Here are 5 storylines entering the high school hockey postseason in central Ohio
As central Ohio hockey teams prepare to chase a state tournament berth, several coaches foresee a wide-open race.
Defending state champion Olentangy Liberty is seeded first in the regional tournament and has a first-round bye. St. Charles, Upper Arlington, Olentangy Berlin and Cincinnati Moeller round out the top five seeds and also open in the second round.
Olentangy, Dublin Jerome, New Albany, Cincinnati St. Xavier and Olentangy Orange complete the top 10.
It’s anyone’s game after Liberty was the clear favorite last year.
“I believe in any game, any given day, anybody can beat anybody,” New Albany coach Matt Buss said. “The Capital Hockey Conference is now a very legitimate conference. There’s 10 teams in the conference that can get to Nationwide (Arena for the state tournament). It’s not just the top two or three teams. There’s a lot of depth this year.”
The regional tournament begins Friday and continues Saturday and Sunday. The quarterfinals and semifinals are Feb. 24 and 25, followed by the regional final March 2 at OhioHealth Ice Haus.
“It should be fun for spectators,” Berlin coach Tim Pennington said. “I’m not sure about the coaches.”
The state semifinals are March 8 and the championship game is March 10.
Here are five storylines heading into the postseason:
1. Olentangy Liberty looks to defend state title
The Patriots (21-10-0-1) enter the postseason looking to rebound from a 3-2 loss to New Albany in the first round of the Blue Jackets Cup – the CHC championship tournament – last Thursday. Liberty was seeded first and New Albany was eighth.
“We need a wake-up call,” coach Kevin Alexander said. “The boys are going to get a wake-up call in practice this week.”
Liberty will play 16th-seeded Worthington Kilbourne or 18th-seeded Springboro in the second round Saturday at the Ice Haus.
“The guys seem to think that we can keep doing whatever we want, and teams are going to lay down and give it to us,” Alexander said. “It goes back to hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard, and until our guys figure that out and start listening to the coaches, we’re going to continue to have that problem. We’re going to find out what we’re made of.”
Jake Struck leads Liberty in scoring with 43 goals and 51 assists for 94 points, followed by Andrew Leonard (28 goals, 39 assists, 67 points), Michael Greco (16-31-47) and Brian Savage (23-24-47).
In goal, Caleb Ross is 10-6-0-1 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .904 save percentage, and Robbie Cook is 8-3 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
“We have the best team in the (region) if we show up and play,” Alexander said.
Last season, Liberty won central Ohio's first OHSAA hockey title.
2. St. Charles has sights set on state berth
First-year St. Charles coach Danny Greiner believes his team has the potential to advance to its first state tournament since 2014.
The second-seeded Cardinals (20-11-3) open regional action against No. 20 Cincinnati Elder in the second round Sunday at the Ice Haus.
Seeded second in the CBJ Cup, St. Charles lost to No. 3 Upper Arlington 2-1 in double overtime Saturday in a semifinal.
“That’s a big learning lesson, but it also showed me that the team has the capability to fight and compete in those games and that when we’re playing top teams in the state, we have the ability to hang with them and hope to prove that we belong,” Greiner said.
Nicholas Scharfenberger leads the Cardinals in scoring with 22 goals and 35 assists for 57 points, followed by Sean Moore (28-24-52) and Tommy Scharfenberger (4-29-33).
Dylan Fansler is 12-4-1 with a 1.82 goals-against average and .929 save percentage, and Bren Gronbach is 7-7-2 with a 2.68 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.
“I’m very excited to experience my first (regional) tournament,” Greiner said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
3. Upper Arlington heads into postseason with momentum
UA enters the regional tournament riding the momentum of winning its third CBJ Cup in five seasons, beating Berlin 7-5 on Sunday. The Golden Bears also won it in 2020 and 2021.
UA is seeking its fifth regional title.
“There’s two titles you want to win in Columbus,” first-year coach Craig Hagkull said. “The first and foremost being the state tournament and second, the CBJ Cup is a big deal in Columbus hockey, so we had a chance to win that and not a lot of people have that opportunity.”
The Bears (16-12-2) will play No. 15 Troy or No. 17 Watterson in the second round Sunday at Chiller North.
“It’s win or go home now,” Hagkull said. “You lose and your season is done. There’s a lot of parity in Ohio hockey now. There’s no throwaway games and especially when it comes to the (regional). ... We feel pretty good about how we are playing and peaking at the right time.”
Jason Davis leads UA in scoring (17-12-29), followed by Max Bloomfield and Brayden Koons (both 7-15-22). Mason Herndon is 16-12-2 with a 2.12 goals-against-average and .928 save percentage.
4. Olentangy Berlin coming off runner-up finish in Blue Jackets Cup
Berlin (17-11-2) has reached the CBJ Cup final in three consecutive seasons, winning the championship in 2022.
The Bears open regional play against No. 6 Olentangy or No. 19 Beavercreek in the second round Saturday at the Ice Haus. They are seeking their first state berth in the program’s six seasons.
“If there’s any year where it’s wide open, it would be this year,” Pennington said. “It’s going to be the teams that are coming together at the end. The teams that are healthy, too. We should be at a full roster and that plays a part in it as well.”
Myles Edgson leads Berlin in scoring with 26 goals and 18 assists for 44 points, followed by Chris Brennan (15-22-37). Kai Nelson is 17-11-2 with a .910 save percentage and five shutouts.
5. New Albany sees potential with CBJ Cup upset of Liberty
After upsetting Liberty in the opening round of the CBJ Cup, the Eagles (20-14) lost to Berlin 1-0 in a quarterfinal on Saturday.
In the regional, No. 8 New Albany will face No. 5 Moeller in the second round Sunday at the Ice Haus.
“We would love to get the opportunity to play Liberty again,” Buss said. “It’s playoff hockey and a new season for everybody.”
New Albany has won two of three games against Liberty this season. They could meet Feb. 25 in a regional semifinal.
“The conference has been trending upwards over the last six years,” Buss said. “We would love to make a run for (a state berth), but we have a really strong conference and anything could happen.”
Key players for the Eagles have been forwards Will Allman, Quinn Blaney, Aidan Dickson, Matan Lefebvre and Jack Lower, defenseman Colin Marotta and goalie Ryan Myers.
New Albany reached state in 2020, but the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 Columbus-area storylines entering OHSAA hockey postseason
