North Royalton Bears

The North Royalton Bears defeated the Lakota East Thunderhawks in game 1 of the 2014 Buckeye Cup State Championships. The Bears trailed 1-0 after the 1st period but tied the score midway through the middle period when Aaron Wynbrandt won an offensive zone faceoff, walked the defenseman and beat the keeper with a nifty shot. North Royalton took a 2-1 lead early in the 3rd when Michael Dzoba took a pass from Branden Walsh and buried the puck, Aaron Schmitt also was credited for an assist on the score. Lakota wouldn’t go away and knotted the game at two apiece with just over 5 minutes remaining however the Bears responded just a minute later when Aaron Schmitt knocked home the rebound of an Angelo Nero blast. Tyler Roesch played solid between the pipes for North Royalton stopping 18 of the 20 Thunderhawks shots he faced. The win, the Bears 32nd of the year, sets a new club record for wins in a single season topping the previous mark set by the 2010-2011 Bears.

The North Royalton Bears were eliminated from the North Coast HS Hockey League (NCHSHL) playoffs falling, 3-2, to the Riverside Beavers on February 27th. The opening period was evenly matched however the Bears found themselves trailing by two entering the middle period. The Bears finally found the back of the net when Branden Walsh got the Bears within one, smacking home a Michael Dzoba rebound- also assisting on the goal was Jeremy Gripp. North Royalton continued to battle and netted the game tying goal with just over four minutes remaining; Michael Dzoba’s score tied the game at two with assists being awarded to Walsh and Aaron Schmitt. The score didn’t remain tied for long however as Riverside popped in the game winner just a minute after Dzoba’s goal.

North Royalton will look to put their recent inconsistent play behind them as they prepare for the Buckeye Cup State Championships which will be held at Gilmour Academy March 7-9th. North Royalton (31-16-1) will be a #4 seed in the Buckeye Cup and will face off against the Lakota East Thunderhawks, Newark Generals and Mason Comets in their tournament games.

The North Royalton Bears skated past the Great Lakes Freeze, 7-0, on February 25th to advance to the quarter finals of the North Coast High School Hockey League playoffs. The Bears started slowly scoring only one goal in each the 1st and 2nd periods; both goals were scored by Aaron Schmitt with Michael Dzoba and Branden Walsh assisting on both. North Royalton’s offense came alive in the final period as the Bears netted five goals. Schmitt completed his hat trick with his line mates, Walsh and Dzoba, once again picking up the helpers. The next goal was scored by Branden Walsh assisted by Schmitt and Dzoba, besides being the Bears 4th goal of the game it was also Walsh’s team leading 100th point of the season. Walsh, not to be outdone by Schmitt, added the next two goals for a hat trick of his own- his second goal was assisted by Schmitt and Aaron Wynbrandt and his third goal was assisted by Preston Vinyard and Logan Kieklak. Angelo Nero capped off the scoring for the Bears redirecting a Christian Fernandez shot; also picking up an assist on the Nero goal was Timmy Orlosky. Senior net minder, Tyler Roesch, picked up his 19th win on the year and 4th shutout with a 17 save performance.

The North Royalton Bears opened up the 2013/14 North Coast High School Hockey League playoffs against the Wooster Oilers on Saturday February 22nd with an 8-0 victory. The win, the Bears 30th of the season, featured 8 goals scored by just four goal scorers. Branden Walsh (3G, 3A) led all scorers with three goals, Michael Dzoba (2G, 2A) and Aaron Wynbrandt (2G) each had a pair and Dylan Kovach (1G) added a solo tally. Several North Royalton players picked up assists; Aaron Schmitt picked up four helpers, Preston Vinyard picked up two assists while Timmy Orlosky, Steven Vinyard, Christian Fernandez, Peyton Matthews and goaltender- Marc Silver all contributed a single assist.

North Royalton faced off against the Medina Bees in game two of the NCHSHL playoffs on Sunday, February 23rd falling to Medina 7-0. The Bears showed well in the 1st period, skating hard and keeping pace however penalty late in the period proved costly as Medina took the 1-0 lead scoring on the power play. North Royalton struggled mightily in the middle period giving up five Medina scores, three in a 52 second span to start the period. The loss sends the Bears into the loser’s bracket of the double elimination playoff where they will meet the Great Lakes Freeze on Tuesday, February 25th in Mentor at 830pm.

The North Royalton Bears fell to the Medina Bees, 5-0, in the semi-final game of the Rock and Roll Cup, President’s Day Tournament on February 17th at Gilmour Academy. North Royalton seemed to lack their normal energy and Medina took advantage scoring four 1st period goals and one in the middle frame. The Bears will look to get back on track next weekend when they open up against the Wooster Oilers in the North Coast HS Hockey League playoffs on Saturday, February 22nd at 5pm in Mentor.