Gilmour Hockey Team Hoping for District Final Rematch

Gilmour Academy hockey coach John Malloy has seen his share of great games, and few were as hotly contested as last year’s Kent District final between his Lancers and longtime rival University School.

The Preppers managed to escape with a 2-1 double-overtime win over Gilmour and move on to the state Final Four. The Lancers bowed out at 27-16-1 overall and had to wait until next year.

Next year is now for Gilmour, ranked sixth in the state. The Lancers are the second seed at Kent with an impressive 32-8-2 mark against some rugged competition. They opened the tournament Feb. 19 with a 10-0 win against Hoover and will face Kenston on Saturday.

University School, the top seed, could provide a highly anticipated rematch in the district title game in two weeks.

“It was a tough loss but in reality they (University) had a little more depth than we did,” said Malloy, now in his 13th season at Gilmour. “We gave them everything they could handle.”

This season Malloy welcomed back seven players with varsity experience,
the most returners he has ever had at the school. “We’ve always had to compete
with junior- and sophomore-laden teams in the past,” he said. “In past years we
have had some depth issues, but we have three solid lines this season and it’s
been a real team effort.”

John Tobbe, who played for the school’s highly regarded prep team last
year, leads the Lancers in scoring with 20 goals and 37 assists while Spencer
Antunez (27 goals, 24 assists) and Matt Grider (33-18) are right behind in point
production. Grider’s goal total is a new varsity record. Chris Deming has been
another top scorer for Gilmour.

The play of goalie Oliver Flesher has been another key to the team’s success. Flesher has a 25-6-2 record and a 1.8 goals against average after playing
backup last season.

And the Lancers take on all comers during the regular season, including a
top-notch tournament schedule. “If we don’t play the toughest schedule in the
state I don’t know who does,” said Malloy. “We like to play against good teams
that play the game the right way.”

At the start of the season the team set goals of winning 30 games and four
tournaments as well as getting to the Final Four. The Lancers have eclipsed the 30-
victory mark and ended up winning five tournaments while placing second in two
others.

A big edge for Gilmour is the program’s on-campus facility. “It’s a huge
advantage,” says Malloy. “When you can go out and practice every day it makes a
big difference.”

Malloy was honored at last year’s Final Four with the Sportsmanship, Ethics
and Integrity Award. His long career includes stints at Cleveland Heights and
Rocky River and he was Gilmour’s first prep team head coach. The Lancers also
have a varsity B team as well as boys’ and girls’ prep teams, which draw players
from Quebec to California.

“I love coaching high school hockey,” said Malloy. “When you get into the tournament and can play games with 1,200 people in the stands it’s a great
experience.”

The kind of experience Gilmour hopes to relive several more times in the next few weeks.