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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.
Riverside 4, Walsh Jesuit JV 0
Senior goalie Devan Rose and the Beavers blue liners combined on a shutout at Mentor.
Riverside held Walsh's junior varsity team to just 11 shots and Rose handled all of them. He had two flurries of saves at critical junctures. The first came while the game still was scoreless early in the first period. The second occurred late in the second period while the Beavers clung to a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Vincent Tomolonis scored with an assist from David Shook for a 2-0 lead in what was the turning point of the contest.
Shook, a senior defenseman, also had the game's first goal, a terrific slap shot on breakaway from the blue line. The low, hard missile glanced off the goalie's right pad and inside the post for a 1-0 lead with 6:04 left in the first period.
Ryan Zawacki and Robert Stolz scored in the third period. Derek Cogar, Ryan Bissell and Jason Kluk picked up assists.
Riverside killed six Walsh power plays.
Senior goalie Devan Rose and the Beavers blue liners combined on a shutout at Mentor.
Riverside held Walsh's junior varsity team to just 11 shots and Rose handled all of them. He had two flurries of saves at critical junctures. The first came while the game still was scoreless early in the first period. The second occurred late in the second period while the Beavers clung to a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Vincent Tomolonis scored with an assist from David Shook for a 2-0 lead in what was the turning point of the contest.
Shook, a senior defenseman, also had the game's first goal, a terrific slap shot on breakaway from the blue line. The low, hard missile glanced off the goalie's right pad and inside the post for a 1-0 lead with 6:04 left in the first period.
Ryan Zawacki and Robert Stolz scored in the third period. Derek Cogar, Ryan Bissell and Jason Kluk picked up assists.
Riverside killed six Walsh power plays.
Dec. 15, 2007
Riverside 6, VASJ 4: Never a dull moment when the puck drops between these two rivals.
The Beavers stumbled early, giving up a goal at 2:05 of the first period, but they caught fire and burned Villa Angela-St. Joseph for four straight goals, including a hat trick by reliable senior forward Matt Crouse.
The increasingly productive and relentless first line of Crouse, multi-talented senior Nick Tribuzzo and hard-nosed junior Jordan Sintic combined on the first goal off a scramble down low at 5:35. Michael Branem's and Ryan Zawacki converted a breakaway for a 2-1 lead, and Zawacki and defenseman David Shook assisted Crouse's second goal with 1:31 left in the first.
Crouse wasted no time securing his hat trick 28 seconds into the second period as Tribuzzo picked up his second assist.
VASJ didn't back down, however. The Vikings, who thrive on physical play, were able to knock Riverside off its game, or perhaps the Beavers relaxed with the lead. VASJ notched two goals 23 seconds apart midway through the second and tied it, 4-4. Between the goals, Riverside picked up a penalty and put the Vikings on the power play for the second score.
VASJ's goal with 1:33 left in the secon tied it, 4-4, prompting a timeout for the Beavers to collect themselves.
Riverside has as tradition of sprinting onto the ice before each period and the Beavers carried that momentum into the initial shifts of the final stanza as the intensity picked up on the ice and in the stands, where a good showing was making plenty of noise for both teams.
The payoff for Riverside came 2:05 into the third when Zawacki, a slick sophomore, scored off a shot by senior defenseman Ian Warsinskey for a 5-4 lead. Defenseman David Shook was not credited with an assist, but he may also have had a hand in directing the puck to Zawacki, who picked up his third point of the game. Warsinskey, meanwhile, received a helping of redemption. This was his first game back from a knee injury that was the result of a late hit against VASJ two weeks ago. Earlier in the season, a VASJ player jammed Warsinskey with his stick, sparking a fight.
VASJ pulled its goalie with 93 seconds to play and Branem got loose to fill the empty net for his second goal, which secured the win.
Riverside goalie James Penca, who staved off nine shots in the third period, finished with 25 saves.
The victory kept Riverside (11-3, 4-1) in the hunt for the North Coast High School Hockey League title.
Riverside 6, VASJ 4: Never a dull moment when the puck drops between these two rivals.
The Beavers stumbled early, giving up a goal at 2:05 of the first period, but they caught fire and burned Villa Angela-St. Joseph for four straight goals, including a hat trick by reliable senior forward Matt Crouse.
The increasingly productive and relentless first line of Crouse, multi-talented senior Nick Tribuzzo and hard-nosed junior Jordan Sintic combined on the first goal off a scramble down low at 5:35. Michael Branem's and Ryan Zawacki converted a breakaway for a 2-1 lead, and Zawacki and defenseman David Shook assisted Crouse's second goal with 1:31 left in the first.
