Mentor vs. Rocky River hockey: Cardinals pull away for 4-1 road win
Dec. 22—Mentor didn't traverse crosstown with a full roster complement Dec. 21 at Rocky River.
So the performance by the Cardinals anyway was a compliment — a testament, even — to the standard of the program in recent years regardless of circumstance.
A.J. Trobenter scored a pair of goals, including a key second-period tally on the power play, Anthony Jeffery logged three assists and Mentor emerged from its lengthy road trip to its longtime GCHSHL Red rival and thorn with a 4-1 victory.
The Cardinals (9-4-1) are banged up before Christmas, without the services of several contributors including senior captain and one of Ohio's best two-way defensemen in Brad Backston.
Plus, it was not the most ideal timing — 8 p.m. on a Wednesday night four days before Christmas.
But Mentor handled it with precision.
"I thought we had a little slow start, and were happy to get out of the first down, 1-0," Cardinals coach Paul McKito said. "We came in at the break and said, 'Hey, let's play a good, solid 30 minutes of hockey. Let's get better as the game goes on. And let's try to win the next 30 minutes.'"
Clearly, ears were perked at intermission in locker room No. 3 at Hamilton Ice Arena.
River took a 1-0 lead out of the opening period courtesy of Sean McDonough's tally at 7:12.
But in the second, Mentor was kick-started by a power play, going on the man advantage courtesy of a roughing penalty.
Trobenter slotted a wrister from the left circle and skated toward the corner of his zone to celebrate tying the game at 1.
Late in the period, senior blueliner Jack Geduldig threw a wrister on net from high in the zone in some traffic that went in high at 13:30 for a 2-1 lead.
#NHhockey Mentor senior defenseman Jack Geduldig discusses a 4-1 GCHSHL Red win at Rocky River
Had a key 2nd period goal & is vital to the Cards' cause, especially at the moment with Brad & others out of the lineup pic.twitter.com/LV56CiPzGL
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 22, 2022
"I just tried to find open guys," Trobenter said of his power-play tally. "Everybody just spaced out kind of, and I ripped it and I scored.
"In the locker room, we were all getting focused. We had a tough first period, and we bounced back and just needed one at that point."
Trobenter added his second of the game and team-high 12th of the season at 3:14. Austin Andrews carried deep and was denied at the right bar, but a long rebound dribbled to Trobenter. The sophomore did nicely with a wrister for a 3-1 advantage.
#NHhockey Mentor 3-1
AJ Trobenter at 3:14 pic.twitter.com/R4W06Bqd58
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 22, 2022
He comes to the Cardinals from Lake Catholic, since Lake hockey players can play for Mentor since the Cougars' program remains dormant, and from the Barons' youth organization.
Matthew Friel contributed the final margin at 6:13 with a long wrister that took a carom off a skate after collecting a Jeffery feed.
#NHhockey Mentor 4-1
Matthew Friel at 6:13 pic.twitter.com/BeipKajYcF
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 22, 2022
"(That second-period power play) was definitely the momentum breaker," Jeffery said. "That first period, we started slow and rough. But that completely changed the tide. We went out, we buried a good goal. A.J. had a nice shot off that wrister. That was a nice shot.
"(Different personnel stepping up amid injury woes) is encouraging. It's huge. We need it right now. We're down some significant players. Even our 'D', we're short on. Some players stepped up huge tonight to keep the momentum going."
Coming soon
For more from this game, as McKito and Jeffery discuss McKito reaching a milestone with his 200th win behind the bench with the Cardinals, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.
