Ravenwood’s ability to kill off penalties proved to be vital for it against Brentwood Academy/Lipscomb Academy.
The Raptors spent much of the first and second period in the sin bin, including eight of the 14 minutes in the second alone. However, they killed off every penalty they were up against in a 6-4 win Wednesday night at Centennial Sportsplex.
“We knew their offensive skill players were going to be really good,” said Ravenwood coach Matt Eddinger on his team’s success at killing off the penalties on the night. “We spent a lot of time this week working on the penalty kill.”
“We were mostly successful with it, but I was mostly dissappointed with my team’s ability to work through the ugly stuff and stay out of the penalty box.”
Four of Ravenwood’s six goals came in the first period. Luke Williams scored the first two, followed by tallies from Liam Hussey and Joey Friedenberger. Peter Cloud and Sean Karaman scored a goal apiece in the second period as well.
Brentwood Academy/Lipscomb Academy refused to stay down though. Zach Martin might have scored the goal of the season in the first period, ripping a shot from the right side of the neutral zone that screamed past the pipes into the back of the net.
“That was definitely a tide-turner for him to put a shot on and get it to slip through. We had a little puck luck there,” said Brentwood Academy/Lipscomb Academy coach Ethan Burau.
Martin tallied two goals on the night, along with Boone Callis and Elliot Greene. It’s only the second time all season the Raptors have conceded more than three goals, as they’ve given up the second fewest all season so far.
“Biggest thing behind that is our goaltender,” said Eddinger.
“We’ve got a senior goaltender in Thomas Ito . He’s a great player, but we also preach team defense all the way through anyways. It’s a five-man unit protecting him, and we try to give up as few scoring chances. So far, it’s been okay. We’ve got a long way to go though.”
For Brentwood Academy/Lipscomb Academy, Burau can take comfort in his team’s offensive output on the night, and knowing that they’re trending in the right direction offensively.
“When you play the two-time defending state champions, it’s hard with 12 guys to put up those kind of numbers. But once we actually stayed out and stayed disciplined, we gave ourselves a chance,” said Burau.
“I think things really turned last week as far as offensive production. The offense is getting there, now it’s just a matter of getting them to fall.”
Brentwood Academy/Lipscomb Academy will face Pope John Paul II/CPA November 20 at the Centennial Sportsplex. Ravenwood won’t play again until November 27 against Franklin-HFA at the Ford Ice Center.
