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Archived News
January 29, 2008
RESCHEDULED GAME WITH BAY VILLAGE CANCELLED!
The game with Bay Village that had been rescheduled from December 16th to February 2nd has been cancelled.
January 27, 2008
VIKINGS GRAB FINAL BARON CUP II SPOT WITH 3-1 CONQUEST OF NORMANDY INVADERS!
The Hoover Vikings are going back to the GCHSHL Baron Cup playoffs for the 3rd straight year, this time in the Baron Cup II for the White Division, thanks to a dramatic 3-1 victory over the Normandy Invaders at Reis Recreation Center rink in Parma on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings came into the game needing to win by 2 goals to qualify for the final playoff spot, as a victory would make both Hoover and Normandy 6-4 in the White East Division, but Normandy held a +10 to +7 lead in goal differntial going into the game.
Brett Evans provided all of the scoring for the Vikings, netting a hat trick to give the Vikings the victory. Normandy got on the board first with a powerplay goal with 1:06 remaining in the 1st period, and the Vikes trailed 1-0 at the intermission despite outshooting the Invaders 10-5 in the period.
Evans brought the Vikings even at 1-1 with a powerplay goal at 57 seconds into the 2nd period. Scott Saba and Kevin Deane assisted on the goal. The Vikings again outshot Normandy 8-3 for the period, but were unable to score again.
The Vikes entered the 3rd period looking to take the 2 goal lead necessary to make the playoffs. The Invaders took a penalty at 7:36 into the period, and the Vikings capitalized to score another powerplay goal at the 8:38 mark. Senior goalie Brian Vazquez started the scoring chance by playing a Normandy dump in off the glass and out to the neutral zone where Deane picked up the puck and passed it to Evans, who scored the go-ahead goal. The Vikings still needed another goal, and Evans delivered it with 1:52 reamaining, while the teams were playing 4-on-4, this time with Jon Bishop getting the assist.
The final 1:52 was very tense, as Normandy pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, and the Vikings were whistled for an interference penalty with 48 seconds remaining allowing the Invaders to play 6-on-4. Another penalty call on the Vikings with 9 seconds remaining gave the Invaders a 6-on-3 chance, but they were not able to get a good scoring chance in the closing seconds and the Vikings stormed the ice to congratulate Vazquez, who finished the game with 10 saves, as the Vikings held a 27-11 shot advantage for the game.
The Vikings have a final non-league game on Saturday, February 2nd at 4:15pm against the Bay Village Rockets at Winterhurst in Lakewood. The Vikings will then face the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs in the first round of the Baron Cup II playoffs on Monday, February 4th at 8:30pm at Brooklyn Recreation Center.
January 25, 2008
VIKINGS WIN BIG OVER ROUGHRIDERS ON SENIOR NIGHT AT CENTER ICE!
The Vikings scored early and often in putting the Kent Roosevelt Roughriders away 7-1 in front of great crowd at Center Ice on Friday night. Seniors Matt Furlong, Todd Ferry, Matt "Pancakes" Hertweck and Brian "Fez" Vazquez, and their parents, were honored before the game.
The festive atmosphere carried over to the start of the game, as the Viking scored just 1:14 into the game, and followed that with another goal just 20 seconds later. Scott Saba and Kevin Deane assisted Brett Evans for the first goal, and Deane assisted Saba on the second goal. Evans then assisted Deane for the Vikings 3rd goal at 4:46 into the game. Matt Furlong scored an unassisted powerplay goal with 3:34 remaining to put the Vikings up 4-0 after the 1st period.
The Vikings took a 5-0 lead at 1:54 of the 2nd period on a goal by Eli Jones that was assisted by T.R. Krucek and James Hankins. Brett Evans added a powerplay goal (assisted by Kevin Deane) with 4:12 remaining to put the Vikings up 6-0 after 2 periods.
The Vikes added a short-handed goal by Kevin Deane (assisted by Brett Evans) at 2:54 of the 3rd period. Brian Vazquez lost his bid for a shutout when Kent scored a powerplay goal with 1:35 to go in the game. Vazquez finished with 30 saves, as the Vikings outshot the Roughriders 34-31 for the game.
The win sets up an exciting regular season ending game with Normandy on Sunday at 3:30pm in Parma. The Invaders lost to Western Reserve Academy tonight, and Hoover has a chance to tie them for the final spot in the Baron Cup playoffs.
