BROOKLYN, Ohio- The North Olmsted Eagles and Cleveland Heights Tigers took the ice for the last game of Baron Cup Semifinal Saturday, as the winner would take on the top-seeded Shaker Heights Red Raiders in the Baron Cup 1 Championship Game.
The first period would be a very defensive-minded frame, as both teams would battle and hold their own inside their defensive zones. North Olmsted would strike late in the frame, as Riley Vertosnik would score off of a pass from Shane Malinak at the 12:27 mark. That goal would be the lone score of the period, as the teams would head into the locker rooms with the Eagles leading 1-0.
The second period would see the score remain the same, as goaltenders Trent Swain and Ryan Godin would both do excellent jobs keeping the opposing offenses in check. Going into the final fifteen minutes of play, Cleveland Heights would be looking for some more late-game magic to keep their Baron Cup dream alive.
The Tigers would even the game up late in the third period, as Noah Weisblat would capitalize off of a rebound attempt and tie the game up at the 12:57 mark. The two teams would head to overtime to settle the game.
There would be a first, second and third overtime and none of them would settle the game.
In the fourth overtime, Shane Malinak would steal a pass in the slot and make a beeline for the goal, making a move past netminder Trent Swain for the game-winning score.
Malinak talks about the game-winning goal through his eyes. “My legs were dead, I was really hoping the pass came to me. Of course I thought it wouldn’t, but it did. Then I just went to the net and shot the puck.”
North Olmsted’s Head Coach T.J. Muray talked about working with his roster to get the well-earned victory. “I had three guys that came off the ice for two minutes in that long of a game. I’ve never seen anything like it, unbelievable.”
“Ryan Godin is one of the best goalies in the league if not the best one if not tied for the best one. Just a big game player.” Murray added.
Godin spoke after the game about the expectations heading into tomorrow’s title game against Shaker Heights. “I’m not worried at all. We put everything out there on the table today. So no matter what happens in the game tomorrow, I know that this team gave everything they had. There’s no regrets coming into tomorrow.”
“It’s gonna be a hard one. But we’re gonna show up and play the same way.” Malinak added.
As for the rest of the night, Malinak had the perfect plan for the night building up to the big game.
“Eat food. Sleep. Ice my legs.”
North Olmsted plays Shaker Heights in the Baron Cup 1 Championship on Sunday at 5:30pm.
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