Journal & Topics Media Group

PREP Gets Past New Trier White


PREP’s Brian Raffone (8), Matt Melachrinakis (3) and teammates celebrate a goal Sunday night against New Trier White. (Shawn Clisham/Journal photo)

Sunday night high school hockey has returned to the Northwest suburbs and many teams have taken full advantage of being able to play locally. This, after spending last season playing in such places as Kenosha, WI, and Hammond, IN.

Area teams occupied the rinks at Mount Prospect Ice Arena Sunday evening. This is how they fared:

PREP 2, New Trier White 1

One of the favorites to win the Illinois High School Hockey League North Central Division this season, the combined team of Prospect/Rolling Meadows/Elk Grove (PREP) has pretty much had their way with area teams in the early part of the season. Having won three games in-league including a 10-0 whitewash of New Trier Blue, the level of expectations coach Nick Panos has for his club are more than just a winning record this season.

PREP continued their winning ways Sunday as they hosted New Trier White in a 2-1 win.

“We did not play our best hockey tonight,” Panos said. “We have been scoring goals like crazy. But tonight was just an off night for us. Our offense just was not working. We took some stupid penalties tonight. Our goalie played well tonight. But we cannot always rely on him to bail us out.”

PREP goalie Brooks Brown (Prospect) would face 16 shots total on the night, stopping 15.

PREP dented the scoresheet in the opening period at the 8:47 mark when forward Brian Raffone (Prospect) scored an unassisted goal as he beat Trevians netminder Colton Denham (37 saves) from in close for the 1-0 lead.

The lead increased to 2-0 with 8:55 remaining in the middle frame when Matt Melachrinakis (Prospect) made it 2-0 on an unassisted goal. The Trevians would finally dent the PREP net with 10:57 remaining in regulation when forward Sam Shenton scored making it 2-1. New Trier would get no closer.

“It is always special for me whenever we beat New Trier,” sophomore defenseman Nick Albrecht (Prospect) said. “Tonight was not one of our better efforts. But we just had to get through the game. We did move the puck better tonight than we have prior. But our goalie played well tonight.”

“We have been playing really well as of late and I have not had to be relied on so much,” Brown said. “We are the most skilled team I have ever been a part of. Our team has clicked so much earlier than what I thought and it has really shown.”

Loyola Gold 4, St. Viator 1

In a rematch of last season’s Scholastic Hockey League Championship final, Loyola Academy would take full advantage of the St. Viator Lions and make it an unpleasant evening for their fans in a 4-1 win.

“In the first and second periods we were not playing well,” Loyola defenseman and Glenview native Ryan Cowen said. “Our breakout was just not working well early on. All St. Viator does is they just dump the puck in and pressure you like crazy and we just were not handling the pressure well. But when we got our first goal at the very end of the second period and three in the third (period) we were fine.”

The Lions would take a 1-0 lead midway through the second period when forward Connor Taylor scored. Loyola knotted the contest at 1-1 when forward Ryan Boersma scored the first of his three goals with just one second left in the second period.

The Lions could never seem to find their footing over the final 17 minutes as the Ramblers would score three unanswered goals to seal the win.

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