January 21, 2008
HUDSON EXPLORERS COME FROM BEHIND TO TOP VIKINGS IN WALSH JESUIT INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!
The Vikings looked to be on their way to a second straight upset of a Red Division team, as they took a 4-2 lead into the 3rd period of the tournament championship game against Hudson, but the Explorers came back with 4 unanswered goals to take the victory.
Hudson went up 1-0 at 4:00 into the game, but T.R. Krucek scored an unassisted goal at 7:57 to knot the game at 1-1. Hudson scored on the powerplay at 9:42 to go back on top, but Krucek combined with James Hankins to feed Jon Bishop for a Hoover powerplay goal to tie the game at 2-2 with 3:27 remaining in the period. Brett Evans fed Kevin Deane for the go ahead goal with 2:19 remaining, and the Vikes took a 3-2 lead into the lockeroom at the first intermission.
The 2nd period saw the Vikings outshoot the Explorers 11-5, and take a 4-2 lead on a short-handed goal by Brett Evans that was assisted by Kevin Deane at 5:09 into the period. Hudson was not able to get the puck past Alex Palomba, and things were looking good for the Vikings.
The Explorers came out fast in the 3rd period and scored just 28 seconds in to make it 4-3. The Vikings had a golden opportunity to go back up by 2 thanks to a long 5-on-3 powerplay opportunity, but they were unable to score. Hudson tied the game with a powerplay goal at 8:10, then added goals at 10:44 and 11:15 to put the game out of reach.
Alex Palomba finished the game with 20 saves, while the Vikings outshot Hudson 29-26 for the game. Next up for the Vikings is the final home game of the season on Friday night at 8:40pm. The Vikes will host Kent Roosevelt in a White East Division game. The Vikings 4 graduating seniors will be recognized before the game.
January 20, 2008
VIKINGS ADVANCE TO WALSH JESUIT INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WITH UPSET 5-3 WIN OVER WALSH!
The Vikings accomplished three "firsts" today at the KSU Arena. They beat Walsh Jesuit for the first time, they beat a GCHSHL Red Division team for the first time, and they made it to Championship game of the Walsh Jesuit Invitational Tournament for the first time.
The Vikings fought hard for 45 minutes in beating the Warriors, who are a Red South Division team, and earned a trip to tournament championship game on Monday night (January 21st) at 7:30pm against the Hudson High Explorers.
The Vikings opened the scoring with 3:43 remaining in the 1st period, with Brett Evans scoring on a breakaway and Matt Hertweck getting the lone assist. The Warriors tied it up with 2:32 remaining and the teams went into the first intermission at 1-1.
The Vikings scored the only goal of the 2nd period on the powerplay, with Eli Jones finding the mark with assists from Jon Bishop and Matt Hertweck. Alex Palomba stopped 21 of 22 Walsh Jesuit shots through 2 periods, while the Warriors had outshot the Vikings 22-18.
Walsh Jesuit scored 2:15 into the 3rd period to knot the score at 2-2, but the Vikings pulled ahead 3-2 just 44 seconds later on a goal by Kevin Deane that was assisted by Scott Saba. The Warriors fought back to even it at 3-3 at the 6:25 mark. The Vikings scored the winning goal with 2:11 remaining on a 2-on-1 rush, with Deane taking a pass from Evans and firing it over the Warrior's goalie. Scott Saba picked up the 2nd assist on the goal. The Vikes survived a late Warriors powerplay, capped when Deane scored an empty net, short-handed goal with 7 seconds remaining.
January 19, 2008
VIKINGS FALL TO SHAKER HEIGHTS 6-1 IN GAME 2 OF THE WALSH JESUIT INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT!
The Shaker Heights High Red Raiders rode a big 2nd period offensive outburst to a 6-1 victory over the Vikings today at KSU Arena. The Red Raiders took the lead with 2:29 remaining in the 1st period with a powerplay goal that came just after the Vikings had killed a 5-on-3 opportunity, but before the 2nd penalty expired. They scored an even strength goal just 21 seconds later to go up 2-0. The Vikings got some life when Kevin Deane scored a powerplay goal with just 6 seconds remaining in the period. Todd Ferry and Jeff Gill earned assists on the goal.
Shaker Heights put 4 unanswered goals on the scoreboard in the second period to go up 6-1 and the Vikings were not able to answer. The Vikings held the Red Raiders to only 22 shots for the game, while the Vikings managed 13 shots on goal. Brian Vazquez made 11 saves in the first 2 periods and Alex Palomba made 5 stops in the 3rd period.
