the intangibles you look at the winning culture, the 1-0 win over St. Johns and dont see 40pts of production as a  deficit.

Raise your glass and lets all toast....

The great state of Ohio's high school hockey players!  It is Feburary 25 2013.  We are heading in to the golden days of the season!

Today at 1930 will be one of the more exciting tilts.  The Shaker Red Raiders battle for pride with Walsh, at Kent State.  I called for a Shaker Vs. Lake final...ops Lake was the looser to Gilmore in a 2-0 final.  I did say the odds favor Walsh and they do, but I like my Red Raiders!  They just need take the ice with the confidence that has at times eluded them in big games.  The other side of this coin is the 2/26 game at 1930 in Kent State.  U School and Gilmour.  Im going with Gilmour
I still think the Red Raiders can win it all and Im holding to it.  Shaker to States.

Brooklyn fires up on 2/26 as Iggy and Rocky River square off.  I had high hope for Rocky River this year, they seem to have been hot enough all year, but they need a shot of the bottle and play till the clock runs out to pull out this up set.  Edy and Holly Name.  The experience is with last years state final loosers St. Eds over Holly Name.  A nasty battle here, you can see this going either way Eds heated up and Holly Name playing solid.  Holly Name and Iggy final with Iggy headed to States


Sylvania, Oh Sylvania.  The best team in the State today, St. Johns playing the defending state champions.  The teams split in the regular season, and St. Johns played a great game against NWHC returning to the stage Bobcats.  Northview took Findlay down in a game where I figured the Trojans would again rake havoc in the district semis.  So, we have Toledo St. Johns and Sylvania.  Im still playing to the odds State Title Favorite Titans.  The Titans have goal-tending, solid D and the same offensive depth Sylvania had last year.  Sylvania has more hit than miss goal-tending, but its not perfect.  The d is solid when out of the box, and the scoring is there, with some big guns.
it will be a wild game. on 3-2.

Columbus.  Orange is out.  My pick is again out.  We have Dublin Jerome playing Olentangy Liberty.
I have to go with Liberty.  They seemed to carry this season with broad shoulders and desire.  Not saying Jerome is any kind of slouch team, they just were 3rd in my models all year and having upset Orange just doesn't carry them over the hump.  Regardless of who wins, none of the teams from Capital Conference are fairly up to the challenge.  It is shameful on the part of the OHSSA to behold this everyone's a winner mentality.  It is long over due but common sense changes need to be made in the name of competition.

Austin Gryca

 Coach of record Jim Cooper knew what Austin brought to the table.  Current Head Coach Mike Jones saw it as well.

 Northviews goalie coach Jeremy Schneider saw it, and developed it further...

Sylvania Northview Wildcats 4 year letter winner and 2011-2012 Ohio State High School Champion goalie is building a reputation.  That reputation is as the goalie you don't want to face.  A reputation he established in Ohio,  and is earning again as a rookie in the Jr hockey ranks, with the MJHL Laconia Leafs.

  The 5'9" 160lb Gryca falls in solidly into the athletic goalie category.  Explosive, Quick, and flexible.  Powerful, always squared up,  good gaps, attacks the puck and playing bigger than 5'8" stature are all typical accolades.
So, how well has Austin been playing?  In a recent start he faced 54 shots, stopping all but 4 for a .92 save %. The following night he entered the game after his counter part surrendered 3 goals in the first 5 min.  Again going on and nearly repeating his previous nights performance, having  a .91 save %.  Over the course of his 23 games played (1121min) Austin has managed to maintain a 3.56 GAA, and .89 Save %, having turned away 610 shots.  Austin is ranked 4th in the league.

