The Kenston Bombers dominated rival Chagrin Falls, 7-0, on the ice Dec. 1. Here’s a look at how both coaches felt before and after the contest.
Jim Revak, Chagrin Falls head hockey coach:
V: You have a lot of seniors on the team. Which of your players do you expect to lead the team tonight against your archrival Kenston?
JR: Although we have 10 Seniors, I expect Ben Winovich, Cameron Lucas, Matthew Witalec and Andrew Guggenheim to be leaders.
V: How do you prevent your team from being too overconfident as they approach the start of this rivalry game?
JR: We’re not overconfident. Kenston is very good. We know exactly what type of team were playing.
V: You’re matching wits with (Kenston’s) Tom Fritsche a new coach at this level. How important is winning this game for both you and your team against the Kenston hockey team?
JR: We haven’t won this game in three previous years since we re-started Chagrin Falls hockey program. The players want to play well and win the game.
Tom Fritsche, Kenston head hockey coach:
V: Your team earned a second place showing in the tournament you participated in last weekend in Columbus.W hat message do you send to your players to get them focused on this rivalry game against Chagrin Falls?
TF: The players are very “amped up” for the game. This is my first taste of this rivalry, but I can tell winning this game means a lot to the players.
V: Do you plan on making any changes in the lines you used in Columbus to get ready for tonight’s game against Chagrin Falls?
TF: We had success so I’m planning on using the same lines I deployed in Columbus.
V: You’re matching wits with Jim Revak who has been a head coach at the high school level for many years. How important is winning this game for both you and your team against Jim and the Chagrin Falls hockey team?
TF: Ever since I took this position, Jim has been nothing but helpful to me; especially regarding the OHSAA high school hockey rules. I’ll be pleased if the players play hard which should result in us being successful on the ice.
What happened:
First period:
There is a lot of excitement in the arena as the referee drops the puck for the opening faceoff at 7:26 PM. Nick Kendra gets the Bombers on the board with the first goal.
The assist is credited to Ashton Taylor one of the Bombers’ stellar senior defensivemen. Val Carriero puts the puck past goaltender Ben Winovich’s glove hand side with Kendra and John Barto assisting on the goal.
Tim Matty and Jack Haynes earn assists on Ashton Taylor’s goal with a mere 0:17 seconds left in the first period to close out the scoring for the Bombers who lead 3 – 0 after the first period.
Second period:
Early on, the Tigers have a two-man advantage, but are thwarted by Bombers’ goaltender Jason Hildebran.
Although the Tigers are playing the Bombers straight up to this point in the period, they have been unable to put the puck past Hildebran.
Midway through the second period, the Tigers’ Joe Conway receives a 10-minute misconduct penalty.
The Bombers pepper Winovich with hard shots and to his credit he has been making some terrific saves. Kendra finally breaks through with his second goal of the game. Tanner Mulhern earns an assist on the goal with a beautiful pass to Kendra.
A few minutes later, Tyler Holub goes end-to-end to score an unassisted goal beating goaltender Winovich on the stick hand side. Kenston leads 5-0 after two periods.
Third period:
After hitting the post earlier on in the third period, Bombers’ senior John Barto beats Winovich on the stick side with a wrist shot past the sprawling Chagrin goalie to make it 6 – 0 Kenston.
The Kenston players are moving the puck well and creating a lot of scoring opportunities, but Winovich is doing all he can to keep his team in the game.
With 5:55 seconds left in the third period, Holub scores his second unassisted goal of the game on a slap shot to put the game on ice.
Final score: Bombers 7, Tigers 0. Kenston outshot its opponent 51 to 13.
Despite Winovich’s heroic effort, the Bombers were just too much for the Tigers this evening at the Pond. The home team Bombers maintain bragging rights over their crosstown rivals — Tigers — as it relates to hockey for the fourth consecutive year.
Jim Revak, Chagrin Falls head coach:
V: Based on the results of tonight’s game, what would you like to share about your team’s play?
JR: Even though we didn’t have success on the scoreboard, we gave a great effort. I was especially pleased with how the freshmen played most of whom came out of this game knowing they can play at this level. That was good.
I want to commend Ben Winovich who faced 51 shots on goal and made 44 saves.
V: What is your hope for continuing to build the Chagrin Falls hockey program now that you’ve been at it the last three plus years?
JR: We’ll continue to stress how important it is to improve as a team. Our fans and players continue to show excitement about playing this rivalry game. Evident by the 10 freshman and sophomores on the team our feeder system for the hockey program is strong. We’re hopeful in the next few years to be able to enjoy a victory against our arch rivals.
Tom Fritsche, Kenston head coach:
V: Based on the results of tonight’s game, what would you like to share about your team’s play?
TF: I’m very pleased. The boys played discipline hockey continually skating north and south. As I stated before, I like our team speed. We demonstrated how playing fast creates scoring opportunities.
All the players played well. Tyler Holub stood out and dominated. Tyler’s combination of strength and skill as evident by his two unassisted goals allowed him to standout tonight.
V: It’s early in the season. Based on tonight’s win, what does your team need to work on as you prepare for the games against your Red North division rivals?
TF: We need to continue to play fast against our division opponents. I’d like to see us communicate louder on the ice. I always tell the players; if I can’t hear you on the bench you’re not talking load enough for your teammates. This was my first exposure to this rivalry game. My first impression is that it’s fun. It’s great to see the fans and players from both schools really get into the game.