Sports

Olson Posts Two Goals as Hornets Sting the Mules

Saline came back from 2-0 to defeat Bedford 4-2 in the tournament opener Monday.

When the Saline Hornets were down 2-0 to Bedford early in Monday’s preregional hockey game at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea, it looked as if the horn might sound on the team's season.

But the Hornets weren’t quite ready to hang up the skates.

“It was a little scary at one point, but we’ve shown we can come back in the past, there’s no reason we can’t do it now,” said captain Rocco Corrunker, whose slapshot from the point tied the game at 2 in the second period. “The seniors just realized ... that this could be our last game. We realized, as a team, that we didn’t want to go out this way.”

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The Hornets face Pinckney, which beat Walled Lake Western in a 4-3 overtime thriller, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The winner of that game goes on to the Region 11 final at Okemos Suburban Ice at 5 p.m Saturday. They will face the winner of the preregional 21 tournament, which begins Tuesday and finishes Thursday.

The Hornets were down 1-0 when Brett Podgorski set up Jared Kujawa midway through the first period. Moments later, Kujawa returned the favor and set up Podgorski for a 2-0 lead.

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With just more than 4:08 to play in the period, the Hornets answered with a goal from their big line. Junior DJ Aben took a pass from senior Seth Giles while breaking into the Bedford zone. As he neared the slot, he dished off to junior James Olson, who was streaking down the left wing. Olson ripped it past goalie Zane Smith to make it 2-1.

The goal gave Hornets life. Seconds after the puck was dropped, Aben was fed a great pass. Skating in all alone, he lost the handle on the puck as he tried to deke the goalie. Penalties slowed the Hornets down, though. Junior Wyatt Ford was whistled for hooking. Just more than a minute later, senior Doug Mitchell was called for high sticking. Goalie Connor Jennings and the Hornets penalty killers kept Bedford from scoring on the 5-on-3.

The teams battled up and down the ice in the second period, with both teams getting chances. Momentum was slowly tilting in Saline’s favor, as the Hornets' puck handlers began taking better of the puck in their own end and in the neutral zone. The Hornets' defense became more active. With 10:09 to play, Mitchell skated in with a full head of steam and crashed the net for a great scoring chance. But Bedford nearly made it 3-1 30 seconds later when Travis Krider set up Blake Podgorski in the slot. It was a big save, because fewer than 30 seconds later, the Hornets were buzzing in the Bedford end. The puck came around to the left point. Corrunker stepped into it and ripped it on target. The Bedford goalie got most of it, but the puck dropped behind him to tie the game with 9:04 to play in the second.

With the score tied at 2, the game got chippy, as the two teams looked poised for their third tight game of the season.

In the third period, Saline grabbed the lead for the first time. Corrunker dumped it in. Junior Colin Cederna skated in and caused commotion behind the net. Cederna gave chase and managed to steal the puck from a Kicking Mule on the half-boards. Cederna curled to the middle of the ice, sidestepped a hit, and then dished off to Ford. Suddenly, it was a mini two-man breakaway as Ford and Cederna criss-crossed. Ford tapped it back to Cederna who tapped it in for the easy goal and a 3-2 lead with 10:48 to play.

With 8:42 to play, the officials generously gave the Kicking Mules a power play, calling Cederna for roughing after the whistle. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. On the penalty kill, Olson blocked a point shot. The puck bounced out to center ice and Olson was off to the races. Olson went to his backhand to beat Smith for a 4-2 lead with 7:59 to play.

 

 


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