Newark Generals finish what they started in Senior Night triumph

NEWARK ― With a whopping 14 seniors honored Thursday on Senior Night, one couldn't blame the Newark Generals for being a little distracted.

One member of that illustrious group, however, made sure it didn't last for long once they took the ice against the Westerville Warcats.

Granville's Matt Chaykowski scored a little over a minute into the game, added another first-period goal and the Generals went on to a 4-1 Ohio Scholastic League Hockey win at a jam-packed Reese Ice Arena.

"It was definitely something to light up the team," said Chaykowski, who spun as he took a pass from John Glenn senior Logan Williams out top and rifled it home. "Coming out on Senior Night, everyone's minds weren't quite there yet, but it kind of got us locked in. We lost on Senior Night last year, and it left a bad taste in our mouths."

After Westerville (6-7-3 in the league) tied it up, Chaykowski struck again with just 51 seconds left in the first, using fancy stick work to manuever his way in and poke the puck past goalie William Caron. Newark (7-5-4) never trailed again and maintained its hold on third place with the postseason nearing. The Generals out-shot the Warcats 34-21.

"We gave up a big lead against them a few weeks ago (in a 4-4 tie), and was important to finish it off tonight," coach Patrick Brighton said. "Both he and his (twin) brother (Mikey) bring that energy, and when the team feels it, we can be hard to stop."

They finally finished things after a scoreless second period, with Newark senior Trey Robinson taking a puck off the wall, skating to the middle and blasting it into the back of the net with 9:55 left for a 3-1 lead. Miles Eckenrode and Derek Beneze were credited with assists. Robinson had just missed on some other attempts, much like he has all season, and it was only his second league goal.

"It was kind of emotional," he said. "Not many people can say they scored on Senior Night. I was able to keep grinding until the end, and was able to be that guy."

Licking Valley senior Tanner Wilson closed out the scoring with just nine seconds to play off assists by Mikey Chaykowski and Hayden Locher, capping off a night when seniors from seven high schools, including two from John Glenn in neighboring Muskingum County, were honored. Williams, whose younger brother Mason also plays for the Generals, leads them with nine league goals, while Muskie teammate Aaron Johnson had 20 saves and has been the top goalie all season.

"I love them," Robinson said. "I've played with them for a long time. I remember starting out, Aaron didn't know anything about hockey."

The John Glenn trio hasn't minded the many two-hour round trips, from New Concord to Newark and back.

"I've enjoyed those trips, with my buddy (Johnson) and brother," said Williams, who registered a hat trick as a sophomore on Senior Night. "It's a long trip, and sometimes it gets old, doing it four or five days a week. But it's been worth the two hours. We just all love hockey."

As they head to the home stretch, the Generals have been enjoying improved play after they struggled at one point against a demanding schedule. They recently won Olentangy Orange's Pioneer Classic.

"We had a little bit of a struggle there in December, and in January, things started looking up," Brighton said. "We've done a little line switching, and we're trying to get that chemistry. Tonight, it was starting to click."

"We went 0-5-5 during one stretch, but the last 10 games, we're playing better," Williams said. "That's even with the line change, and two or three injuries (Newark Catholic senior Mason Hackett is out for the season). We're still clicking."

The Generals' meatgrinder continues with a trip to Walsh Jesuit this weekend, but the tough schedule is by design.

"When we were struggling there, we were playing against top tier teams," Brighton said. "Three of the top five teams in the state. Walsh is also one of the best teams, and we look forward to the challenge. We've made this schedule for the seniors. They deserve it. Some of those losses were by only one goal. We want to be running on all cylinders in February. We have two big weekends, this weekend and next. Then, it's championship time. We have to find ways to finish."

League-leading Dayton is 16-0 and has overpowered opponents 120-9. But after losing 4-0 to second-place Hilliard, Newark scratched out back-to-back ties against the Wildcats.

Robinson has been playing hockey for 12 years. The Chaykowskis are going on 14 years. He's played with several of the Generals for a long time, and the seniors want to go out with a bang. Robinson thinks his team can hang with Dayton, if it puts together a complete game.

"We have to cross that finish line, and not pull up short," he said. "A couple of those Dayton games were close, for two periods. We have to be that scrappy team, and catch fire at the right time."

dweidig@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark Generals finish what they started in Senior Night triumph