The season didn't run as long as it hoped, but the Granite City hockey team still had another nice run.
The Warriors won the Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association Class 2A North Division regular season title with 14-2-1 record and faced rival Edwardsville for the right to defend its league championship.
Granite City won Game 1 of its best-of-three series against the Tigers 3-2 and was up 3-2 heading into the third period of Game 2, but Edwardsville rallied for a four third-period goals and a 6-3 win. Game 3 was more of the same as the Warriors skated to a 3-0 lead after two periods only to have Edwardsville tie the game in regulation and win 4-3 in a shootout.
"It's definitely depressing to go up, to let them back in and then lose it in the shootout, especially when we had some good quality chances there at the end," Granite City coach Scott Topal said. "Edwardsville's a good team. They're deep and they don't quit."
The result was a crushing one for a team that was eyeing a fourth straight appearance in the MVCHA Class 2A championship series and a second straight title.
"We actually had a better record this season than last season," Topal said. "With the kids coming over from the St. Louis team, it plugged some holes. A lot of these kids have played together almost their whole lives. They jelled well and worked well together."
The Warriors had a stong group of nine seniors in Brant Takmajian, Matt Burton, Ryan Tinsley, Nick Sabol, Riley Vanyo, Brad Stone, Jared Lewis, Josh Cochran and Erica Ragan.
"Sabol, Takmajian, Tinsley and Burton are some of the best players I've seen from this area," Topal said. "Most of these kids I've known since they were little bitty.
"Originally, I wasn't gonna come back this year. But, because of those seniors this year, I came back and it was just a pleasure coaching these guys. They all gave their all and I was very proud of them."
After scoring 118 goals -- including 56 last season -- in three seasons with the Granite City team in the Mid-States Club Hockey Association, Sabol scored 15 goals in just 10 games this season. Stone, Lewis and Cochran also came over when the MSCHA Granite City team was disbanded.
Burton had 53 goals during the past three seasons and added 19 more and a team-high 25 assists this winter. Tinsley was the team's defensive stalwart again this season and chipped in a career-best 28 points.
But perhaps the biggest strides were made by Takmajian. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound winger scored a team-leading 37 goals in just 17 games this season.
"He's a big, strong kid," Topal said. "Last year, he started figuring out that he needs to play a power game and use his size and his strength. When he starts throwing his body weight and size around, he gets things done."
The one big question mark coming into the season was in goal.
Clint Steinmeyer was dazzling in his first two seasons, but made the roster for the Junior Blues and did not play for Granite City this season. Cameron Barton stepped in and compiled a solid 11-4-1 mark with a 2.42 goals against average.
"There were a lot of people questioning whether Cam could step in," Topal said. "I had watched Cam for the last three years, so I knew what he was capable of. He's a heckuva goalie."
