For the first time since 2008, the Edwardsville hockey team is the MVCHA 2A champion.
The Tigers defeated Althoff 4-1 on Tuesday at East Alton Ice Arena to sweep the best-of-three finals. Edwardsville won 4-3 on Monday at the U.S. Ice Sports Complex in Fairview Heights.
"Our seniors were eighth-graders the last time we won this four years ago, so they had never had the opportunity to win a championship," Edwardsville coach Jason Walker said. "The look on their faces when they picked up that trophy made it worth all the hard work we did this year."
In three previous games, including two victories against Granite City in the semifinals, Edwardsville fell behind by two or more goals. This time, the Tigers got a first-period power play goal by Max Cobb (assisted by Jon Weisner) and went ahead 2-0 in the second period on a goal by Weisner, with the assist going to Tyler Krapf.
"Cobb and Weisner have been big for us all year and they were our team point leaders in the playoffs," Walker said. "We did a much better job of getting off to a good start and it’s a lot easier when you don’t have to come from behind. The kids knew they had a chance to wrap up the title and they wanted to take advantage of it."
A goal by Althoff’s Adam Dettenmeier brought the Crusaders within one goal, but another power play goal by Cobb made the score 3-1 with 2:11 to play in the second period. Edwardsville (17-6) closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal by Weisner.
"Our depth made a big difference - Althoff has a short bench and I think they were kind of worn out at the end," said Walker, whose team had a 38-26 advantage in shots on goal. "This group had a lot of similarities to the 2008 team and the senior leadership was a big thing. They had a winning attitude and nothing bothered them. This season was a roller-coaster ride at times, but they kept plugging away."
Althoff (16-6-1) dealt with a variety of health problems for Tuesday’s game.
"(Junior defenseman) Jake Switzer has had a swollen ankle since the O’Fallon (semifinal) series and a lot of guys wouldn’t have played on it," Crusaders coach Charlie Kassly said. "Adam Dettenmeier, who is our power forward, and my son Adam, who is our starting goalie, both went home a little early from school because they were sick. Hunter Sieron has had the stomach flu lately, but all of those guys played because they knew what was at stake.
"That’s no excuse - you have to play with the hand you’re dealt - but having that extra (forward) line really helps. It’s similar to boxing when one fighter has one or two more inches of reach. It may not matter at first, but as the match goes on, that edge becomes apparent."
The game was the last for Althoff’s four seniors - Dettenmeier, Sieron, Brad Burnworth and Sean Ditch.
"Thanks to their leadership, it was a very enjoyable season of coaching," Kassly said. "A lot of times we didn’t have two full lines, but those guys helped us get through it."
