by Brookyln, OH- Olmsted Falls claimed their first regular season win of the year 2-0 over Holy Name in a game dominated by defense and flaring tempers.
The first period was the definition of a defensive masterclass. Holy Name’s shot stopper Emily Sefchik picked up where she left off against University School and recorded 15 saves in the first period. Dominic Fusco recorded 4 saves for the Bulldogs in the opening frame. After a lot of back-and-forth play, the first period ended 0-0.
The second period started off with plenty of defense again, but it was the Bulldogs who would strike first. With 11:23 on the clock in the second period, Eli Thome slotted the puck into the back of the net to give Olmsted Falls a 1-0 lead. With 5:27 left to play in the period, Joey Wieland was taken to the ice after a low hit. This hit resulted in an injury to Wieland that stopped play and sent each team to the locker room. In the end, Wieland was stretchered off and taken to a local hospital. In a postgame interview, Holy Name head coach Ian Skacan said, “He (Joey) has feeling in his fingers and toes right now, neck sore, and he’s waiting to be seen.” He also said that they are hoping for an update soon and that the team will be the first to know. Once play resumed, the back-and-forth battle continued as the period ended 1-0 in favor of Olmsted Falls.
To begin the final period, the first penalty of the game was committed by Olmsted Falls’ Tommy Katona. He was sent to the box for 4 minutes with roughing and unsportsmanlike as the designation. Holy Name had a few opportunities to score with the likes of Shane Triscari and Braxton Bartone creating chances, but Fusco and the Bulldog defense stood tall. Shortly after Katona re-entered the game, Tommy Cardenas of the Green Wave was sent to the box for tripping. Olmsted Falls took advantage of this power play as Charlie Bernard scored after a plethora of shots throughout the contest to make it 2-0 Olmsted Falls. The fun continued as a scrap occurred near the Holy Name sideline with 3:31 left in regulation. Triscari exchanged shoves with Hayden Coughanour and Will Eisenhardt of Olmsted Falls which landed all three in the box for 2 minutes. Adding onto this, Fusco was given an unsportsmanlike penalty. To end the crazy chain of events, Fusco skated passed the red line illegally. This led to his ejection from the game. This led to freshman Michael Murphy getting a few minutes in goal for the Bulldogs. With plenty of pressure upon the freshman, he held his own as he made 3 crucial saves. For the last minute, Holy Name pulled their goalkeeper to send all their personnel forward. The Bulldogs missed a chance for 3-0 as a long shot ricocheted off the post for Bartone to retrieve. With that, the game ended, and the Bulldogs got the win and a clean sheet.
This game was everything you could have asked for. It had plenty of physicality, excellent defense, and a few excellently worked goals. Both teams now head into a holiday week with still much to play for.
Holy Name Key Players:
#13 Shane Triscari
#55 Braxton Bartone: 1 “Save”
#78 Emily Sefchik: 36 Saves
Olmsted Falls Key Players:
#13 Charlie Bernard: 1 Goal
#25 Eli Thome: 1 Goal
#29 Dominic Fusco: 29 Saves
Honorable Mention #1 Michael Murphy: 3 Saves to Seal Win + Clean Sheet
Player of the Game: Dominic Fusco
