Senior-laden Generals hitting their stride as Buckeye Cup approaches
NEWARK ― David Link missed a couple of weeks with a knee injury, but the Heath senior was not going to miss the most important time of the season for the Newark Generals.
Link has returned, and it's all skates on the ice for him and his 13 classmates as they enter this weekend's Buckeye Cup state tournament, fresh off some impressive play in their Ohio Scholastic Hockey League event.
"I've played hockey longer than golf, and it's just as important as golf," Link said at Monday's Reese Ice Arena practice. "I've switched from forward to defense, and although I'm still in some pain, I'm able to skate. Our chemistry and communication has gotten a lot better, and we're all ready to play, hopefully five good games."
Newark opens pool play Friday at Chiller Dublin in the 12-team state as the fifth seed, facing No. 8 Team Ohio. Next up on Saturday is 12th-seeded Wooster, and a rematch with defending state champ and league foe Hilliard looms on Sunday. Hilliard finished second in the league (and state) behind powerful Dayton, but the Generals, after losing once and tying twice against the Wildcats, finally beat them 4-2 last week. In the finals, they took Dayton, which had handled them in three earlier meetings, down to the wire before falling 2-0.
"Even though we lost, we walked out of there thinking we can beat them," coach Patrick Brighton said. "We didn't back down, we were aggressive and we bottled them up. We just couldn't get it in the net. We got up 3-0 on Hilliard and it could have been 5-0. Beating the defending state champ was a big confidence boost."
John Glenn senior Aaron Johnson, who had an amazing 41 saves against Dayton, is looking for a fun time in the Buckeye Cup.
"We have a good rivalry with Hilliard, and they're going to be coming after us," he said. "And we showed Dayton that we're not just going to roll over for them. Earlier in the season, we struggled a little bit, but at the end of the year, when it really matters, everyone is clicking. We've always had a lot of confidence, and we showed in the Pioneer Classic, that we can beat good teams. It (winning the state) is definitely within our reach."
Like many of his senior classmates, Granville's Miles Eckenrode has been on the ice since he was very young, in his case, 5 years old. He's been able to enjoy friendships with players from six other area high schools, and they want to go out with a bang. There are seniors from Granville, Newark, Newark Catholic, Licking Valley, Heath, Watkins Memorial and John Glenn.
"I've built relationships that I wouldn't been able to with just school sports," he said. "This season hasn't gone exactly like we wanted it to, but we still have so much in front of us. We want to go out and bring home a ring. It would be great to get to the nationals, and see what it's like playing some of the top teams in the nation."
The Buckeye Cup champion advances to the U.S. Hockey Nationals March 23-27 in Plymouth, Minnesota, and Brighton can see the sense of urgency for all of the seniors.
"At this point, they think they can win it (the state), and truly believe it," he said. "The seniors run the team. They hold each other accountable, they make in-game fixes, and they get each other pumped up before the games. I usually don't have to say much. It's their team, the end is near, and it's starting to show."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Senior-laden Generals hitting their stride as Buckeye Cup approach