The Vikings will face Walsh Jesuit at 1:30pm on Sunday in the 3rd game of the tournament.
January 18, 2008
VIKINGS OPEN WALSH JESUIT INVITATIONAL WITH 5-4 OVERTIME WIN!
The Vikings overcame a late tying goal by the Holy Name Green Wave to win the game in overtime on a wrist shot by Mason Koonce 2:46 into the 8 minute 'sudden death' overtime period in the opening game of the Walsh Jesuit Invitational Tournament at KSU Arena.
Holy Name took a 1-0 lead at 2:55 of the 1st period, but the Vikings responded with 2 goals just 12 seconds apart at the 7:44 and 7:56 mark to lead 2-1 at the end of 1 period. Brett Evans scored from short range with assists from Scott Saba and Kevin Deane, then James Hankins took a pass from Matt Hertweck and scored the Vikings 2nd goal.
The 2nd period saw the Vikings register 20 shots on goal, but they were only able to put 1 in the net. David Piero put the Vikes up 3-1 with a goal at 4:51 of the period, with assists to Neal Greenho and Jordan Oblein. The Green Wave came back with a goal of their own at 6:38 to make it 3-2 going into the 3rd period. The Vikings lead 32-21 in shots after 2 periods.
Kevin Deane's powerplay goal at 1:09 into the 3rd period put the Vikings up 4-2, with Brett Evans and Scott Saba getting the assists. It looked like the score would hold up until Holy Name scored at 11:45 to pull within 4-3. Two late penalties against the Vikings gave the Green Wave a 6-on-3 advantage (with their goalie pulled) and they scored the tying goal with only 48 seconds remaining to force overtime.
Scott Saba picked up his 3rd assist of the game on Koonce's winning goal in overtime. Alex Palomba finished the game with 30 saves, while the Vikings outshot Holy Name 41-34 for the game. Hoover takes on Shaker Heights (Red East Division) at 4:00pm Saturday.
January 13, 2008
PIRATES OUTDUEL VIKINGS 6-3 IN NON-LEAGUE GAME!
The Vikings put up a good fight through the early part of the 3rd period, but came up on the short end of a fast, physical game with the Pirates at Rocky River on Sunday evening.
The Pirates scored at 2:14 of the 1st period, but Brett Evans brought the Vikings right back with a powerplay goal at 3:44. Evans' goal was assisted by James Hankins and Scott Saba. The Pirates jumped out to a 3-1 lead on goals at the 5:02 and 8:58 mark of the 2nd period, before Evans scored his second of the game at 12:30 to make it 3-2 after 2 periods. Kevin Deane and Scott Saba assisted on the Evans goal.
A powerplay goal by T.R. Krucek at 2:09 of the 3rd period tied the game at 3-3. David Piero and Todd Ferry assisted on the goal. The Pirates responded quickly, scoring two goals just 15 and 72 seconds later to open up a 5-3 advantage. They added another goal with 1:24 remaining to make the final score 6-3.
The Pirates outshot the Vikings 37-25 for the game, and Brian Vazquez recorded 31 saves for Hoover.
The Vikings' next action will be this coming weekend in the Walsh Jesuit Invitational Tournament, where they will face a tough slate of opponents in Holy Name, Shaker Heights and Walsh Jesuit.
January 12, 2008
VIKINGS FALL TO PIONEERS 5-1 AND FALL TO 4-4 IN WHITE EAST!
The Vikings fell to the Western Reserve Academy Pioneers for the 2nd time this season at KSU Arena on Saturday afternoon. WRA took a 1-0 lead in the first period while outshooting the Vikings 10-6 for the period.
The Vikings appeared to tie the game early in the 2nd period, but the referee ruled no goal to keep WRA up 1-0. The Vikes were able to even the score on a goal by Kevin Deane at 5:54 into the 2nd, with T.R. Krucek and Eli Jones assisting. The Pioneers took advantage of two Hoover penalties in the period to score powerplay goals at 9:43 and 0:09 of the 2nd period to take a 3-1 lead into the 3rd period.
A third straight powerplay goal by WRA at 3:57 into the 3rd period put the Pioneers up 4-1 and effectively ended any comeback hopes for the Vikings. WRA added a final goal at the 10:29 mark to complete the scoring.
