BROOKLYN, Ohio- The final game on Thursday was a battle between the Strongsville Mustangs and the Mentor Cardinals, with the winner taking on a talented Rocky River team in the semi-finals of the Baron Cup I bracket. Strongsville was able to make it to the semi-finals last season and looked to make it two straight trips to the second round, this time hoping to make it further.
The game did not start off ideally for the Mustangs, who fell in an early hole to Mentor. Following a scoreless first frame that saw both teams battle hard for any look offensively, the Cardinals scored right off the rip in the middle stanza. Evan McBride scored just fifty-eight seconds into the frame and set Mentor up with a 1-0 lead. Jake Heller added to that lead at the 4:26 mark with a score to make it 2-0 in favor of Mentor rather quickly. Strongsville’s Kyle Mattson would strike back with a goal of his own at the 6:25 mark to make it a one-goal deficit and Jake Schuette tied the game at the 9:32 mark. The teams would head into the break even at two apiece.
Strongsville would lay the bigger checks and find more room to skate and set up their offensive assault in the final frame of play, leading to their victory. Logan Schramm’s goal at the 5:06 mark was the game-winning goal and Mattson added one more score by way of an empty-netter to end the game with a final of 4-2.
The Mustangs now will prepare for a showdown with Rocky River.
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