A Shot And A Goal For JCA

The final 44 seconds of the third period Sunday night ended with a power play, including a 5-on-3 for six seconds. And Joliet Catholic Academy sophomore Ryan Hippman nearly took advantage.

Skating in on the right wing of a 2-on-1, Hippman held onto the puck long enough to freeze the Providence Catholic JV goalie. However, Hippman’s shot with 14.9 seconds left would be smothered.

Oh so close.

“I thought the goalie was going to slide across, anticipating the pass, and he didn’t,” Hippman said afterward. “There’s nothing you can do about it. I was aiming high on the glove side and I just missed.”

Still, the 1-1 tie against previously state-ranked Providence at Canlan Ice Arena was a can’t-miss opportunity of positivity for JCA’s co-op ice hockey team. A combined entry with Minooka, Yorkville and Coal City, JCA improved its record to a solid 1-1-2 in the last four games of IHSL White Division action.

Assistant captain Patrick Devine, a minute-munching junior defenseman, and freshman defenseman Ryan Elliott assisted on sophomore center Chris Jackson’s rebound goal 2:01 into the first period. Devine’s stretch pass on the outlet sent in Jackson, who converted his second shot between the pads.

That lead stood up until 5:21 left in the third period when sophomore defenseman Justin Davis netted a point shot past junior goalie Mario Ritchie (41 saves). Playing without junior forward Aaron Ladzinski and freshman forward Thomas Ambrosia, JCA went 0-for-5 on the power play and was outshot 42-22.

“Getting the first one really helped us out,” Patrick Devine said. “We took a couple penalties, and I was in the box for one of them. It’s pretty tough when you’re playing 5-on-4 in the third period of a 1-0, 1-1 game. We haven’t worked enough yet in the power play in practice, so it actually looked pretty good.”

“We’re a young team and we were missing two of our best,” JCA coach Mike Devine said of Ladzinski and Ambrosia, who were playing travel with the Joliet Jaguars. “We have a couple of club players, a couple who play house, so we’re bringing the team along slowly and teaching them the system.”

Several times, that system almost paid off. Freshman winger Billy Drew put the puck on net and Jackson whacked at the rebound in the first period. Devine’s deflection and Hippman’s pair of shots highlighted a second-period power play and freshman forward Matt Dubiel followed with a point-blank chance.

After the Zamboni cleaned the ice, JCA came out for the third period and produced a power-play shot by sophomore forward Rylan Bannon before Providence scored. Five power plays, three for Providence, dotted the last seven minutes of the third period, with Hippman heading to the net for the closing salvo.

“At the end, we were trying to throw the puck at the net, get as many opportunities as possible and see what we could get with 15-20 seconds left,” Hippman said. “It was nice to have the power play, even with only a little time, and it was close. There’s nothing you can do about a 1-1 tie, but I’m happy.”

NOTES: It was Pack the Rink Night. In attendance supporting the Hilltoppers were Jeff Budz, JCA’s Principal/CEO, and the Rev. Jeff Smialek, a campus minister and theology teacher … Eight players on the roster are from JCA, with Bannon (Joliet), junior defenseman Zach Demos (Plainfield), Hippman (Bolingbrook), Drew (Lockport), Ambrosia (Plainfield), freshman goalie Jamie Meroz (Wilmington), Dubiel (Plainfield) and Devine (Channahon) representing six communities … One of Providence’s JV coaches is Frank Cavallone, a 1980 graduate of Joliet Catholic. His son Shawn is a sophomore defenseman for the Celtics. Cavallone’s geometry teacher at JCHS — Dan Sharp, now JCA’s athletic director and six-time state champion head football coach … Looking for more information on the JCA ice hockey team? Check out this site.