Walsh Jesuit ends season for Twinsburg ice hockey

Despite being outmanned by a stronger foe, there were so many moments that drew satisfaction from head coach Mike Johnston in Twinsburg’s Kent Division I Regional ice hockey tournament contest.

Facing a state-ranked Walsh Jesuit squad, the Tigers battled and were competitive in the recent 11-1 loss at the Kent State University Ice Arena.

After all, the Warriors had won the Kent Regional last winter and reached the Final Four in Ohio! Walsh was ranked 13th in Ohio at the time, and reached the Kent District semifinals.

“Walsh Jesuit was ranked fourth out of 20 teams in our bracket and we knew that we were coming up against a good program,” commented Johnston.

“I am proud that we were able to score a goal and for our defense to keep a program like Walsh’s to just 13 shots in two periods; I was extremely pleased,” noted Johnston.

Twinsburg battled to keep the shots at a 13-5 edge for Walsh, which is extremely competitive.

Josh Weiner had a hattrick (three goals) for Walsh and Ryan Holcomb had two tallies.

Sophomore Bobby Lemieux scored for Twinsburg when junior Dominic Mistur dug the puck out of the corner, dropped it back to senior Sean Shirokov, who fed Lemieux.

“We had a few opportunities to score that we didn’t capitalize on, but to me that is still a win as our players worked hard and never quit,” stressed Johnston. “We came out with a positive attitude and gave it all they had. They made some good plays and there was good passing. I was very proud of them.”

“On the goal, we had control in Walsh Jesuit’s zone and those three moved the puck really well.”

Johnston also had to praise his defense.

“Our defense of Aidan Johnston, Ryleigh Spacht, Alan Khmelnitksy, and Max Coleman stood tall and broke up some plays to prevent Walsh from scoring,” said the coach, whose club finished 5-22-1.

“We finished third in our division with a record of 5-5 and our overall record isn’t indicative of how we played,” Johnston added.

Twinsburg’s schedule was tough and the finish in the Blue Division of the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League was solid.

In the CVCA tournament, the Tigers lost to Toledo Whitmer 6-5 in the last few seconds of the game and the Tigers had another 6-5 loss to Parma Normandy in the waning minutes.

“We play most of our games against upper division teams and we held our own,” emphasized Johnston. “We challenge our players to play up against better programs to help us grow and get better.”

Johnston had nothing but praise for his seniors.

“These players were my first group to coach at the high school level,” said Johnston.

Shirokov was named team Captain this year. He was a first-team all-league choice and had 26 goals and 10 assists for Twinsburg.

“Sean defines the role of a captain,” said Johnston. “He worked hard all the time whether he was on or off the ice. We will miss Sean’s leadership and work ethic next year. He was one of our top scorers and was also a big physical presence on the ice. Sean always took charge in the locker room, on the ice, and off the ice. He always worked with the newer players and helped them get better. He will definitely leave a huge void in our roster. I’m hopeful that returning players will learn from his example.”

Senior Jackson Smith was named the Assistant Captain.

“Jackson worked hard on and off the ice and he played with injuries all season and never complained while giving 110-percent every game and every practice,” declared Johnston. “Still to this day, he asks questions on how he can get better and what he can do to improve. He is a great kid and we will definitely miss him next year.”

Aidan Johnston excelled on defense and was a four-year leader whose best strength may have been as a teammate.

“I thought Aidan worked hard on the off seasons to improve his game and he became a dominant force on the blue line and in front of the goal with his physical play,” stressed the coach. “He looked out for everyone on the ice and made sure players on the other team thought twice. We will miss him on the blue line and his physicality next year.”

Another four-year vet for the Tigers was senior Arianna Bennardo.

“Arianna worked hard to improve her game every year and she helped out on and off the ice to help the team work together,” stressed Johnston. “I was happy to see her score a goal on Senior Night and we’ll miss her next season.”

Danveer Mahal was a first-year senior player who made an impact and worked hard for the Tigers.

“Mahal came out this year never having skated before and Danveer worked hard and improved every week,” said Johnston. “He was a positive influence on other players so they can see what you can accomplish in a short amount of time. He was great teammate and understood his role on the team. We will miss his positivity next season.”

Mistur was a second-team all-league choice in the Blue Division for the Tigers while Lemieux made honorable mention.

The goalies were junior Ayden Sike and sophomore Isaac Mulcahy.

Other juniors included Coleman, Vani Modi, Ian Sike, and Rachel Zammikiel. Sophomores were Jackson Held, Rayma Johnson, Andrew Kondrat, and Spacht. Khmelnitksy was an impact freshman.

“We have many players that will be able to step up next year and will work to fill the holes left by our seniors,” remarked Johnston.

“We would love to see some freshman come out and join the team next year,” said the coach. “Anyone interested can reach out to me through our Facebook page. Experience doesn’t matter, we will work with you.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Twinsburg ice hockey sees season end vs. Walsh Jesuit