Olentangy Liberty seeks to snap central Ohio deep freeze at OHSAA hockey tournament
This is what Charlie Hughes envisioned when he decided to join his friends on the Olentangy Liberty hockey team for his senior season.
The Patriots face Cleveland St. Ignatius in a state semifinal at noon Saturday at Nationwide Arena. They are two wins from becoming the first central Ohio program to win the OHSAA championship.
Liberty is ranked second in the state behind St. Ignatius, according to MyHockeyRankings.com. The winner plays No. 3 Sylvania Northview or No. 4 Hunting Valley University School for the title at noon Sunday at Nationwide.
After spending his first three high school seasons at the club level, Hughes leads the Patriots in scoring with 65 points (31 goals, 34 assists).
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“I wasn’t really happy with my (club) experience,” said Hughes, a forward. “I just wanted to have a high school experience. I’ve been online, home-schooled just because of hockey and I wanted to have a student body behind us. It’s been perfect this year and I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Hughes played with the AAA Blue Jackets as a freshman and sophomore and with the AAA Titans in Middletown, New Jersey, last season.
“I knew what this team was capable of,” he said. “We have a lot of guys in the locker room that can play AAA and everyone just wants to have fun. Not only did we make it to state, I think we can win it. I’ve been thinking about this the whole season.”
Liberty (37-1-1) hasn't lost since Nov. 27, when it fell 3-0 to Lakewood St. Edward in the Cold Turkey Tournament in Sylvania. The Patriots tied Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit at 2 on Jan. 15.
“The guys have really bought in and they’re really excited about St. Ignatius,” coach Kevin Alexander said. “We know it’s going to be a heck of a game.”
Liberty previously advanced to state in 2011, 2013 and 2017. Only one central Ohio program has reached the state title game, with Dublin Jerome losing 7-2 to St. Ignatius in 2019.
“I think we have as good a shot as anybody,” Alexander said. “We’d love for it to happen this year. It won’t be easy. We have to come out with our best game of the year the first day and our best game of the year if we’re fortunate enough to move on. Right now, we’re just worried about our guys not getting in the big rink and being too nervous against St. Ignatius.”
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Hughes has received help on offense from sophomore forward Jake Struck (22 goals, 42 assists) and senior defenseman Jacob Kempa (21 goals, 23 assists). Junior goalie Robbie Cook is 16-3-1 with a 1.46 goals-against average and .896 save percentage.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Cook said. “This team is a lot more talented than any team we’ve had. ... We have great chemistry.”
St. Ignatius (24-6-3) has reached state for the 12th time and has won seven championships. It last won the title in 2019.
Coach Pat O’Rourke, who is in his 19th season, earned his 500th career win Feb. 18.
“Everything concerns me about Liberty,” O’Rourke said. “They’re killing people. We’ve played a bunch of these teams in past years like St. Charles, Upper Arlington, Jerome and teams like that. These are good programs and Liberty is walloping everybody. It looks like they’re having one of those magical years.”
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Liberty defeated UA 10-1 in the district final Saturday at OhioHealth Ice Haus.
St. Ignatius is led on offense by senior center Bia Savarino (22 goals, 14 assists) and junior center Dario Piazza (18 goals, 18 assists). Junior goalie Nolan Francis is 18-3-2 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.
“We’ve watched a lot of film of St. Ignatius,” Alexander said. “That’s one of the most talented teams we’ve seen. They just keep going. They play four lines and six defensemen. They all can play. They’re all AAA players and it’s can we hang with them for three periods. All those kids can move the puck. Them being in our zone and us not being able to get out, that’s what concerns us.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA hockey: Olentangy Liberty seeks central Ohio's first title