Austin has said he couldn't have asked for a better experience to start his Jr career.  He loves Laconia New Hampshire, and lake Winnipesaukee.  He further says his teammates are his best friends, they have built their own  brother hood, and he can count on them for anything, and they him.  Laconia Leafs games can be viewed live or in the archive at www.fasthockey.com


What truely sets Austin apart and above as an eliet goalie is  mental toughness  that can not be taught.  Every goalie has it to a degree.  The ability to play the game with the weight of the world on your shoulders, as your team battles in front of you.  Your doing all you can to keep pucks out of the net, and when that one does go in, you have to collect yourself and move on.  Start all over again, as if it never happened.   Austin Gryca has it, at the elite level.  How do I know?  Austin has been playing this season all the while having a deep concern for his hero.  His father.  Who only recently underwent open heart surgery, and is himself working hard in the recovery process.  Austin was playing his season knowing and wondering about his father.  Then at his bed side pre and post surgery the whole time.  Enough to wear on any 18 year old.

Now back in Laconia, Austin was taking his turn as back up, when after falling behind 4-1 to the CT Wolfpack.  Coach Fay turned to Gryca and he entered the game for the next 2 stanzas, facing 17 shots and surrendering but one goal in a 5-2 loss.  This is why the former Ohio High School State Champion is garnering the interest of division three and one hockey programs.  This is why he has captivated interests from jr programs in Western Canada to the Eastern United States.  He is an elite goalie, offering the whole package from hockey to humanity and humility.

Stay tuned in the very near future Scouting Ohio High School Hockey will be bringing you an exclusive with Austin Gryca.  Life of a Jr hockey goalie.


MjHL  schedule:
  
20406     Northern Cyclones     Laconia Leafs     Laconia Ice Arena     League Game     02-23-2013     4:25 AM     

The Brackets are published.

Capital Conference:
upper bracket has Liberty as the #1 seed, playing Beaver creek...a game that should not be played Beaver Creek and so many other teams belong in a single A division with their own championship, this business of not properly dividing high caliber teams and lower teams is going to result in a serious injury.  Liberty will play Upper most ligle to advance to quarter finals where Liberty should win and advance to Semi finals and face Orange who will Likely play Troy in the quarter finals then Dublin Jerome in the semi final
again

Winner ORANGE

Sylvania Bracket. 
Toledo St. johns the odds on state favorite for this year is the #1 they play the winner of Toledo St Francis and Maumee.  Honestly I think we will see Maumee advance to face St. Johns. 
next is BG vs Ottawa hills.  BG advances to play Anthony Wayne, BG advances to play Toledo St Johns in the semi finals

Findaly plays Freemont, winner Findlay, to play southview or whitmer.  Findlay advances to semi
Northview has bye, plays winner of Perrysburg and Clay.  Northview plays Findlay

St. Johns will play winner of Findlay - Northview. That game will be wild.  Findlay will play St. Johns
St. Johns advances to states to play Orange, and St. Johns plays in the finals.


Kent
Shaker is our #1 seed and will advance to play the winner of Mentor- Pepper Pike.  Shaker to Semi to play Walsh at the end of the day.  This will be a great game and while the Red Raiders will win, its one of those where the odds are in favor of Walsh. 
The story is only partly over...there is bottom half of the bracket and as good a contest as Shaker v Walsh will be, we are looking at a Lake Catholic vs University School.  While U.S is the Favorite in this one, Im calling it in favor of Lake Catholic.   A Shaker vs Lake final, going to Shaker

Brooklynn
No sleep til Brooklyn, while the State poll like Iggy and Iggy gets to coast in to the Semi here, they will face a Rocky River team hell bent on dismantling them...Rocky wont, but it will be battle untill the 3rd when Iggy buries them.
Bottom half we see the Holy Name St. Eds game.  this tilt goes to Holy Name in OT

Iggy  vs Holy Name this goes to IGGY

So now we have the first State Semi game with Shaker and Iggy.  A battle.  This one goes to Shaker
leaving a Shaker Toledo St. Johns Final which goes to the Titans.  The Titians have all the stats on their side Goal Differential, Goals For, Goals Against.  Mirroring what the numbers of a decade of teams have done to win it all.