Crouse wasted no time securing his hat trick 28 seconds into the second period as Tribuzzo picked up his second assist.
VASJ didn't back down, however. The Vikings, who thrive on physical play, were able to knock Riverside off its game, or perhaps the Beavers relaxed with the lead. VASJ notched two goals 23 seconds apart midway through the second and tied it, 4-4. Between the goals, Riverside picked up a penalty and put the Vikings on the power play for the second score.
VASJ's goal with 1:33 left in the secon tied it, 4-4, prompting a timeout for the Beavers to collect themselves.
Riverside has as tradition of sprinting onto the ice before each period and the Beavers carried that momentum into the initial shifts of the final stanza as the intensity picked up on the ice and in the stands, where a good showing was making plenty of noise for both teams.
The payoff for Riverside came 2:05 into the third when Zawacki, a slick sophomore, scored off a shot by senior defenseman Ian Warsinskey for a 5-4 lead. Defenseman David Shook was not credited with an assist, but he may also have had a hand in directing the puck to Zawacki, who picked up his third point of the game. Warsinskey, meanwhile, received a helping of redemption. This was his first game back from a knee injury that was the result of a late hit against VASJ two weeks ago. Earlier in the season, a VASJ player jammed Warsinskey with his stick, sparking a fight.
VASJ pulled its goalie with 93 seconds to play and Branem got loose to fill the empty net for his second goal, which secured the win.
Riverside goalie James Penca, who staved off nine shots in the third period, finished with 25 saves.
The victory kept Riverside (11-3, 4-1) in the hunt for the North Coast High School Hockey League title.
Dec. 8, 2007
Medina 6, Riverside 0
A 2-0 game after two periods at Mentor spiralled down the tubes early in the third as the Beavers surrendered three goals in seven minutes and suffered their first NCHSHL loss of the season.
Riverside was outshot, 39-22, by a quick team that appeared much more interested in getting to the puck. Riverside (3-1, 2-1) came up empty handed in eight power-play opportunities. Devan Rose had 33 saves.
Medina 6, Riverside 0
A 2-0 game after two periods at Mentor spiralled down the tubes early in the third as the Beavers surrendered three goals in seven minutes and suffered their first NCHSHL loss of the season.
Riverside was outshot, 39-22, by a quick team that appeared much more interested in getting to the puck. Riverside (3-1, 2-1) came up empty handed in eight power-play opportunities. Devan Rose had 33 saves.
Nov. 30, 2007
Riverside 7, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 2
At Youngstown Ice Zone
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Beavers hit the road for their first North Coast High School Hockey League game of the 2007-08 campaign, and it was a worthwhile the trip.
Junior forward Jordan Sintic had three points (two goals, one assist) and freshman Ryan Zawacki picked up a playmaker (three assists) as Riverside mounted increasing offensive pressure each period.
Colton Siedlarczyk scored the lone goal of the first period, unassisted on a power play. Ryan Zawacki and David Shook both had power-play tallies in the second period and Robert Stolz also scored off a Zawacki assist for a 4-2 lead after two periods.
Sintic scored twice in the third period, one coming off a tape-to-tape, two-line pass from defenseman Ian Warsinskey. The all-freshman line of Joe Hughes, Vinny Tomolonis and David Stolz combined on a third-period goal with Hughes filling the net.
Goalie James Penca stopped 11 of 13 shots.
A road trip wouldn't be complete without a team dinner, and the Beavers headed to BW-3s in Boardman after the game.
Riverside 7, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 2
At Youngstown Ice Zone
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Beavers hit the road for their first North Coast High School Hockey League game of the 2007-08 campaign, and it was a worthwhile the trip.
Junior forward Jordan Sintic had three points (two goals, one assist) and freshman Ryan Zawacki picked up a playmaker (three assists) as Riverside mounted increasing offensive pressure each period.
Colton Siedlarczyk scored the lone goal of the first period, unassisted on a power play. Ryan Zawacki and David Shook both had power-play tallies in the second period and Robert Stolz also scored off a Zawacki assist for a 4-2 lead after two periods.
Sintic scored twice in the third period, one coming off a tape-to-tape, two-line pass from defenseman Ian Warsinskey. The all-freshman line of Joe Hughes, Vinny Tomolonis and David Stolz combined on a third-period goal with Hughes filling the net.
Goalie James Penca stopped 11 of 13 shots.
A road trip wouldn't be complete without a team dinner, and the Beavers headed to BW-3s in Boardman after the game.
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