Date 2/22/08
From The Tennessean:
Franklin completes turnaround with hockey
title
Rebels earn Blue Division crown with victory
against Hillsboro/Hillwood
NASHVILLE —
Five games into the high school hockey season, Franklin's team was
stuck at the bottom of the standings.
Now, the Rebels are the Blue Division
tournament champions.
After rebounding from their 0-5 start in the
Greater Nashville Area Scholastic Hockey League, Franklin beat
Hillsboro/Hillwood 3-1 in the championship Wednesday night at
Centennial Sportsplex.
"We've played exceptional hockey ever
since about the eighth game of the season," Rebels coach Bob
Nightingale said. "We started off rough, but we've gone 13-3
since the 0-5 start."
Injuries, illness, a young roster and a tough
early schedule hurt Franklin early, but the Rebels finished strong to
win the first Henry Hine Cup.
Franklin also got off to a slow start in the
championship game, being outshot 13-5 during a scoreless first period.
Then the Rebels got goals from forwards John
Negley and Scot Ware during the first two minutes of the second period
to take a 2-0 lead.
Negley found a seam in the middle of the ice
for a breakaway and beat Burros goalie Douglas Greer with a wrist shot
to the upper right corner of the net 18 seconds into the period.
"We finally put one in on an odd-man
rush," Negley said. "I kind of faked the goalie out a little
bit and put it top corner. From there, we got another goal right off
the bat, next shift out, and I think we got into the goalie's head and
their players' heads a little bit. That's when I think the tide really
turned."
Negley has earned a spot on the GNASH
All-Star team at different positions the past two seasons: last year
as a goalie and this year as a defenseman. The versatile senior played
center in the championship.
Team captain Corey Nightingale found Ware
alone on the right side of the crease, and the freshman poked the puck
into the net at the 2:12 mark of the second period.
"Their goalie is really good,"
Nightingale said. "He's got like 10 goals against in the
(previous seven) games. Our plan was just throw it at the net every
chance and get rebounds. We just got really lucky, putting it in the
net."
Hillsboro/Hillwood narrowed the deficit to
2-1 on a power-play goal by Robert Fischman at 6:23 of the second
period. The momentum didn't last long as Franklin's Daniel Francis put
home a rebound 39 seconds into the third period.
Franklin goalie C.J. Schipani withstood
constant pressure from the Burros, earning the win with 31 saves.
"When you get a lot of shots, it helps
goalies stay focused, and I felt really good tonight," Schipani
said. "I got a lot of rubber. Their guys kept hitting me, though.
Every time I looked there was someone either close to the crease or
right up against me. Eventually, I just had to hit them. Quite a few
times I didn't even see the shot coming."
Like Franklin, Hillsboro/Hillwood (10-10)
started the season slowly and finished strong. The Burros got off to a
2-9 start but took an eight-game winning streak into the title game.
"Ever since Christmas break, we've
played a lot better," Burros coach Jason Parrish said.
"They've played the systems harder and came together as a team.
And I think that's what made it work. Once you get that confidence
rolling, it's hard to stop that snowball."
Several fights broke out on the ice with
three seconds left, marring the ending.
|