The Pioneers finished with a 30-27 advantage in shots on goal. Alex Palomba finished with 25 saves for the Vikings. The Vikings travel to Rocky River for a non-league game with the Pirates at 6:15pm on Sunday, January 13th.
January 10, 2008
VIKINGS STUNG BY BEES 5-2 IN KEY WHITE EAST GAME!
The Vikings dropped to 4-3 in division play, while the red hot Brecksville Bees improved to 5-2 in the White East Division of the GCHSHL with their 5-2 win Thursday night at Center Ice. The Bees avenged an early season 3-0 home loss to the Vikings.
The Bees jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the 1st period in a fast-paced game. Shots were even at 9-9 for the period. The Vikings rallied in the 2nd period to tie the game at 2-2 on goals by Brett Evans (assisted by James Hankins and Scott Saba) at 5:49, and Eli Jones (assisted by Kevin Deane and T.R. Krucek) at 8:35. The Vikings outshot the Bees 8-7 in the 2nd period.
The Vikings failed to make their usual 3rd period charge, as the Bees scored 3 times to pull away to a 5-2 win. The overall shots ended up 27-26 in favor of Hoover, with Brian Vazquez recording 22 saves for the Vikings.
The Vikings face Western Reserve Academy on Saturday at 1:30pm at KSU in what now becomes a critical game for the Vikings if they hope to qualify for the Baron Cup playoffs for a 3rd straight season.
January 4, 2008
VIKINGS SCORE 4 IN THE THIRD TO PULL AWAY TO 5-1 VICTORY OVER CLEVELAND HEIGHTS!
The Vikings returned to White East Division competition on Friday night at Cleveland Heights. Hoover looked sluggish in the first period, and were outshot by the Tigers 9-5, but Brian Vazquez did not allow anything into the net and the teams went to the first intermission in a scoreless tie.
The Vikings came out for the 2nd period with more jump in their step and outshot the Tigers 13-6 for the period. Kevin Deane put the Vikes up 1-0 at 8:15 into the period with an unassisted, short-handed goal. However, they could not add to the lead despite several good scoring chances throughout the period.
Eli Jones scored what turned out to be the game winning goal at 1:35 into the 3rd period, taking a nice cross ice pass from Deane. Jon Bishop also earned an assist on the play. James Hankins put the game out of reach with 2 goals in a 24 second span to put the Vikings up 4-0 with 6:19 remaining in the contest. Scott Saba assisted on Hankins first goal, while the second was unassisted. The Tigers spoiled Vazquez's shutout bid with 4:48 remaining, but Matt Furlong scored with 3:32 left to make the final 5-1, with Brett Evans and Jordan Oblein picking up assists. Vazquez finished with 20 saves for the Vikings, who outshot the Tigers 33-21 for the game.
Hoover improves their record to 11-6-0 (4-2-0) while Cleveland Heights falls to 3-12-1 (1-5-0). The Vikings next game will be at home against the visiting Brecksville-Broadview Height Bees in a key White East Division match-up on Thursday, January 10th at 7:40pm.
December 28, 2007
VIKINGS GRIND OUT 3-1 VICTORY OVER THE JACKSON POLAR BEARS IN GAME 3 OF JACKSON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT!
It was a typical Hoover-Jackson battle at Center Ice on Friday night, as the under-manned Polar Bears gave the Vikings all they could handle through 2 periods.
Jackson took a 1-0 lead in the first period despite being outshot 20-5 by Hoover. The Vikings evened the score in the second period, when James Hankins scored off a rebound with 3:39 remaining in the period. Jon Bishop and Eli Jones assisted on Hankins' goal.
A powerplay goal by Kevin Deane at 2:58 into the 3rd period gave the Vikings a 2-1 lead. Eli Jones and T.R. Krucek assisted on the goal. James Hankins tapped in the third Hoover goal on the powerplay just 50 seconds later, following a blast from Jeff Haberman that rang off the goal post.
The Vikings held on for the 3-1 victory, finishing with a 34-22 advantage in shots on goal, with Alex Palomba making 21 saves. The Vikings improved their record to 10-6 for the season. They will be off until Friday, January 4th, when they will travel to Cleveland Heights to face the Tigers to start the 2nd half of the White East Division season.
December 27, 2007
VIKINGS BEAT BEARS 4-1 IN GAME 2 OF JACKSON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT!
