GAME PREVIEWS (Friday, May 17)
QUARTERFINAL #1
4:30pm
Naperville North vs New Trier
The most intriguing battle of the boys' quarterfinal round kicks things off
on Friday when the Huskies and Trevians do battle in the first game of the
night. Naperville North will be hoping things go just like they did when
they beat New Trier 14-4 in the title game of the GBS Sectional in Week 7.
The Trevians expect things to be different, as they lost star Jordan Palmer
to injury for most of the first contest and have finally overcome the
obstacle that is Loyola in an 11-9 sectional final win last weekend. Neither
team lacks in the depth category, as any number of players could emerge as
the hero as both squads have their sights on a state trophy. Eric Curia is
the focal point of the offense for the Huskies, but he is strongly supported
by Adam Nyland, Drake McClure, Garrett Nash, Gianmarco Duin, Luke Landiak, and Nolan
Roberts. New Trier's depth has always been their strong suit, as Palmer is
backed up by Dano Johnson, Jason Bartha, Joey Ryan, Matt Weiser, John
Schulz, Reid McCulloch and a handful of other contributors.
Questions: Will the difference in state experience make a difference
for the goalies, as Michael Shabel manned the nets for North in last year's
8-4 semifinal loss to Lyons while John Friesen is making his first state
tournament start? Will the aforementioned experience issue be a factor, as
the Huskies have been in this situation before while this is new for the
Trevians? Will North be ready for a close contest after mowing through the
competition at the Neuqua Valley Sectional? Which New Trier team will show
up, the one that lost to Lyons by one goal at this same pool in Week 8, or
the one who got blown out at the end of Week 7 in the first meeting with
Naperville North?
Previous meeting: Naperville North beat New Trier 14-4 to win the GBS
Tournament on April 20. Eric Curia, Gianmarco Duin, and Nolan Roberts each
scored 4 goals as the Huskies' built a 6-2 halftime lead and pulled away for
a double-digit win in the second half. John Schulz led the Trevians with 2
scores in the loss.
QUARTERFINAL #2
5:45pm Fenwick vs Homewood-Flossmoor
Going into last weekend, there were may who thought this second quarterfinal
contest could have been between Lockport and Lyons. Then, Matt Farmer
returned from injury to lead Fenwick back to state after a one-year absence
and Jakobi McClellan and Kevin Kuchta stepped up to help the Vikings
dethrone the Porters and earn one of the eight spots in the boys' state
tournament festivities. The Friars started the season on a roll, beating the
defending champions (Lyons) to win their own tournament in Week 2, but the
loss of Farmer for five weeks played a role in three losses to
Missouri-based teams (MICDS, SLUH) and another to the Lions in Week 8.
Things have changed with Farmer back in the fold, so Fenwick will be hoping
to handle the Vikings like they did in their own tournament when they earned
a 15-5 victory. That was ages ago, so an improved Homewood-Flossmoor squad
could use their momentum from last weekend's overtime win over Lockport to
challenge the top-ranked Friars. Fenwick head coach Kyle Perry has plenty of
other options at his disposal with Andrew Bertschy, Danny Farmer, Omar
Calderon, Matt Bresnahan, Ryan Masi, Tony Perez, Trevor McLean, and more all
hoping to make an impact over the weekend. For the Vikings, head coach Tim
Caldwell hopes that Broc Thompson,Hayden Santefort, Edgar Wright,
Mason Reidel, and Mike Mitchell can be difference-makers in this opening
round contest.
Questions: Has Farmer fully recovered from the surgery that kept him
out for five weeks before his triumphant return? Can McClellan keep the
Vikings in the game if the Friars come out firing in the early stages of
this contest? Can the Vikings, especially Kuchta, stay out of foul trouble
against a team that has an abundance of depth? How much of an impact will
Fenwick goalkeeper Tommy McGuire have if the Vikings keep things close in
the first half?
