Baron Cup I – Rocky River Advances with a 3-0 Shutout of Mentor

BROOKLYN, OHIO – #2 seed Rocky River came into the Baron Cup as one of the favorites to win it all and they definitely looked the part on Thursday against the #7 seeded Mentor Cardinals.

Rocky River used a fast start and solid defense to shut the Cardinals out, 3-0, and advance to the semi-finals.

The Pirates jumped all over Mentor early, scoring two goals in the opening 5 1/2 minutes.

River Whitnable started things off with a long goal that was assisted by Summer Mead and gave Rocky River a 1-0 lead with 13:30 left in the first period.

Jack Mallet gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead with an unassisted goal at the 9:33 mark.

Whitnable put the game away with his second goal at the 10:51 mark in the third period.

While it was nice for Whitnable to score two goals, it wasn’t really needed the way Rocky River’s defense and goalie Ryan Dunning were playing.

Dunning recorded 16 saves and his defense limited Mentors opportunities all game as Rocky River controlled the puck from the start.

The Pirates now move on to face the winner of the Hudson/Solon game on Saturday at 5:30 pm.