The Vikings struggled to get the offense in gear through the first 25 minutes of their game against the North Royalton Bears on Thursday night at Center Ice. The Vikings had the better of the action throughout the game, outshooting the Bears 36-14 for the game, but couldn't get anything past their goalie until 10:38 into the 2nd period.
T.R. Krucek scored a short-handed goal with an assist from James Hankins to put the Vikes up 1-0. Jeff Haberman added a second short-handed goal just 56 seconds later to put Hoover up 2-0, with Brett Evans getting the assist. The Bears came back with powerplay goal with 1:18 remaining in the period to make it 2-1 going into the intermission.
The game remained 2-1 until James Hankins scored a powerplay goal with 3:31 remaining in the 3rd period, with Evans and Mason Koonce getting assists. Kevin Deane then sealed the win for the Vikings with an unassisted short-handed goal with 2:36 remaining to make the final score 4-1.Alex Palomba stopped 13 of 14 shots in getting the win for the Vikings, who earned 4.5 of 5.0 points for the tournament standings. The Vikings will face Jackson in the finale of the tournament on Friday night.
December 26, 2007
AMHERST ROLLS OVER HOOVER 5-3 IN GAME 1 OF JACKSON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT!
The Vikings seemed to be suffering from a post-Christmas funk, as they turned in a lackluster effort against the Amherst-Steele Comets on Wednesday night at Center Ice.
The Comets led after 1 period 1-0 and outshot the Vikings 9-3. The Comets increased the lead to 2-0 with a powerplay goal at 5:15 into the 2nd period. The Vikings were able to get on the board with a Brett Evans short-handed goal with 2:50 left in the period. Kevin Deane had an assist on Evans' goal. The Vikings were outshot 8-4 in the second period.
The 3rd period started out all Amherst, as the Comets scored 3 straight goals, including one short-handed, to take a 5-1 lead with 5:41 remaining in the game. The Vikings finally got one back on a slapshot by Jeff Haberman, with assists to Deane and Evans, with 5:28 remaining. The Vikes added a powerplay goal on a nice toe drag move by Scott Saba with 3:51 remaining, with Evans and Deane assisting. That was as close as the Vikings could get, making the final score 5-3 in favor of the Comets. Final shots were 26-11 in favor of the Comets, with Brian Vazquez making 21 saves for the Vikings. The Vikings were whistled for 8 penalties, including 5 in the second period.
The Comets earned 4.5 of 5.0 possible points for the tournament scoring. Jackson and North Royalton tied 2-2 in the early game, each team earned 2.5 points. Hoover will face North Royalton at 6:00pm Thursday, while Jackson will play Amherst at 8:00pm.
December 23, 2007
BENGALS CLAW OUT 4-3 VICTORY IN GAME 3 OF ROUGH RIDER TOURNAMENT!
The Benedictine High Bengals kept the Vikings out of the tournament championship game with a 4-3 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings had a strong 1st period, holding the Bengals to only 1 shot on goal, while getting a goal by Kevin Deane with 2:18 left in the period to take a 1-0 lead. Scott Saba assisted on Deane's goal.
The Bengals evened the score just 15 seconds into the 2nd period with a short-handed tally. The Vikings answered with a short-handed goal of their own at 4:07, with James Hankins putting the rebound of a T.R. Krucek chance into the Bengals goal to retake the lead. The Bengals tied it 2-2 with a goal at 11:07 left in the period. The Bengals outshot the Vikings 19-10 for the period.
Benedictine went up 4-2 early in the 3rd period, getting a goal at 49 seconds and 4:29. The Vikings pulled to within 4-3 when Brett Evans scored an unassisted goal at 4:51 into the period, but they were unable to score again in the remaining 10:09 to force overtime.
The Vikings next game will be Wednesday night at 8:00pm in the Jackson Holiday Tournament at Center Ice.
Decmeber 22, 2007
PIRATES PILLAGE THE VIKINGS IN GAME 2 OF THE ROUGH RIDER TOURNAMENT!
The Rocky River Pirates scored 5 goals in the first 16:16 of the game on their way to a convincing 5-1 victory in each teams second game of the tournament. The Vikings had trouble matching the Pirates speed and experience (10 seniors) in the early going, and the Pirates converted 5 of their first 15 shots into goals.
