Freshman Patrick Daly delivers a pass to a cutting teammate. Inji Kang’19/Media

The inaugural regular season for the CA ice hockey team was capped off with two hard-fought wins. The Vikes rolled past the Olentangy Braves, 10-7, on Friday, February 9, and then edged out Olentangy Orange on Saturday, February 10, at 7-6. Academy finished the regular season with a record of 17-8-1.

The Vikes traveled to Chiller North to take on Olentangy, looking to complete a season sweep of the Braves. As soon as the puck dropped, CA’s offensive fireworks began. The Vikings put up four goals in the first period, and were shutting the Braves down defensively. 

Gunnar Geiger’19 led the charge with a hat trick and a couple of key checks in the neutral zone. The Braves attempted to crawl back into the game, but Academy pulled away late. Cole Walker’19 put the icing on the cake, scoring a slick, full-ice, empty net goal with just ten seconds left to put the Braves to rest. 

Academy was soon back on the road again, when they faced off against Olentangy Orange. It was a back-and-forth battle, as the two squads traded goals. Finally, it was the Pioneers that took command, building a 3-goal lead late in the first period. The Vikes didn’t give up. Campbell Gwin’21 scored two goals in rapid succession to cut the deficit to 1.

CA came out hot in the second period, scoring three goals and not allowing Orange to tack on any more. The Vikes fended off the Pioneers for the rest of the contest and secured another big win. 

The boys ended the regular season on a high note and look to carry this momentum into the CBJ Cup on Friday, February 16.