High school hockey: Elyria Catholic advances with shutout victory in regional tournament

BOWLING GREEN — Elyria Catholic knew it was going to be a physical battle Saturday against Kettering Alter. So the first order of business was to stand its ground and take the fight to the Knights.The Panthers scored their first goal midway through the opening period and dominated at the blue line and in the face-off circle, as they cruised to a 5-0 win in an Ohio High School High School Athletic Association Bowling Green regional game at the Slater Family Ice Arena.Senior Charlie Grimes scored the first Elyria Catholic (21-10) goal at the 8:23 mark of the first period off a JoJo Jancsura assist. Grimes also assisted on a second-period goal by freshman Nathan Coon. "We played this team at the beginning of the year and it was pretty rough," Grimes said. "We knew we had to have a really aggressive forecheck. They were playing really physical and we did a good job of keeping our heads up and making good passes."Elyria Catholic, the No. 8 seed in the Bowling Green Regional, outshot Alter 33-14 and won 30 of 50 face-offs. Sophomore Brady Basinger scored the first of his two goals less than a minute into the second period with assists coming from Josh Ananstasiadis and Brendan Cleary. Basinger scored his 10th goal of the season at the 12:58 mark of the third period to put the Panthers up 3-0. Sophomore Landon Bean assisted. The No. 9 seed Knights finished with a 21-12 record. "We were the more talented team and I think they knew that, and that's why they played so scrappy," Elyria Catholic coach Brandon Basinger said. Goalkeepers Dominic Morris and Jason Worden combined for the Panthers' fifth shutout of the season. Morris made 13 saves, while Worden came off the bench late in the game and redirected the only Knights' shot that came his way."Our defense has been strong," Coach Basinger said. "Dom has been playing really well in net for us the past couple of weeks. Our last 10 games, we've really only gave up two or three goals a game. A good goalie will carry you a long way in the playoffs."The task will get much tougher for Elyria Catholic on Friday, when it faces top-seeded Toledo St. Francis DeSales in a district final. DeSales has a 26-4 record that includes wins over St. Edward and St. Ignatius. The Panthers put an exclamation point on the win when Jancsura scored with under a second remaining off an Adam Bagi assist."Our defense was phenomenal, they played out of their minds today," said Grimes, who leads the Panthers with 28 goals. "This was a good team win, and getting the chance to advance and face DeSales is a huge accomplishment for us." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Elyria Catholic 5, Kettering Alter 0FIRST PERIOD: Scoring: (EC) Charlie Grimes (JoJo Jancsura) 8:23. Penalties: (A) Eli Graeter (roughing) 7:37, (A) Tanner Edmonds (slashing) 1:25SECOND PERIOD: Scoring: (EC) Brady Basinger (Josh Ananstasiadis, Brendan Cleary) 16:13, (EC) Nathan Coon (Grimes) 5:29. Penalties: (EC) Grimes (roughing) 8:30, (A) Edmonds (roughing) 8:30.THIRD PERIOD: Scoring: (A) Basinger (Landon Bean) 12:58, (A) Jancsura (Adam Bagi) :01. Penalties: (A) Jake Henry (holding) 10:11, (EC) Grimes (slashing) 9:56, (EC) Basinger (tripping) 8:37, (A) Henry (roughing) 3:45.Alter 0 0 0 — 0Elyria Catholic 1 2 2 — 5Shots on goal: Alter 14 (3-5-6), Elyria Catholic 33 (12-9-12). Goalies: (A) Thomas Drake (29 saves). (S) Dominic Morris (13 saves), Jason Wordon (1 save). Power play opportunities: Alter 0-2, Elyria Catholic 0-4.