Late surge leads Walsh Jesuit past Hudson for third straight year in ice hockey

Michael Leonard, Akron Beacon Journal
·2 min read
Walsh Jesuit players celebrate after defeating Hudson in a Division I district quarterfinal Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.
Walsh Jesuit players celebrate after defeating Hudson in a Division I district quarterfinal Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.

KENT — In each of the last two seasons, Hudson and Walsh Jesuit ice hockey have met in the district quarterfinals. In both games, the Warriors escaped with one-goal wins.

On Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena, Hudson was about 10 minutes away from making the third time the charm.

In a blink, Walsh turned the game on its head.

Walsh Jesuit's Pat McCarthy controls the puck with Hudson's Andrew Clark defending in a Division I district quarterfinal Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.
Walsh Jesuit's Pat McCarthy controls the puck with Hudson's Andrew Clark defending in a Division I district quarterfinal Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.

Three goals in 1:24 in the third period allowed Walsh (16-13-2) to skate to a 4-2 win over Hudson (21-11) in the district quarterfinal game. Walsh advanced to face Gilmour Academy in a district semifinal at 6 p.m. Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

"First of all, you have to give all the credit in the world to the Hudson team," said Walsh coach Pete Calleri. "They've given us very highly competitive games that last three years. We just wanted to stick to our game plan, keep working and keep our heads cool. Eventually, we got lucky enough to pop the first one and flood gates opened a bit."

"I think they fed off their emotions after we got the second goal," said Hudson coach Mike McNeill. "They're supposed to win, right? We brought it tonight. We gave them a battle. We'd like to come out on top of one of these."

Walsh Jesuit players celebrate after defeating Hudson in a Division I district quarterfinal Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.
Walsh Jesuit players celebrate after defeating Hudson in a Division I district quarterfinal Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.

Walsh took the lead on a slapshot by captain Ryan Kerscher early in the first period. Hudson equalized when record scorer Ty Koerbel put up a shot a close range in the second period.

Hudson then took a 2-1 lead when Sam Zulandt put home a pass from Ian Ludewig 3:41 into the third period.

Staring elimination in the face, Kerscher said the Warriors did not panic.

Hudson's Ty Koerbel controls the puck during the Explorers' Division I district quarterfinal game against Walsh Jesuit Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.
Hudson's Ty Koerbel controls the puck during the Explorers' Division I district quarterfinal game against Walsh Jesuit Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.

"I just looked at the guys and told them, 'We've done it before. We've come back a bunch of times,'" Kerscher said.

Walsh got the equalizer at the 8:04 mark, when Dalton Jagger put home a rebound shot. The Warriors swarmed forward and retook the lead when Joe Holtzer scored just 37 seconds later.

After Hudson was penalized for checking Walsh goaltender Tavian Parks, Patrick McCarthy scored the game's lone power play goal at the 9:28 mark.

Walsh Jesuit goalie Tavian Parks makes a glove save during the Warriors' Division I district quarterfinal against Hudson Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.
Walsh Jesuit goalie Tavian Parks makes a glove save during the Warriors' Division I district quarterfinal against Hudson Wednesday at the Kent State Ice Arena.

"It's always a gritty game," Kerscher said. "They always bring a great fight. Obviously, it's great to win, but they sure bring the fight every time."

Walsh finished with a 30-26 edge in shots. Parks finished with 24 saves, while Hudson goalie Dominic Shriver had 26 saves.

High school ice hockey:Scoring record in hand, Ty Koerbel seeks to lead Hudson ice hockey to new heights

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Walsh Jesuit surges past Hudson, into ice hockey district semifinals