Defending state champion Icecats took down long-standing rival BCC Barons in an intense matchup on Friday, Oct. 27. It did not disappoint, ending with a WJ win of 6-4. With this win, the Icecats record stands at 3-0, leaving them second in the division behind Churchill High School (4-0).
The Icecats dominated all three periods on defense and offense. Goals came from captain Brendan Klotz, Ruslan Titov, Adam Pyott, Patrick Murphy and two from Henry Horwell. The Cats led in shots every period leaving them with 40 shots on net by the end of the game.
“[It] always feels great to score, especially against BCC. Getting goals early in the game, I thought, was especially important as it set the tone and let our team really dictate the plays. I thought our whole team did a good job of chipping in offensively and playing as a team,” Klotz said.
Murphy’s goal with just 21 seconds left in the first period shows how they play to the last minute and give it their all on offense no matter the time. The Icecats scored the first three goals in the opening period; they were on point from the moment they put their skates on the ice.
“That goal, in the last 30 seconds of the first period, was the result of continued focus on our power play strategy during practices. It gave our team a 3-2 lead to head into the second period which was important for us mentally especially because BCC quickly tied us with two back-to-back goals within two minutes,” Murphy said.
It was a very high scoring game and with that came many penalties on both the Barons and the Icecats. This game being such a awaited rivalry game brought pressure and intensity more than any typical conference game. While the game remained tight, the scoring slowed in the second period with 12 shots on goal. Both sides saw a number of penalties called, and the Icecats’ penalty kill and power play units put up a fierce fight. Sophomore forward Henry Horwell was assessed a penalty for roughing in the second period but the penalty kill team was able to prevent BCC from scoring.
“Getting a penalty is a big deal, because you’re putting your team in a bad situation on a penalty kill, but you have to move forward. You can’t dwell on that penalty and let it affect your game. Luckily, my teammates were able to bail me out and didn’t give up a short handed goal while I was in the box,” Horwell said.
Any team can benefit from rivalry victories and the Icecats will feel more confident heading into the second half of the season after this one. The Icecats hope to maintain the momentum they gained from their win over BCC for their game against Whitman (1-1) on Friday Nov. 3.
