Sophomore Jake Carlin takes a shot at goal with only seconds remaining in regulation. (Henry Rubey’22/Staff)
Following a strong win against rivals Gahanna Lincoln on Friday, January 10, Academy stacked up against non-league opponent Beavercreek at home on Saturday, January 11, dropping the close game 3-1. The next day, the Vikes took on Olentangy Berlin, ranked second in the division ahead of Academy, at home, taking a tough 8-2 loss against the solid Bears team.
This week, our boys and girls participated in their second Walter F. Ehrnfelt Memorial Tournament hosted at OBM Arena in Strongsville, OH against teams from all across the state.
On Saturday, January 18, at 9:00 am, Academy played its first match against Alter. The game was even overall, and the final scoreline, 4-4, reflected this. Later that evening, the Vikes faced off against Harborcreek and got a big 7-3 win, with a hat trick from sophomore Jake Carlin, two from junior Campbell Gwin, and one-a-piece for sophomore Andrew Zaki and junior Luke Budzik.
On Sunday, January 19, Academy played Normandy to receive its placement for the tournament’s final game. A win would secure the Vikes’ place in the championship match on the next day. Carlin kicked off the scoring for the Vikes with 9:00 to go in the first, but by the end of the first, the team was behind 1-2. Early in the second, Budzik tied it up for Academy. With 4:18 to go in the second, sophomore Max Walker put the Vikes ahead, only for Normandy to tie it back up before Zaki restored Academy’s lead to close out the second. With 5:00 to go in the third, Gwin added a fifth to the Vikes’ tally, and despite Normandy scoring once more, Academy secured its place in the Championship game with a 5-4 win.
In a rematch of Saturday’s tie, two-seed Academy fought against one-seed Alter in the championship game.
Alter started off with a goal only a few minutes in-then continued to dominate. Luckily for the Vikes, with only 53 seconds left in the first, Carlin found Budzik on a power play to tie up the game at one. But, Alter quickly regained the lead in the second, only for Koganov to tie it back up off an assist from Gwin. After this, Alter took control. With three more goals in the second and four more in the third, the Knights proved too much for the tired Vikes, taking the trophy home to Kettering, OH.
Coming off of their second place tournament finish, the Vikes will look to keep up their solid form with three games at hand next week. On Friday, January 24, our girls and boys will battle to tame the Gahanna Lincoln Lions once more at home for Senior Night. Then, on Saturday, January 25, the team will play Dublin Scioto in Dublin. To cap off the weekend, on Sunday, January 26, Academy will face off against Olentangy at Olentangy.