Hoover managed to shut the Pirates scoring down through most of the 2nd and all of the 3rd periods, but could never mount a sustained offensive attack. Brett Evans goal at 3:14 of the 3rd period, with Kevin Deane assisting, was the only scoring for the Vikings. Rocky River ended up outshooting Hoover 39-19 for the game, with Brian Vazquez recording 10 saves and Alex Palomba stopping 24 shots in relief.
The Vikings will attempt to rebound on Sunday at 1:00pm against the Benedictine High Bengals.
December 21, 2007
VIKINGS WIN FIRST GAME IN ROUGH RIDER HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT!
The Vikings scored 3 straight short-handed goals in a 2:24 stretch of the 3rd period to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Holy Name Green Wave in game one of the tournament at KSU Ice Arena.
The Vikings got on the board first in the game, with Scott Saba feeding Kevin Deane for a powerplay goal at 5:47 into the 1st period. Holy Name answered at 9:45 with a powerplay goal of their own, and took a 2-1 lead with 1:55 remaining on a 4-on-4 situation.
Things looked bleak for the Vikes when Holy Name scored another power play goal with 2:07 left in the 2nd period to go up 3-1. The score remained the same until well into the 3rd period, when an interference period against the Vikings put them on the penalty kill again. Brett Evans turned the disadvantage into an advantage when he scored a short-handed goal at 8:07, with Jon Bishop getting the assist. Evans and Deane then combined to score a second shorty just 13 seconds after the Vikings were whistled for a too many men on the ice penalty with 5:05 remaining in the game to tie it up.
The Vikings then took the lead on the same short-handed situation when Matt Hertweck scored following a crazy sequence which had the Vikings celebrating an apparent goal that was not allowed by the referee, only to have Hertweck slap in the loose puck after most of the other players thought the action was stopped. The first shot hit the Green Wave's goalie in the shoulder and bounced high in the air before coming down behind him and clearly bouncing over the goal line, but the ref did not signal a goal, or blow his whistle, so when the puck was knocked out into the slot Hertweck took the opportunity to slam it into the net for the game winning goal.
Brett Evans added an insurance goal with 1:49 left to make the final score 5-3, with Kevin Deane and T.R. Krucek getting assists. This was the only 5-on-5 goal of the game. Brian Vazquez kept the Vikings in the game through the first 2 periods, stopping 9 of 10 shots in the 2nd period, and finished with 19 saves. The Vikings ended up outshooting Holy Name 29-22 for the game.
The Vikings improved to 8-3 on the season, while Holy Name fell to 6-8. The Vikings will face the Rocky River Pirates on Saturday at 12:30pm. The Pirates were 5-4 winners over Hudson in their opening game of the tournament.
December 19, 2007
ROUGHRIDER HOLIDAY INVITATIONAL UP NEXT FOR VIKINGS!
The Kent Roosevelt Roughriders are hosting a tournament this weekend at the KSU Ice Arena. Hoover will play Holy Name on Friday at 7:00pm, Rocky River on Saturday at 12:30pm and Benedictine on Sunday at 1:00pm. All are sure to be tough, hard-hitting games.
December 16, 2007
NON-LEAGUE GAME WITH BAY VILLAGE POSTPONED BY WEATHER!
The game against Bay Village, scheduled for 6:00pm at Winterhurst, was postponed due to near blizzard conditions. The intention is to reschedule the game in late January or early February before the start of the Baron Cup Playoffs.
December 15, 2007
PIONEERS RUIN VIKINGS COMEBACK BID!
The Vikings battled the Western Reserve Academy Pioneers for 3 fast and furious periods, but could not come away with a victory on a snowy Saturday afternoon. Kevin Deane put the Vikes ahead with a powerplay goal at 2:47 into the game, getting an assist from Scott Saba, but WRA came back under 2 minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. WRA took the lead at 7:16 in, but T.R. Krucek's unassisted goal at 9:50 made it 2-2 going into the first intermission.
The Pioneers took advantage of a powerplay chance starting off the 2nd period to go up 3-2 at 1:15, and went up 4-2 at 4:39 to put the Vikings on the ropes. Kevin Deane brought the Vikes back to within one with 2:24 left in the period, with Brett Evans assisting, however, the Pioneers needed only 21 seconds to answer that goal with one of their own to make it 5-3 heading into the 3rd period.
The Vikings came out with some spark in the 3rd, and Brett Evans combined with Kevin Deane and Scott Saba to score a powerplay goal at 9:05 to close to within one goal again. That line tied the game just 39 seconds later, this time with Deane scoring this 3rd of the game and Evans and Saba getting assists.