Previous meeting: The Friars earned a 15-5 victory over H-F on March
15 at the Fenwick Tournament. Matt Bresnahan scored 4 goals and Andrew Bertschy,
Danny Farmer, Matt Farmer, and Trevor McLean all scored 2 goals in the win
for the Friars. Despite the double-digit loss, Vikings' goalie Jakobi
McClellan impressed with a 13-save performance.
QUARTERFINAL #3
7:00pm
Conant vs Stevenson
There's a bit of mystery surrounding the matchup between Conant and
Stevenson in Friday's state quarterfinal round. The teams did not meet in
2013, so the Patriots will have to hope that their regular season wins over
the Cougars' MSL compadres like Fremd and Palatine translates into a win
over the MSL champions on Friday night. Conant won the Fremd sectional after
shutting out Schaumburg and getting past Hoffman last weekend, but they will
face a charged-up Stevenson team playing in their home pool in front of
their home fans in a situation they have been in before after qualifying for
state last season. Meanwhile, the Cougars' starters weren't around for the
team's first state appearance five years ago, so experience could play a
factor in this contest. Conants Jon Burke leads the offense, but they have a
wide-range of contributors that includes Connor Schmitz, Devin Schmitz, Jake
Nelson, Kyle Bradberry, and Matt Engebretson. The Patriots have a plethora
of weapons that starts with Remy Dalloul and Mitchell Sokolsky and continues
with Alex Divanyan, Alex Kapecki, Josh Weisberg, Taylor Baretz, and Varun
Mummadi.
Questions: Will Conant's lack of state tournament experience have any
impact on their performance? Can the Patriots take advantage of playing in
their own pool? Can they also shake the memory of last year's loss to
Lockport in the quarterfinal round? How much of an impact will Rob O'Brien,
easily one of the state's best goaltenders, have on this game? Likewise, how
will newcomer Aly Ahmed perform for Conant in his first year between the
pipes via the student exchange program?
Previous meeting: The two teams did not meet in 2013.
QUARTERFINAL #4
8:15pm Brother Rice vs St Ignatius
The biggest grudge match of the night closes out the quarterfinal round as
Catholic League forces clash in a rubber match to see who will get to play
for a trophy on Saturday. St Ignatius won the first meeting between the two
teams on a last-minute goal by Tom Dowling in Week 2, but the Crusaders won
the most recent contest in early May to finish in third place in the MCAC
Tournament. Rice and SICP have both shown major improvements throughout the
season and both have the capability to advance all the way to the state
final game if things work in their favor. The Crusaders look to Kevin Mayer
to lead the offense, but their well-balanced machine also counts on Dan
Birmingham, Dan Whalen, Dave Jackson, Ian Disteldorf, and Matt Bachler to
chip in at various times. The Wolfpack blend youth and experience to get
things done, as the likes of Billy Barth, Jesus Juarez, John Reyes, Shane
Hughes, Tom Dowling, and Themio Christy all play key roles for head coach
Luis Martinez' squad.
Questions: Which goaltender will emerge as the hero in this contest,
as both teams boast high-quality keepers in Cal Kennedy (Brother Rice) and
Tym Zymon (SICP)? Will the youth of the Wolfpack help or hurt their chances
to advance to the next round?
Previous meeting: The Wolfpack beat Brother Rice 11-10 in a
conference game on March 11. The Crusaders topped Ignatius 10-7 in the
consolation game of the Catholic League Tournament on May 4.
In the first meeting, Tom Dowling netted the game-winner with seven seconds
left as John Reyes put in 4 goals and both Dowling and Shane Hughes scored 3
times. Dave Jackson and Kevin Mayer scored 3 goals apiece in the Crusaders'
loss.
More recently,
Dan Birmingham, Dan Whalen, Ian Disteldorf, and Matt Bachler each scored 2
goals as the Crusaders claimed third place in the Catholic League by beating
the Wolfpack. The trio of Dowling, Hughes, and Reyes scored all 7 goals for
SICP.
