Riverside Hockey Club

SOLON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Dec. 26-28, 2007
 GATES MILLS -- Riverside's club hockey program has taken many significant steps in its brief history. There was little doubt this week's tournament hosted by Solon at Gilmour Academy was another leap forward for the Beavers skaters.
 Riverside was more than just competitive in a four-team tournament against established varsity programs. The Beavers were victorious.
 Riverside won two of three games and missed a berth in the championship game by the narrowest of margins. It finished in a virtual dead heat with Mayfield and Solon, which also were 2-1.
  The tournament format was five points per game: one point for winning a period, a half point for tying a period and two points for a victory. Solon and Riverside both finished with 9.5 points after their third game Saturday afternoon.
 Mayfield needed to earn 4.5 points in its third game against NDCL to pass Riverside and Solon and secure a spot in the final. The Wildcats earned exactly 4.5 points in a 4-1 victory, leaving Solon and Riverside tied for the second berth. The first tiebreaker was head-to-head results, which gave the nod to Solon by virtue of its 4-2 victory over the Beavers.
 The slim margin between having a chance to win a tournament championship and being on the outside looking in left Riverside with a lesson that should help it on its journey: that every period and every shift counts.
 A few days prior to the tournament, it was noted in the local paper that it would be interesting to see if Riverside could compete with varsity teams. The Beavers certainly answered that question. Their level of play and comportment on and off the ice also impressed tournament organizers, who promised to have Riverside back next year -- yet another step for the program.
 
Dec. 26, 2007
Mayfield 2, Riverside 1
 The Beavers got off to a rousing start against one of the best Blue Division teams in the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League. Riverside skated with purpose from the opening puck drop. Nick Tribuzzo sprinted up the right side and scored after taking a pass from defenseman Ian Warsinskey for a 1-0 lead 3:30 into the game. Defenseman David Shook's crisp, two-line pass on Matt Crouse's tape set up Crouse for a breakaway goal and a 2-0 lead with 2:50 remaining in the first period.
 Riverside failed to maintain the pressure in the second period and the awakened Wildcats peppered goalie James Penca with 10 shots, all of which he rejected.
  The Beavers produced two big penalty kills in the second period. Defensemen Colton Siedlarczyk and Shook, and forwards Crouse and Tribuzzo did the bulk of the work to hold Mayfield without a shot on a power play early in the period. A Mayfield power play late in the period kept Penca busy and he made several stellar saves.
 Riverside played more conservative in the third period and gave up a goal with 2:52 remaining. It did not alter the outcome of the game, but the lost period would cost the Beavers in the long run.
 The Beavers played outstanding defense in this game. Holding Mayfield, including talented forwards Ian Musgrave and Kyle Abrose, to just two goals was a major accomplishment. Mayfield scored 15 goals in its next three tournament games and had 11 in two games against Solon. Mayfield won the tournament with a 5-2 victory over Solon in the championship.
 
Dec. 27, 2007
Riverside 5, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 0
 Riverside won and raised its record to 2-0 in the Solon Holiday Classic. Goalie Devan Rose posted his second consecutive shutout. Rose handled all 15 shots he faced and the Beavers dominated play throughout the contest.
 Ryan Zawacki scored the first two goals, Matt Crouse also scored twice and Jordan Sintic scored. David Shook had two assists. Also picking up assists were Crouse, Derek Cogar, Michael Branem, Robert Stolz and Nick Tribuzzo.

Dec. 28, 2007
Solon 4, Riverside 2
 One of the oldest cliches in hockey is that the most important two minutes are the first and last minutes of each period. It's when games are won and lost, and in this case, it also was the difference in reaching the tournament final.
 Riverside entered the game needing to earn 1.5 points to guarantee a spot in the championship game, meaning that if it did not win the game, it had to win one period and at least tie another.
 Solon scored on two of its first three shots for a 2-0 lead, a devastating beginning for the Beavers. However, any thoughts the Comets might have had about turning the game into a rout were erased by a steady Riverside squad that showed its character and refused to back down.
  The Beavers battled through 26 tense, scoreless minutes and goalie James Penca recovered from the rough start to fend off 13 consecutive shots.
 Riverside was closing in on garnering a half point toward the end of a scoreless second period, but picked up two penalties and gave Solon a two-man advantage. It was too much, and with just 14.9 seconds remaining, Solon scored for a 3-0 lead and won the period.
 Again, the Beavers didn't quit.
 Solon scored an early goal for a 4-0 lead, but Riverside continued to work hard on every shift. The payoff was several scoring opportunities and two goals. David Shook netted a slap shot off a Nick Tribuzzo feed. Ryan Zawacki redirected a terrific slap shot by Robert Stolz, who lifted the puck over a diving Solon player, cutting the lead to 4-2. Ian Warsinskey had a hard slap shot glance off goalie Jonathan Hirko's right shoulder and just outside the post, and the Beavers missed the mark on a couple other chances.
 Riverside outshot Solon, 28-21. Penca and Devan Rose combined to stop 17 shots. Rose did not allow a goal.