-state hockey
St. Ed ends dream of
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1\I};Q~Jler 3, j..-..J ~. sBy Tim Warsinskey Enquirer contributor
COWMBUS- Moeller reached new heights last week when it became the first Cincinnati school to reach the state final four in hockey. The Crusaders still have a way to go. "We have a lot of work ahead of us," coach Mike Reeder said after Moeller lost to perennial power Lakewood Sl Edward 5-0 in a state semifi. nal Saturday in Nationwide Arena Sl Edward (28-10.1) goes for its lOth state title, and third in a row, against three-time champion Shaker Heights (24-7) at 2 pm. today. It will be the sixth consecutive all-Greater Oeveland state championship. Shaker Heights came back from an early 2-0 deficit to beat Toledo Sl Francis 6-2 in the other semifinal. Sl Edward has won two of the last three state titles. For the third straight game, each Sl Edward goal was scored by a different player. It was more than tournament rookie Moeller ('n-7-2) could handle. The Crusaders were outshot 38-10. 'We needed to slow the game down," Reeder said. 'They've got some skaters and maturity as an organization, things that we are in the process of doing." Chris Smith, a standout defenseman, spearheaded an outstanding performance by the Eagles defense in front of goalie Everett Graves, who is facing an average of 13 shots a game this season. Graves, the first sophomore to start in goal in the Eagles' 16 trips to the state final four, registered his seventh shutout in the last 13games. Mitchell Hardin kept the Crusaders in the game, which Sl Edward led Hl going into the second period. The Eagles scored twice in the second, including a shorthanded tally. For several stretches, they dominated possession and moved the puck almost at will around an.d through the Crusaders. But Hardin made several outstanding saves. 'They had a lot of speed and took a lot of shots," Hardin said. 'They crashed the net well. We played Culver Academy, but they were better than Culver." Reeder said playing Sl Edward was a good experience. 'We were proud of what the kids did," he said. 'They hung together all year. It was a blasl"