Hockey Happenings

John Burroughs

John Burroughs played the other two high school teams in Ladue this past weekend, splitting the games. They lost a hard-fought game to MICDS 5-3 on Friday night, and handily knocked off Ladue  5-1 on Saturday. The Bombers also suffered their worst loss of the season, with a mercy rule 15-0 loss to Fort Zumwalt South on Thursday night, albeit with a shorthanded roster.

Burroughs went into the first game knowing they had to try and slow down MICDS' offense, so the Bombers employed a neutral zone trap scheme coach Andy Leonard said. They needed goalie Josh Gollub to play a sensational game with this strategy, and he did, making 36 saves.

Losing to rival MICDS is always tough, but Leonard was very pleased with how his team played.

"MICDS is one of the premiere teams in Mid-States this year," he said. "They beat De Smet earlier in the week, so we knew how strong they were. The coaches felt that it was our best game of the season."

They rode the momentum of a solid game vs. MICDS into the game against Ladue, and came out with a convincing win, a game in which they had their full team for the first time this season, Leonard said. They got goals from five different players, and senior defenseman and captain Robert Gans came back from injury and helped control the defensive end.

Upcoming games feature division rivals Priory and Whitfield and then a break until the 27th.

MICDS

The Rams extended their unbeaten streak to 8-0-1 since their opening day loss to CBC, beating Burroughs 5-3 and Whitfield 4-2 on Saturday night.

Against Burroughs, Captain and forward Robert Cates tallied two goals and Abner Mac Cornwell was the team's playmaker with three assists along with a goal.

The Whitfield game was a tough match, with goalie Gene Sprich making 28 saves in the win. Forward Christopher Hiemenz led all scorers with two goals, as MICDS dominated the offensive end with 41 shots in the game.

Two wins are always a welcome not matter how they come, but coach Kiley Hill knows his team can play better.

"This past weekend we didn't play our best hockey," Hill said. "However, we found a way to win both games against a very hard-working John Burroughs team and Whitfield, coached by former St. Louis Blue Jim Campbell. If we continue to work hard and play smart, we should have some positive results in the next couple days."

MICDS plays Kirkwood and Westminister next week before a long layoff for the holidays.

Ladue

Ladue opened the week with a tough loss on Saturday night to John Burroughs, 5-1. They started strong going into the second period with a 1-1 score, but the Bombers took over with two goals in each of the following periods.

The lone bright spot of the game was the play of brothers Colton Schalk and Grant Schalk. Colton, a forward, scored the lone goal for the Rams, and Grant, the goalie, had a great game in net, turning back 31 shots.

The Rams followed up with a dominant victory over winless Mehlville on Monday, their second win of the season. Charlie Jonas was the undisputed star of this game, tallying a hat trick and an assist. Colton Schalk and Peter Boudres also scored a goal apiece, and Grant Schalk was very solid again in net with 17 saves.

Ladue plays St. Charles West on Friday night and Clayton on the following Wednesday before they have a long break until New Year's Day.

Defensive Star of the Week: Gene Sprich- The MICDS goalie has been a rock in the net during their unbeaten streak, and had 28 saves in the Whitfield victory.

Offensive Star of the Week: Charlie Jonas- The Ladue forward had a field day against Mehlville, torching them for three goals and an assist.