Sam Whittaker
Skating back to the bench, senior captain Reece Wilson hangs his head. Offense was at a premium for the Cats in their third playoff contest, ultimately leading to their defeat and the end of their 2024-25 season. “This organization was everything I could have asked for and more,” Wilson said. “I love this sport and this team for the last four years made me love it even more. I have learned so much more about myself and learned lessons I will carry with me forever because of this sport.”
On Friday, Feb. 21, the Millard West hockey team faced off in the third round of the Corporal Daegan Page Memorial Tournament against Lincoln Capitals East at Moylan Iceplex.
Entering the contest, the team was one loss away from ending their season following their defeat to the Westside Warriors in a shootout, 3-2. Positive takeaways for the Cats in that game included senior forward Nate Marrinan collecting two powerplay goals en route to the loss. In the shootout, the Wildcats would go 0/3 on their attempts while the Warriors capitalized and went perfect on their attempts on freshman goaltender Matthew Scheer.
“We knew we had to keep that same energy,” Marrinan said. “The biggest thing in that Westside game was playing aggressive and getting pucks to the net for opportunities. The team’s mindset into the Lincoln game was either win to see another day or we go home with nothing so we just needed to leave everything on the ice.”It took just one minute and 30 seconds for Lincoln to strike, as a one-timer from the blue line was deflected through traffic and past Scheer, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats responded by applying heavy pressure on the Capitals’ netminder, controlling the puck in the offensive zone for extended periods. Despite their efforts, Lincoln capitalized on another mistake. A failed clearing attempt from behind the Wildcat net bounced off the boards and landed on the stick of Capitals junior John Connor, who found an open teammate in the high slot. The ensuing one-timer beat Scheer with 8:19 left in the first period, extending Lincoln’s lead to 2-0.
Millard West continued to push late in the period, but the Capitals’ goaltender held firm, turning away every opportunity. Despite trailing 2-0 on the scoreboard, the Wildcats outshot Lincoln 12-4.
“I think we really struggled on defense and the bouncing pucks were especially hard to deal with,” Grandgenett said. “However, we knew we needed to pressure the points more in my opinion to stop the puck from being thrown on net. That would’ve prevented some of those bounces and made it a lot easier to clear the puck out.”
Four minutes into the second period, the Capitals turned a defensive zone faceoff into a quick transition down the ice, weaving past several Wildcats. From the right circle, a cross-crease pass set up a one-timer that slipped past Scheer’s ear, extending Lincoln’s lead to 3-0.
It took the Wildcats just over a minute to respond as senior forward Sam Sharp circled the net to set up junior forward Blake Palmer who snapped his shot from the left circle and through the five-hole of the Lincoln netminder making it 3-1.
With an energized lineup, the Wildcats began attacking with more urgency. Their speed became a factor as they sliced through Lincoln’s defense, but the Capitals’ netminder continued to shut down every opportunity. Millard West drew multiple penalties, giving them several power-play chances, but they still couldn’t break through as the second period came to a close.
The third period flew by with minimal stoppages, but the Wildcats remained in control, dominating possession. However, their growing frustration was evident as the Capitals’ goaltender continued to deny every scoring attempt.
With just over a minute remaining and Scheer pulled for an extra attacker, a lost faceoff in the offensive zone proved costly. The puck landed on the stick of a Capitals forward, who fired it the length of the ice into the empty net, making it 4-1 and dimming any hope of a Wildcats comeback.
Marrinan managed to score a late goal after Lincoln allowed an uncontested zone entry, but it wasn’t enough. The Wildcats fell 4-2, bringing their 2024-25 season to an end.
“This year was definitely different than years past,” Wilson said. “With losing so many seniors last year the entire culture of the team changed. Not always a bad thing but we had to create that new bond again with the team and rebuild trust with all the new faces. I loved this team and all the underclassmen and those bonds we got to create with them.”
As the Wildcats end their season, they face the daunting challenge of replacing all of their top scorers in seniors Reece Wilson, Nate Marrinan, Cole Grandgenett, and Sam Sharp.