Area players team up, lead Lake to 18 wins

By: 
J. Patrick Eaken

Talk about community cooperation — Lake, Northwood, Genoa, Eastwood and Clay student-athletes teamed up to lead the Lake club hockey team to an 18-6-2 season and second place finish in the Northwest Hockey Conference White Division.

Lake, White Division regular season and tournament champions a year ago, came close to defending their title. Lake finished 7-1-1 in the White, outscoring teams 84-5, while Whitmer finished 10-1, outscoring opponents 68-17. 

As a result, the Panthers (20) had five more points than Lake (15). Lake defeated Whitmer, 6-1, in their first meeting, but the Panthers prevailed in the second, 2-1. Lake coach Craig Horvath and Whitmer coach Kevin Brown shared Coach of the Year honors.

Lake was not afraid to take on the area’s best, including teams from the NHC Red Division which produced a state champion this year in St. Francis.

“I’ll take it because the losses that we took were to Bowling Green (9-2) from the Red Division, to Anthony Wayne (6-4), and we also had a Perrysburg loss (4-0). We had a loss to Whitmer and then we lost in the last weekend to a team out of south Columbus (2-1 to PHA Prowlers),” Horvath said. “That is our six losses, but they were tough opponents. I’ll take losing to Bowling Green and Anthony Wayne every week. I do not need to beat anybody up to make me feel good.”

In goal for Lake was senior Logan Urbanyi (Northwood) and freshman Tristan Steele (Rossford), who combined for 10 shutouts. Urbanyi and Steele were both All-NHC White Division honorable mention selections.

“I have to be honest. I’ve never been able to really say that we had two solid goalies,” Horvath said. “I would take either one. They are great goalies. They both had a lot of shutouts and they both had a lot of wins. Either kid — it doesn’t matter who you play. They are just great kids — very smart, over a 4.0 GPA. What luck to come up with two good goalies.”

Also contributing were Colton Lowe (Lake), Mike Tolles (Lake), Raymond Wagner (Lake), Ben Loomis (Genoa), Kaiden Williams (Genoa), Griffin Hales (Clay) and David Dunn (Eastwood). Tolles, who plays football and baseball for Lake, was a second team All-NHC White Division defenseman who scored 38 points on 13 goals and 12 assists. Hales had eight goals and four assists, Dunn had one goal and five assists and Lowe had one goal and three assists.

Lake forwards Clay Soltis (Wauseon) and Owen Jardine (Patrick Henry) were first team all-league selections. Jardine, who was also the NHC Dunn Sportsperson of the Year, led the team with 88 points on 31 goals and 26 assists. Soltis had 78 points on 30 goals and 18 assists. Horvath says Jardine was instrumental to Lake’s success.

“He’s a game changer. We had a good player named Chase Soltis (Wauseon) last year, but this kid Owen is a very different type of player, but a very good player,” Horvath said. “The way he works, the way he hustles, the way he carries himself. 

“He has won games for us single handedly, and it’s not just by scoring a goal. It’s by going into a corner and digging a puck out so you can score, you know what I mean? There are so many things that he brings to the table besides getting a goal that is just so important. I have never coached a kid like him. He throws his body into everything and he sacrifices for the team.”

Wagner, an HM White Division selection, put up 61 points on 20 goals and 21 assists. More importantly, he was willing to do what it takes, said Horvath.

“Last year, he played defense for us and this year he played forward for us. I could put him anywhere. He’s a four-year kid for us, and he’s done a lot for us,” Horvath said.

 

Genoa’s Loomis goes all-out

Loomis, a solid skater, had nine goals and 10 assists, but Horvath expects him to continue to grow and get better as he gets older.

“He’s a hockey freak. He’s still a little timid, but he’s a good player,” Horvath said. “I’m looking for a lot out of him for next year. This year, you hit him he would get a little mad and he will get back at you. He did not throw the body and go crazy, but he knew what he had to do to get a little more ice time, so he had to play rougher. He still has not stepped up to where he needs to, but I think he will be fine next year.”

Horvath’s assistant, Ron Kenney, a Genoa resident, says Loomis puts it all on the table.

“He does not have too much more size, but he has a bigger heart,” Kenney said. “He’s got a little more grit to him. He says he is going to work out all summer, so we’ll see about next year.”

Lake also won two tournaments, a Thanksgiving event in Springfield, Ohio and a late season tournament in Dayton. At Dayton, after losing to the Prowlers 2-1, they game back the next day to defeat the Prowlers 4-0 for the tournament championship. Lake defeated Kent 6-0 and Kettering Alter 7-2 before the loss to the Prowlers, whose coaches played high school hockey at St. Francis and Sylvania Northview. The win over the Prowlers gave Lake momentum heading into their next White Division game.

“We finished the year up with Southview and we beat them 3-0. We had just won a tournament the week before in Dayton and we were fired up on all cylinders,” Horvath said. “All year you wanted your team to play three periods and in the championship game down in Dayton, we played all three periods and I think that carried over into the game against Southview. It was a good game.”

To win the Thanksgiving tournament championship, Lake defeated Troy 7-1, Mason 10-0, Beavercreek 3-2, and Dayton Stealth 3-0. 

Kenney called Williams (10 G, 18 A), “a remarkable kid” because of a work ethic that earned him HM White Division honors. Others earning HM honors are Kaiden Williams (10 G, 18 A), Aiden Haley (Van Buren, 6 G, 15 A) and Bailey Coe (Otsego, 9 G, 15 A). 

Also contributing were Luke Vida (Whiteford, Mich., 6 A), Elijah Moody (Elmwood, 2 G, 8 A), Trenton Tussing (Tinora, 12 G, 15 A), Jacob Harder (Whiteford, Mich., 2 G, 5 A), and James Bickley (Edison, 20 G, 22 A).

 

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