On Sunday, Feb. 9, the Millard West hockey team took to the ice against a nearby rival in Elkhorn South at Moylan Iceplex.
Both teams entered the matchup with identical 16-5-3 records and 35 points in the standings, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle. With just two games remaining in the regular season, the winner would likely secure the No. 3 seed for the playoffs. Adding to the challenge, the Wildcats were forced to play a man down, as junior defenseman Gavin Spencer was sidelined due to illness.
“We worked to adjust by rotating our five defenders; me and (Alex) Scheer would shift together while others rotated among themselves.” senior defenseman Cole Grandgenett said. “Elkhorn South really does not differ from any other teams, but people see them as a tougher opponent because they see their physical game they play and shy away from how they usually play. You have to stay calm and not allow them to get into your head to combat that mentally.”
In the opening period, the Wildcats controlled the shot count early but were stifled by the stellar play of Elkhorn South freshman goaltender Alex Schapper. With just over four minutes remaining, the Storm capitalized on a transition opportunity, surging into the offensive zone. Junior Jayden Ish weaved through three Wildcat defenders before delivering a perfect setup to fellow junior Brian Strohman, who buried a backdoor tap-in to give Elkhorn South a 1-0 lead.
Entering the second period, Elkhorn South ramped up its offensive intensity, challenging the Wildcats with a more aggressive attack. With seniors Reece Wilson and Nate Marrinan splitting time on the first and third lines, fatigue began to take its toll. Millard West struggled to maintain possession in the offensive zone, and despite earning two power plays, Schapper’s dominance in the net continued, backed by the Storm’s relentless physical pressure. One bright spot for the Wildcats was junior forward Sam Kirchofer, who found success in the faceoff circle and used his speed to create opportunities up ice.
“I was losing most of my faceoffs pretty early on and decided I needed to change my approach,” Kirchofer said. “I began focusing on really getting my body in front of the puck in order to get our team possession. We wasted all of our energy in the defensive and neutral zone this game just attempting a simple breakout so by the time we got into the offensive zone, the whole line already needed to change.”
Midway through the period, Elkhorn South went on the power play following a tripping call against freshman defenseman Alex Scheer. With just six seconds remaining on the man advantage, Ish fired a shot from the blue line that navigated through traffic and found the back of the net, extending the Storm’s lead to 2-0.
“Missing Gavin today on defense was very huge and apparent,” Wilson said. “He’s one of our top defensemen and without him, our young defense became very vulnerable because of that. Defense coming into this was going to be huge and it hurt us not having a veteran like him who can control the game.”
Just four minutes into the final period, Ish notched his third point of the night, capitalizing on a Wildcat line change. He found junior Andrew Miller alone as he cut toward the net of freshman goaltender Matthew Scheer. Miller received the pass in stride and lifted a short-side shot past Scheer’s blocker, extending the Storm’s lead to 3-0.
Only 33 seconds later, Storm sophomore Ibrahima Niang struck again. A shot from the edge of the blue line deflected off Scheer’s glove after an initial save and trickled in, pushing Elkhorn South’s advantage to 4-0.
Despite a late surge in the final minutes, where the Wildcats had one of their stronger shifts of the game, it was ultimately too little, too late. They were unable to break through Schapper’s relentless netminding, and the game ended in a 4-0 Elkhorn South victory.
“I just don’t think we applied enough pressure and weren’t physical enough to get any great opportunities,” Wilson said. “That made it hard to get shots on net. We really need to lock in for the next game and win to get a good seed in the tournament. Metro has a good goalie so we need to put up high-quality shots to win.”
The Wildcats now shift their focus to their last game of the season against Omaha Metro at Baxter Arena at 8:45 p.m. The winner of this matchup will secure the 4th seed in the state tournament, as Millard West will look to close out the regular season with a strong performance as they prepare for postseason play.
