advertisement

Glenbrook North finally subdues battling Benet in OT

Benet Academy made its debut in the Illinois High School Hockey State Championship game Sunday afternoon at the United Center - and the nerves were ever-present.

For 2½ periods, the Redwings struggled to even test Glenbrook North goalie Garrett Cohen.

"It was tough to win after playing the first two periods like we did," said Benet senior forward Lee Barnes, who entered the game with the third-most points on the team (34 goals, 39 assists).

The No. 2-seeded Spartans struck with a 2-goal outburst in a two-minute span of the second period - and the lead looked like it would last.

But Benet never gave up.

The Redwings struck back with 2 goals of their own in a two-minute span late in the third period, forcing overtime.

But the 10-minute sudden-death OT didn't go Benet's way.

Junior forward Joe Day tallied the game-winner with 54 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Spartans a 3-2 victory - and their fifth state championship in school history, the second-most in Illinois history (behind New Trier) and the school's first since 2008.

This was GBN's ninth appearance in the state championship game and this win ends the Spartans' jinx as the school was the runner-up in 2013 and 2014.

"We had a great comeback, which defines our team. That game could have gone either way," Benet coach Jon Grzbek said. "I think my guys were a little gassed (in overtime), but I wouldn't have changed a thing.

"We got off to a slow start, for sure, and those 2 goals in a row (by GBN) were tough. But we're not defined by one game."

The Redwings ran four defensemen and two forward lines in overtime before Day tallied off an assist from senior forward Eric Doar, past Redwings' senior goalie Justin Davidson (29 saves) in front of about 10,000 fans.

"I told them that this (loss) is going to sting, but walk out of here with their heads held high. The whole school and the (local) community are so proud of these guys," said Grzbek, who noted that, less than an hour after the game ended, he had already received more than 200 congratulatory text messages for how the team played.

Benet senior forward Michael Prasse made it 2-1 with less than six minutes to play in regulation time, scoring his 26th goal of the season on assists from senior defenseman Sam Rossi and senior forward Trent Kunas.

Benet junior forward Bobby Ernsting tied the game with 3:28 left in regulation time on assists from Barnes and senior defenseman Daniel Stent.

"It's tough, definitely, especially after coming back in the third and everything we've been through this season," said Ernsting, who finished the season with 35 goals and 39 assists in 56 games.

Barnes added, "This is the most fun I've had playing hockey. It was really tough to swallow."

Spartans senior forward Alex Merritt broke the ice with a shorthanded breakaway goal into the left side of the net off a pass from junior defenseman Jack Elowe.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.