Bay sophomore Alex Harris, left, flicks the puck into the net for one of his two goals last Sunday night in a 5-0 win over Canfield. Ready for the rebound is Rocket teammate Buddy Martin. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Rockets roar to 10-0 start
By Jim Horvath
Sports
Published Dec. 17, 2008

Bay hockey head coach Terry Chadwick thought his Rockets might get off to a good start this season.

But 7-0?

How about 10-0?

“I expected a good start, but I didn’t think we’d be 7-0 at this point,” admitted Chadwick last Friday afternoon as his team prepared for a three-game weekend against Brooklyn, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and Canfield.

“Going into the Euclid tournament, I felt we would be one of the better teams there,” said Chadwick, whose team won that invitational to start the season Thanksgiving weekend. “We’re scoring a lot of goals, but our defense has been a major factor as well.”

Both factors were in play this past weekend as the Rockets made it a perfect 10-for-10 to open the season.

It all began last Friday night at Winterhurst Ice Rink. Buddy Martin and Matt McLaughlin each scored a hat trick as Bay destroyed previously unbeaten Brooklyn, 11-1. Last Saturday, the Rockets hit the road to Mentor and took down NDCL, 4-2, as a two-goal second period helped put Bay at 3-0 in the Blue South Division of the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League.

Last Sunday, Bay put the capper on a perfect weekend with a 5-0 shutout win over Canfield at Winterhurst to move to 4-0 in the Blue South. Sophomores Alex Harris and Luke Heberle each had a pair of goals for the Rockets, who bombarded the Canfield net with 44 shots on goal.

What makes the strong start so impressive, according to Chadwick, is that so many players are making solid contributions. While Martin, a senior forward, is one of the team’s top scorers, several other players have impressive numbers as well.

And with the roster small in numbers, there are no set lines. That means players have to learn to mesh with a number of combinations Chadwick might put out on the ice.

“With a short roster, we’re constantly moving kids in and out of lineups,” said Chadwick. “The guys are used to playing with different combinations out there.

“For example, we were without Martin that first weekend because he was out of town on his class trip,” said Chadwick. “That allowed other guys to step up and contribute right away. Then he comes back and scores nine goals in just two games the following weekend.”

Bay sophomore goalie Dan Scheufler turns away a Canfield shot last Sunday as senior defenseman Matt Notarberardino moves in to assist. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Another example of the Rockets’ scoring depth came this past weekend as junior forward Dan Pailes was out due to sickness. Pailes had eight goals and 10 assists in the team’s first seven games.

Heberle went into the weekend with eight goals and 11 assists, while McLaughlin had five goals and led the team in assists with 12. Harris had nine goals and six assists going into the weekend, and added four more assists in the win over Brooklyn.

The strong offense has been a big help to goal Dan Scheufler and Dominic Zappala. Scheufler, a sophomore, had 21 saves in the big win over NDCL, then added 12 more Sunday against Canfield. Zappala, a junior, manned the crease against Brooklyn and registered 11 saves.

Then there’s the defense, which Chadwick is equally proud of. With just four defensemen on the Rockets’ 16-man roster, their job becomes all the more important – and tougher.

“Our defense, like I said, has been a major factor,” said Chadwick. “Matt Notarberardino is getting 33-34 minutes per night and has shown great senior leadership back there.

“We’ve got a junior, Jack Jordan, and a pair of freshmen in Nathan Notarberardino and Christian Nye. They’ve stepped up and made a big difference for us, and that’s difficult when you’re playing so many minutes each game. And both Dan and Dominic have been solid in goal for us.”

While numbers have been down recently, Chadwick feels this year’s team has a certain chemistry that may make the sport attractive to more players in the near future.

“The chemistry on this team is good so far,” said Chadwick. “The guys are all pulling for each other, and that makes it easier for everybody. The kids are working really hard, and it’s great to see them work that hard and be successful. That’s really what it’s all about.

“We have some guys on our team, like Dan Kozar, who haven’t played a lot of hockey in the past,” said Chadwick. “But Dan’s contributing to our success, and we’re hoping that more guys like him come out and give hockey a try in the future.”

In other action on the ice last weekend:

Eagles win another tourney
North Olmsted also moved to a perfect 10-0 on the season by winning the Benedictine Holiday Tournament.

The Eagles defeated Cincinnati Moeller, 4-3, in overtime last Sunday in the championship game. They blasted Thomas Worthington, 11-1, in the final game of the round robin competition after taking care of Holy Name (5-3) and Avon Lake (10-0) earlier in the weekend.

Seniors Chad Murphy and Brandon Hammermeister, along with sophomore Ryan Sutton and junior Sean McBride scored the goals for North Olmsted. McBride scored the game-winner in the OT session off an assist from Murphy. Murphy was named the tournament MVP.

Senior goalie Brenden Maye registered 15 saves to get the win. He recorded the win in each of the team’s four games.

River icers move to 7-1-1
The Pirates got a hard-fought 2-1 win over Gilmour Academy last Sunday at Hamilton Ice Arena after settling for a 4-4 tie at North Canton Hoover last Friday.

River, now 2-0-1 in the White Division, got goals from junior forwards Greg Soltes and Todd Hendricks to get the home ice win. Junior goalie Bridget Gipper went the distance and registered 14 saves.

Against Hoover, Soltes had a pair of goals and Gipper registered 23 saves. The Pirates hosted Avon Lake last night and participate in the Kent Holiday Tournament this weekend.