Celebrating his goal during an 8-1 win over rival Oak Park and River Forest Hockey Club on Sunday night at Ridgeland Common, Fenwick forward Mike Freitag extended his right hand in slightly exaggerated fashion and simulated the perfect follow through of a basketball jump shot. This gesture, made famous by Michael Jordan against the Utah Jazz in the NBA finals and currently all the craze after big plays in the NFL, basically means “nothing but net”-an accurate synopsis of the Friars’ offensive onslaught against the Huskies.
In 38 minutes of play, Fenwick found the back of the net eight times off 30 shots on goal and consistently controlled the puck against OPRF. Six different players scored goals for Fenwick. Sam Garner (2 goals), K.C. Madock (2 goals, assist) Tony Tedesco (2 assists), and Freitag (goal, four assists) led the impressive offensive display.
Back in October, these familiar foes turned in a classic with Fenwick prevailing 2-1 late in the third period. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated rematch didn’t live up to the hype, although the Huskies showed signs of a possible upset in the early stages of the game.
With a full house of fans still settling in at Ridgeland Common, the Huskies struck quickly when senior captain Jack Brofman scored a goal, assisted by Seth Molek at the 11:27 mark of the opening period to grab a 1-0 advantage.
Slightly over a minute later, Fenwick forward Kevin Sutton replied with the first of eight unanswered goals by the Friars. Nick Powers and Garner added goals in the final four minutes of the opening period to propel Fenwick to a 3-1 lead.
“When we played [OPRF] before, we were still building a team and seeing what clicks,” said Fenwick coach Dan Wolff. “Now, we have our lines pretty good and we’ve developed as a team.”
In the second period, the Friars maintained their aggressiveness with four goals, including two shorthanded goals by Paul Cook and Madock to make it 7-1
At 26-5-3 and firmly ensconced in first and second place in the Metro West and Chicago Catholic Hockey League respectively, the Friars are clicking on all cylinders and simultaneously gearing up for their annual run at the Kennedy Cup.
Despite the one-sided score, the Huskies played hard like they always do against their cross-town rival, especially team leaders like Phil O’Connor, Kevin Meegan, Jonah Rice, Andy Dirgo, and Mike Wojtowicz.
“Right now, it’s a confidence thing with our guys,” said OPRF coach Rick Meegan. “Our guys are there and know what they need to do, but they are not progressing with it. We scored the first goal and that should have been a momentum builder for us. Instead, Fenwick came back and scored, and then things just went flat for us.”
OPRF starting goalie Tanner Houston made several solid saves but eventually was pulled with 9:22 remaining to bring in goalie Evan McCall. McCall played well in relief, holding the Friars scoreless the rest of the way.
“We need to get some of our other guys playing harder,” Meegan added. “We’re not driving through their skating, driving through their checks. They are sitting back, knowing they are going to get hit and that’s not how hockey is played.”
For the game, Fenwick had 30 shots on goal and OPRF had eight. The Huskies committed four penalties, while Fenwick visited the penalty box seven times.
“When they scored the first goal it pretty much woke us up,” Powers said. “Something sparked for us after that and it was just one goal after another. “We really wanted to make a statement and not let them back in the game.”
Along with two road games this week, the Friars will host two games at Ridgeland Common this week-Thursday at 8 p.m. vs. St Rita and Sunday at 6:10 p.m. vs. St. Charles North. The Huskies next home game at Ridgeland will be on Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. against Lake Zurich.