Bishop Ireton said "farewell" to 8 senior hockey players and their families Friday night at the Mount Vernon Rec Center in Alexandria.
The division rival Herndon Hornets paid a visit to the Mt. Vernon Rec Center last Monday in the regular season finale for both teams. The outcome was never in doubt in this afternoon matinee, as the high-powered Cardinal offense pumped in 4 first period tallies en route to a convincing 7-1 victory. The game marked the third consecutive 7-goal performance for the squad.
Joe Lavelle (1 G, 1 A) opened the scoring at just under 3 minutes in on a cross-ice feed from Reid Yager. Despite several more early quality scoring chances, the Cardinals would not dent the twine again until the 4 minute mark of the period. However, when it rains it pours as the Ireton sharpshooters scored 4 goals over the next 5 minutes to quash any hope of a Herndon comeback. The outburst was led by Yager (3 G, 3 A), notching a natural hat trick, as well as an unassisted goal by Tom Cyrnak (2 G, 1 A). The final 2 goals, scored late in the second period by David Souliotis and Cyrnak, closed out the scoring. Nick Tangora contributed 3 assists, while freshmen Phillip Thomas and Jordan Zelasko both notched their first assists of the season. The defense was again solid in front of goalie Robert Chastain, who picked up his 6th league win of the season.
Last Friday night the Varsity Hockey team celebrated Senior Night with a 7:00 pm non-league match against Bishop O’Connell. The night kicked off with pre-game festivities honoring the 8 graduating Seniors and their parents. Reid Yager, Robert Chastain, Tom Cyrnak, David Souliotis, Dan Tangora, Allen Boelke, Joe Lavelle, and Manager Pat O’Leary were lauded for their on and off-ice accomplishments in front of a packed house at the Mt. Vernon Rec Center.
Buoyed by the ceremony and the energy in the building, the Cardinals played a spirited, physical first period of hockey, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. Goals by Reid Yager (assisted by Dan Tangora), Allen Boelke and Dillon Roach had the Knights back on their heels in what looked to be another impressive outing by the Ireton squad. However, things started to unravel for the home team in the second period as injuries and untimely penalties started to became a factor. Fatigue began to set in as they were forced to double-shift some of their starters and they limped into the second period break with a tenuous 3-1 advantage, hoping to hold on for the win. However, it was just not to be on this night, as the O’Connell team seized the momentum, tying the contest just 6 minutes into the third period. When all was said and done the Knights had scored five times in the final stanza, including an empty-netter, for the 6-3 win.
Overall the Ireton team closed out the league schedule with a mark of 6-3-1, good for a second place finish in the division, one game behind Briar Woods. They will open the playoffs on Friday night, February 18th. The matchups, along with the exact locations and times, will be determined later this week.
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