7-seed Benet Academy hockey and 3-seed Loyola meet up in the Blackhawk Cup Red Division Semifinals at West Meadows Ice Arena. The Redwings enter off three straight playoff overtime victories, including a double OT win against Glenbrook North in the previous round. Loyola has won by multiple goals in every playoff game and beat Glenbrook South to get here. Benet hopes to make its first State Final appearance since 2015, and would take on New Trier in the final. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Benet and Loyola Hockey open the Blackhawk Cup Semifinal scoreless
About seven minutes into the first period, Benet’s on the power play Hudson Hollweck finds Hudson Schlie, but the Hudson duo gets denied point blank by Charles Trapp of Loyola.
Later in the first, Giovanni Anemone skates past a Redwing and shoots, but it’s into the glove of Benet goalie, Benjamin Ciesla. It’s a no-score game at the end of the first period.
Four second-period goals set up an exciting third period
Joseph Ihde wins the puck back for Benet and heads to the net. Ihde puts it right over the goalie’s glove and scores the game’s first goal! A great solo effort from the Redwing!
Benet’s Evan Petratos wins the faceoff in the defensive zone, and the Redwings all of a sudeen have numbers on the break. Vincenzo Porro has two options to the left, but he decides to sneak one past the goalie for the score! It’s a great snipe to put Benet up 2-0 with six minutes left in the second.
Less than a minute later, there’s a battle for possession of the puck, and it breaks free to Rambler, Nicholas Thomas, who puts it past a crowd of Redwings. Benet still leads 2-1.
Wrapping up the second period, Benet applies some heavy pressure on the powerplay. Schlie looks for an opening from behind the net, eventually finding Daniel Quinlan who gets denied. A little later, Hollweck has it and snaps one past the keeper to make it 3-1 Benet!
Benet Hockey defeats Loyola and moves on to the Blackhawk Cup State Championship for the first time since 2015
With the third period underway, Loyola is now on the powerplay. Connor McAuley passes to Peter Lochnicki who shoots but Benjamin Ciesla flashes the leather the glove save.
Schlie now attacks the one-on-one for Benet, and he riffles one but it’s saved by Trapp. Redwings still lead 3-1 with eleven minutes remaining in the third.
Discosola denies the Loyola entry, and Redwing Carson Stone skates into the offensive zone. He sends one low, gets denied, but follows up the rebound and scores on the second chance! The Redwings are soaring in this one and it’s looking like they’ll flap their wings to the United Center for the State Championship!
With the empty net, Benet’s Schlie wins the puck back at the red line, skates across the blue line, and scores to make it 5-1. The Redwings defeat Loyola in the Semifinals and will now play New Trier in the Red Division State Championship! The game will be played on Sunday, March 16, at 4:30 p.m. at the United Center.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