The game appeared to be heading for overtime until Deane got a breakaway chance in the last minute, but his bid to put the Vikings ahead was denied by the Pioneers goalie. WRA then launched a counter attack, and scored with 20 seconds remaining to go up 6-5. They added an empty net goal with 0.9 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Brian Vazquez stopped 27 of 33 shots for the game, while the Vikings were outshot 34-24 overall. The Vikings fell to 3-2 in the White East Division, while WRA moved into a tie with Hoover with an identical 3-2 record. Both teams trail Normandy, who leads the division with a 4-1 record.
December 13, 2007
VIKINGS IMPROVE TO 3-1 IN WHITE EAST!
Hoover topped the Kent Roosevelt Roughriders on the road at the KSU Arena by a 5-3 margin. The Vikings appeared to be on their way to an easy victory over the Roughriders when Kevin Deane and James Hankins scored 43 seconds apart in the first period, with Brett Evans and T.R. Krucek picking up assists. However, Kent came storming back with 2 goals in the last 2:04 of the period to tie the game going into the 1st intermission.
Brooks Bukowy scored the only goal of the 2nd period, with Evans getting the assist. Brian Vazquez stopped all 6 shots he faced in the period, to go along with 7 saves in the first period, while the Vikings had outshot Kent 22-15 through 2 periods.
The Vikings pulled away to a 5-2 lead in the 3rd period, with Brett Evans netting 2 powerplay goals. The first came near the end of a 5:00 powerplay, with Kevin Deane and Matt Hertweck assisting, and the second came with 4:26 remaining off an assist from T.R. Krucek. Kent scored a powerplay goal with 34 seconds remaining to make the final 5-3.
Vazquez finished with 19 saves, with the Vikings outshooting the Roughriders 32-22 for the game. The Vikings face Western Reserve Academy on Saturday at 3:40pm at Center Ice in the last regular season game before the New Year.
December 8, 2007
INVADERS HAND VIKING FIRST WHITE EAST DIVISION LOSS!
The Normandy Invaders showed why they were 3-0 against White East Division competition on Saturday afternoon, taking a lopsided 5-1 victory over the Vikings to go to 4-0 and drop the Vikes to 2-1 in division play.
The Invaders scored at 8:29 into the 1st period, and followed that up with another goal at 10:18 to take a 2-0 lead. Brett Evans put Hoover on the scoreboard with 1:52 remaining in the period, redirecting a slapshot from Jeff Gill past the Normandy goaltender. Kevin Deane and Gill earned assists on the goal.
Unfortunately, that was all the offense the Vikings could muster for the game, and the Invaders went on to add 2 goals early in the 2nd period and another in the 3rd to pull away to a 5-1 victory. Alex Palomba started in goal for Hoover, and made 18 saves on 22 shots. Brian Vazquez took over in goal with 5:23 remaining in the 2nd period and recorded 19 saves on 20 shots. The Invaders outshot the Vikings 42-25 for the game.
The Vikings will need to regroup for 2 more division games this week. They travel to Kent on Thursday to face Roosevelt High and then host Western Reserve Academy on Saturday.
December 7, 2007
HOOVER BEATS BRECKSVILLE TO GO TO 2-0 IN WHITE EAST!
Any questions about whether the Vikings could contend for the White East Division title this season were answered on Friday night at the Brooklyn Recreation Center, where the Vikings shutout the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees 3-0.
The Vikings turned in their best all-around performance of the season, scoring goals in each period, while limiting penalties and getting some outstanding saves from Brian Vazquez in goal.
Kevin Deane put Hoover up 1-0 with a powerplay goal late in the 1st period. Deane scored with 41 seconds remaining, getting assists from Scott Saba and Jon Bishop. Brett Evans turned a Bees turnover into an unassisted goal, giving the Vikings a 2-0 lead just 44 seconds into the 2nd period. Neither team was able to score the remainder of the period.
The defensive struggle continued through the 3rd period, with Hoover finally scoring a short-handed, empty net goal with 1 second remaining on a rink long shot by Jon Bishop. Vazquez finished with 26 saves in recording the shutout win, while the Vikings outshot Brecksville 30-26.
Next up for the Vikings is the division leading Normandy Invaders (5-2-0, 3-0-0), who will travel to Center Ice for a 3:40pm game on Saturday, December 8th.
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