Glenbard returns for combined title effort against BG/H/W
The co-op Glenbard hockey team heads back to the United Center on Friday night, its third consecutive season playing for the state championship and the fourth time of the last five seasons.
"No one ever expects us to go back, but we always find a way," Glenbard coach Jason Hawkins said after his team stopped co-op Wheaton West 2-1 in the semifinals, played March 13 in Bensenville.
Next up: Glenbard vs. BG/H/W, a mix of players from Buffalo Grove, Hersey and Wheeling with the Combined Division state title on the line. Game time is 9:15 p.m.
Glenbard carries the No. 5 seed, while BG/H/W is the No. 3, and the Stampede stopped Waubonsie Valley 5-0 in its semifinal.
Glenbard had never been ranked higher than No. 4 among Combined Division teams in its four state championship runs.
"Every year is special in its own way; it's an amazing experience," Hawkins said. "We're a deep team this season, deeper than past years. And, we've had different guys step up all season, guys who aren't necessarily at the top of the stat sheet."
But at the top is certainly one stud skater: senior Sam Weiss (Glenbard South), who has a team-leading 32 goals, along with 12 assists and a team-leading 6 game-winning goals. He was the MVP at the annual All-State Game, played in February, and he netted the game-winning, short-handed goal in the semifinal with less than 2 minutes remaining in regulation time.
"He has scored big goals for us throughout his three-year career, including the state championship game-winner in overtime last season," Hawkins said. "He just keeps coming through in crucial moments."
Junior forward Danny DeGrado (Glenbard North) has a team-high 58 points (26 goals, 32 assists), while senior forward Jacob Riscossa (Glenbard North) has 16 goals, 30 assists. Senior defenseman Connor Shin (Glenbard East) has 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists), while junior forward Ryan Kelly (Glenbard East) has 33 (11, 22).
"The pressure (going to the United Center) should be eased based on returning players know what to expect, and they lead by example," Hawkins said.
That list definitely includes senior goalie Jim Bertane (Glenbard West), the MVP of last season's state title game. And this year he boasts a 2.49 goals-against average.
"He's a big game goalie, and has been for the past two years," Hawkins said. "Any time you have him in net, you have a chance (to win). I think his experience is huge. He comes up big in big games."
Glenbard carries a 27-21 record, while the Stampede stands at 31-19-5 and is the Champions Cup playoff runner-up from the North-Central Division. This is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
Junior Nicholas Christianson and senior William Busby are two of the Stampede's top forwards, each tallying 20 or more points in the 11-team Champions Division. Chris Waters is the Stampede's first-year head coach, joined on the bench by longtime BG/H/W head coach Bob Wagner and assistant Pat Wagner.
"You can never take it for granted; every year, it's hard to get (to the United Center)," Hawkins said. "We don't know a lot about BG, but to beat Waubonsie 5-0 is impressive. We know we have our work cut out for us to finish this off.
"It should be a great game."
• The top-tiered Red Division state championship game will be played Friday at the United Center, starting at 7 p.m., with No. 1 seed New Trier Green looking for its 11th state title under head coach Bob Melton. The Trevians stopped Loyola Gold 2-1 in the semifinals and will meet Providence Cathlolic after the Celtics defeated Benet Academy 2-1 in their semi.
New Trier and Providence have played three times this season, with the Celtics holding a 2-1 series lead.
This is Providence's first trip to the United Center, while New Trier has claimed the championship two of the past three seasons.