The RRHS winter sports season got underway on Friday evening. The iciest of River’s winter sports kicked things off, as the hockey team opened its 2018-19 season with a 6-1 victory over Benedictine.
The Pirates (1-0) were led by their senior captain triumvirate. Captain Nolan Weaver and assistant captains Tommy Kelly and Luke Witziegreuter combined for eight points in the season-opening contest at Hamilton Arena. Friday’s Pirates-Bengals meeting was a crossover game in Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League action.
The home side produced three special-teams goals and did a credible job in preventing quality looks in its own zone.
“Our defense did a good job taking away space and limiting shots,” said Head Coach Chris Cogan, who noted the improved fitness levels of his core blue-liners.
Rocky River held sway over the early minutes of the contest, controlling the puck and pressuring the Benedictine defense. The Bengals didn’t manage so much as a two-pass possession in the offensive zone until eight minutes had elapsed. River’s steady pressure netted a goal at the 1:40-mark of the first when Luke Witzigreuter finished off a rush up the right side of the ice alongside Nolan Weaver. Danny Asmar was also in on the play with an assist.
A minute later the Pirates were working to kill off the first penalty of the night, when senior captain Tommy Kelly turned around a possession in the River defensive zone and sent the puck up ice with Weaver. The speedy Weaver darted in for a shot, which was denied by Benedictine netminder Tristan Cotter but then corralled and flicked into the net by Witzigreuter. River went into the first intermission leading, 2-0.
The second period was an exchange of penalties — two aside — and the middle frame saw Rocky River’s first power-play goal of the season. That goal came on the heels of River killing off a penalty. Notable on that kill was the play of defenseman Matt Stueber, who was active in smartly harassing passing lanes. And it was Stueber providing a key play in setting up the ensuing Pirate power-play goal.
A monster Stueber hit and some nifty stick-work helped River maintain puck possession the offensive zone. Taking control of the puck he jarred loose, Stueber skated across the point and delivered a flat set-up to Ethan Routenberg on the right flank. Routenberg let loose a hard slap shot which deposited the puck top-shelf-right, over Cotter’s shoulder. That goal — at the 6:30-mark of the second — lifted the Pirates to a 3-0 lead.
The Maroon & White were content to roll lines, get pucks deep and turn the clock against the Bengals in the third. The third was a three-for-one exchange on the Hamilton Arena scoreboard, with Rocky River getting goals by Danny Asmar (showing speed and fine stick-work on a back-hander at 7:09), Routenberg again (scoring off the ensuing faceoff won by Witzigreuter) and Weaver (a power-play one-timer set up by Kelly). Benedictine (0-1) logged its lone goal off a shot initially saved by junior goaltender Ethan
Mylett made 14 saves for the game. His opposite Cotter was credited with 48 stops in a game that saw the Pirates outshoot the Bengals, 54-15. The River penalty-killing unit — a big plus last season with an 88-percent success rate — went 4-for-4 in Friday’s game; the Pirate power play went 2-of-5.
River had two such power plays in the contest and led by Witzigreuter and Luke Mallett, the Pirates went 26-19 (58 percent) over 45 faceoffs.
River’s second (scored by Witzigreuter but credited to Weaver by the officials) and third (scored by Routenberg but credited to Stueber) goals were not correctly recorded by the officials, so the assignment of goals and assists is out of whack through game No. 1. But that’s just bookkeeping; the ledger shows a a 6-1 victory on opening night. And the Pirates have now won 10 season openers in a row.
Friday’s contest marked the front end of a weekend double: River will be at North Olmsted on Saturday (6:15 p.m. faceoff). The Pirates will return to Hamilton Arena when they host the Tim Alexander Memorial Thanksgiving Tournament (Nov. 23-25).
Article via Skip Snow VNN Network of RRHS
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