Now again, its time to create two championship levels, and its time to HIGH TIME to get the Championship games moved out of NATION WIDE, its to damn big.  PUT it in BGSU, HOBART and KENT STATE, and rotate the finals.

Wild Weekend

Where to begin...
Capital Conference.   Olentangy Orange, my personal favorite, and seemingly odds on favorite to repeat has begun to stumble?  After shredding Watterson 10-0, they droped a game they needed to win, against Upper Arlington.  Now Upper is no slouch in the Capital Conference, but Upper is not in the same class as Orange.  This loss is a disappointment, and at 5-1 its out right embarrassing.  Champions win games they need to win, they win the games they are supposed to win.  This is what we are looking at across the state right now.  Heading into district play there are gross break downs of in team disiplan, players being ejected and DQ'd, teams not playing to their potential.  This is the time when Champions are in full stride, and ready to roll.  The odds on State Champion favorite this is tracking on a perfect course.
Orange will advance to States

In the NHC Toledo St. Johns is that odds on favorite.  Mike Hays and the Titans have to be laughing at the Sylvania Northview loss to Findlay.  Down 2 players who were DQ'ed for the weekends games,  banned from practice and one gone for the year on the heels of his 2nd DQ.  The Wildcats as predicted fell to the Trojans 4-3.  There is just not any foreseeable waythe defending champions will be able to make out of district play.  Findlay has lost a player now to a DQ that occurred during the BG-Findlay game.  All this when BG is getting their stride.  A stride that has eluded them in the past years.  Goalie Tanner Fausnaugh plays a true hybrid style in net. Playing well outside the paint, with good angles he leaves to little are for shooters.  His form nothing like that of Nate Gays big body, playing a bit a deep.  People can argue, but Fausnaugh now has an impressive .91 Sv%.   The BG forwards are skilled, swift skaters unafraid to shoot and battle in the corners, or behind the net.  I will not doubt that BG makes an interesting run in the district games, and next year you ought to just make they are in the top three to start the year.
Toledo St. Johns will win the State Title.

Cleveland...oh Cleveland.  Your killing me!  HaHa.  Every year your coaches all do so well getting your teams to peak at this point.  It really messes with the predictions, and just proves how wide open the conferences are. So again a wild weekend.  We have US over Eds 5-2 and 1-0  over Shaker.  Eds over Ignatius 5-2, Holy Name over Hudson 2-0 and Hudson  over Mentor 5-4 OT.
League Stats have Walsh and Holy Name Tied at 7-2-1 for first, with Walsh way out ahead in GF at 48 and Holy name at 35.  I have to say Rocky River I had my hopes, but its just not be this year, youve improved, and are looking to remain a threat, but sorry, not this year.  As much it really could happen, Walsh will be heading to states, and will play SJJ for the Championship

North west Cleveland.  Aye, yi, yi.... oh what a tight race with in districts, St Ignatus and Eds again at the top, with the Red Raiders tied with Eds for Second.  The Raider did falter, loosing to both Ignatius and US in their last two outings.  Any of these three teams is capable of reaching states.  Ignatius and Ed's have the clear advantages with culture.  While all indicators now point at Ignatius being in states, my gut is me telling Shaker. 
Shaker will reach states but fall to Walsh.


So my final Rankings are
1. St. Johns  (1-1)
2. Walsh    (4-1)
3. Shaker   ( 10-1)
4. Olentangy Orange ( 27-1)
5. St. Ignatius ( 5-1)
6. Holy Name  (24-1)
7. Sylvania Northview (30-1)
8. Olentangy Liberty    (50-1)

MY HOCKEY RANKINGS 2-2-2013

You just have to appreciate the work and love for the game he shows with this site.
Numbers just dont lie, and if your team is not paying close attention to here, its doubtful they are on the ice.

Ohio High School Hockey Rankings - by MyHockey