News and Reports

2005-06 NEWS AND REPORTS

SEASON OUTLOOK

The Titans posted mix results in the 2004-05 season. The Titans only finished fourth in the Red Division of the Northwest Hockey Conference, however, the season is still considered a success.

St. John’s held state finalist, Shaker Heights to only one goal in an early season loss, lost to state semi-finalist Archbishop Moeller in an overtime shootout, and tied eventual State Champion, Lakewood St. Edward, 3-3 in a preseason tournament. The Titans defeated U. D. Jesuit, a Michigan state semi-finalist, 4-3 in overtime and won the Bowling Green Holiday Tournament with wins over Jesuit rival, Cleveland St. Ignatius, and Bowling Green. St. John’s advanced to the district championship game with victories over Maumee and Whitmer and stopped Bowling Green from advancing to the state final 4 for the first time in twelve years with a hard fought 4-3 victory in triple overtime. The Titans fell in overtime of the district championship game 4-3.

With the loss of six seniors who made significant contributions last year, the 2005-2006 Titans will have a much different look. They will be very young up front. Led by experienced and talented forwards such as seniors Matt Kennedy and Zach Milano and juniors Shane Hetrick and Andrew Heldt, the Titans will be relying heavily on very young sophomore class. Mark Stansfield, Danny Johnson, Cam Hauenstein, Chase Parsell and freshman Ray Morris will be counted on for offensive output. Experienced players Ben Wurst, Steve Mason and new varsity player, Scott Brahaney will also get significant ice time and will be relied upon to make key contributions.

Where the Titans should be strong is at the blue line and in goal. SJJ returns six defensemen from last year. Seniors Russ Maxon and Sam Strouse, juniors Mike Henson, Mike Callan and Tad Huber all are experienced and talented and will anchor the defensive corp. Senior Greg Scannell and newcomers Devin Lewis and freshman Luke Stansfield all will be looked upon to contribute as well. In goal, senior John Unger returns from an outstanding junior year season in which he earned 2nd team all conference honors. He will be backed up by sophomore Tyler Marzec who went 5-0-0 in goal as a freshman last year and who could see more ice time this year.

TITANS SKATE PAST THE KNIGHTS
1/28/06, Toledo Blade. The rubber match between rivals St. Francis de Sales and St. John's Jesuit last night at Tam O'Shanter was a tale of two periods. The Titans survived a shaky first period and exploded in the second with three unanswered goals, holding the Knights to zero shots on goal. Following a 1-1 tie after the first period, St. John's tallied four unmatched markers, including two power play goals, to drop St. Francis 5-2 before about 1,500 spectators. Click here for the rest of the Toledo Blade story (pdf document 190KB).

St. john's wins titan invitational tournament
The Titan Icers ended a long string of second place finishes and capped off a very good weekend by winning their annual Titan Invitational Tournament with a 3-2 victory over Mentor Lake Catholic. Mike Henson’s shot from the point with a little over three minutes left found its way through the crowd and into the net to give the Titan’s their winning margin. The path to the championship was a challenging one as they had to work their way through a very tough bracket consisting of some of the state’s top teams. They beat Elyria Catholic 3-1, tied Mentor Lake Catholic 2-2 and beat Garfield Heights Trinity 7-3 to go 2-0-1 in the preliminary round and earn a spot in the championship game. This weekend saw a total team effort with significant contributions from everybody, including a couple of their JV players who received last second calls to fill in for injured players. Congrats to everyone for a job well done.

Sellout crowd watches St. John's top St. Francis in hockey
1/8/06, Toledo Blade. Several hundred high school hockey fans hoping to watch a game between heated rivals St. John's and St. Francis were turned away at the gate Saturday night at Tam O'Shanter in Sylvania. Click here for the rest of the Toledo Blade story (pdf document 140KB).

JV TITANS WIN INAUGURAL MONROE HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT

The Titans JV team won their Christmas Tournament with outstanding team play. Steve Schmitt posted back to back shutouts in the first 2 games of round robin play, where the Titans went undefeated, with wins over Bowling Green, the Monroe IceHawks and Eastwood High School. Advancing to the finals, St. Johns' faced NWO league leading Bedford Mules. It took 2 extra periods to decide the outcome, where Cam Joelson scored in double OT to take the Championship Victory.

TITAN ICERS TAKE SECOND AT LUMBERJACK TOURNEY
The varsity hockey team took second at the 2005 Cleveland Lumberjack Turkey Bowl Tournament (November 25-27.) The Titans posted wins against perennial state powers, Lakewood St. Edward, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland St. Ignatius in round robin play. A victory over a tough St. Ignatius team in the semifinals earned the Titans a spot in the championship game where they fell short. Senior, John Unger, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Goal Tender. Go to Schedule & Scores to view complete scores and game summaries.

Titans Season ENDS

The Titans season came to a close on February 25th with a disappointing loss in the district semi-finals. However, the playoff loss cannot diminish the accomplishments of the 2005-06 squad. Showing strong team play throughout the season, they proved that sometimes the sum is greater than the parts. Although a preseason pick to finish fourth in the Northwest Hockey Conference, St. John’s surprised the pundits by finishing second. Along the way, the Titans posted memorable wins against perennial state powers, Bowling Green (2), St. Francis (2), St. Edward (2), St. Ignatius (3), University School, Trinity, and Shaker Heights. St. John’s won the Titan Invitational Tournament for the first time in many years and placed second in two other tournaments. They finish the season with the school’s first 20 win season since 2000 with a 22-8-2 record.

Coach Hayes sums up the season this way: "I would like to personally thank all the players on an outstanding season. One disappointing loss isn't going to diminish everything you accomplished this year. It was personally a very enjoyable year for me. To the seniors, and especially the captains, thank you for your solid leadership throughout the year. You've created a blueprint for success that this program can use as we move forward both next year and the years to come. You guys are true winners. Great season."

The Titans hockey organization would like to recognize the Senior Class of 2006, Scott Brahaney, Matt Brusoe, Mark Deeter, Joe Funke, Greg Gomach, Matt Kennedy, Steve Mason, Russ Maxon, Zach Milano, Greg Scannell, Sam Strouse, and John Unger. for their leadership, friendship, and spirited play. Good luck in your future endeavors.

The Titans extend their appreciation to the administration, the faculty, the students, alumni of St. John’s Jesuit High School, the parents, and the many volunteers, who comprise the best high school hockey fans in the state! Special thanks go to the sponsors and contributors whose financial support makes St. John’s Jesuit High School Hockey possible. See you next season.