St. Ignatius Cleveland Captures the 2019 Jesuit Cup

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Wildcats huddle around the 2019 Jesuit Cup trophy

Andrew Shearson, Writer

Top ranked high school team in Ohio, St. Ignatius Cleveland, reigned victorious in the Jesuit Cup hosted by Loyola Academy the weekend of Jan 19-Jan 21.

The tournament consisted of eight Jesuit high school hockey teams from all over North America. Loyola Montreal, St. Joe;s (Philadelphia), and Marquette (Wisconsin) were just a few of the out of state teams competing in the tournament. The Wildcats defeated Loyola’s Gold team in the championship game of a score of 5-3.

The Wildcats started up the scoring in the first minute with a backhand goal from Eric Lile. Several minutes later, Erik Galauner buried a rebound on the power play to propel the Wildcats to a 2-0 lead.

After a slow start, the Ramblers finally got their feet underneath them. The Ramblers answered back thanks to a goal by captain Cooper Prawdzik to cut the lead to 1. Although, the Ramblers sudden jolt of energy was soon ended due to a 5 minute major penalty.

The Wildcat power play was humming all weekend; unparalleled to any other team in the tournament. They made the Ramblers pay, scoring two power play goals by Trobenter and another by Galauner to finish off the period. With a lead of 4-1 at the end of the first period, the Wildcats were poised to lift the Jesuit Cup Trophy.

Unlike the first period, the Ramblers dominated the second. Goals from Eamon O’brien and Aidan Finnegan narrowed the deficit to 4-3. The Ramblers, now applying the pressure, entered the locker room for the second intermission down a goal.

When the players hit the ice for the third period, fans could tell that there was a championship on the line. Both teams competed hard in what was a back and forth period. Neither the Ramblers nor the Wildcats were able to capitalize on their power play opportunities.

With less than a minute left in the contest, McGowan netted an empty netter to put the game out of reach. The St. Ignatius Cleveland team stormed the ice as their parents howled in the stands.

The Jesuit Cup symbolized more than an organized hockey event, however. The teams all came together at Loyola Academy’s chapel for mass and brunch. All of the teams mingled and shared stories with one another while they ate their scrumptious Quest catered food.

Aside from the mass and brunch, opposing teams joined hands in prayer after each game of the tournament. Each team had special intentions they brought forward to pray for. After all, it is more than just a game.