Trojans score four in first, trounce Titans

SYLVANIA – Findlay hockey coach Ben Patey has said a few times this season that his squad plays better when it has a lead. So, in the postseason opener against Toledo St. John's – a team the Trojans defeated twice in the regular season – the goal coming in was simple. "Our goal was to get the first goal of the game," Patey said. With 9:24 remaining in the first period and the game scoreless, Findlay's Collin Somerville and Draven Wilson –both seniors – put FHS ahead. "I called for it, he passed it to me and I chipped it in," Somerville said. Somerville's goal, with assists credited to Wilson and Ryan Maas, gave Findlay the lead it wanted. It was the first of four first-period goals, and the Trojans rolled past the Titans, 6-2 at the Tam-o-Shanter in Sylvania. "We wanted to get a great start against these guys, and I thought that we did," Patey said. "Kind of almost buried them right away, so it was a good start and kind of continued the rest of the game." The Trojans improved to 17-15-1 and advanced into next Saturday's regional quarter final against Perrysburg at Bowling Green State University. The puck is set to drop at 8:30 p.m. While Somerville got Findlay rolling, it didn't take long for the Trojans to add on. A mere 80 seconds after Somerville's goal, Ethan Jerew scored unassisted, and FHS went up 2-0. The Titans quickly regrouped and got on the scoreboard. With 7:34 left in the opening period, Roman Juhnke found the back of the net off a Sam Murphy assist. Patey said he wasn't too concerned. "The odds of shutting out a team is very slim to none, so we know we're gonna give up a goal here or there," Patey said. "How we respond to it is key." And how did Findlay respond? With more goals. With 1:07 remaining in the period, Wilson scored off assists from Somerville and Maas. Just 22 seconds later, the Trojans found the net again. This time, it was Mac Archer converting off a Jaron Clark assist. "That sets the tone for the whole game," Wilson said of the early scoring burst. "That lets the other team know that we're ready to play." Wilson made sure the opposition knew with 9:08 left in the second, when he recorded an unassisted goal, putting the Trojans up 5-1. It was a 2-goal, 1-assist game for the senior. Or, in Wilson's case, just another day at the office. "He's the catalyst of our offense," Patey said. "When he's going, we're putting pucks in the net. Tonight he was going, and as you see, we put up six." Findlay was in control the rest of the way. It had seven penalties called against it – the Trojans even faced a 5-on-3 early in the game—but was able to kill each one off. "I don't know if that's good or bad," Patey said with a smile. "We stressed the importance of working hard, especially when we're on the (penalty kill), because we know penalties are gonna get called on us. It's just being aggressive when we need to be and being contained when we need to be. Our guys have just kind of learned how to handle it, and we did a great job again tonight." Wilson agreed. "We had a few penalties, but it's all a part of the game," he said. "You've just got to play through it. Our D did a wonderful job." The Titans had five penalties called on them. While St. John's wasn't able to take advantage of power plays, it did pull within 5-2 when Xander Lewis scored off a Paxton Lewis assist with 2:17 left in the third. The game's scoring was capped when Hayden Jerew – Ethan's brother – connected on an empty netter with 29 seconds left. It was the junior's first career varsity goal. "He's been playing with us for three years and he finally got his first goal," Somerville said. "It was nice." Also nice was the play of Findlay goalie Brett Flanagan, who made 21 saves. His counterpart. St. John's Gavin Pelek, made 31. St. John's season ended at 3-29-2. Findlay, meanwhile, will start prepping for its third game against the Yellow Jackets. The teams split the first two games this season. "We're gonna enjoy this one tonight," Patey said, "but then first thing (Monday) morning, we'll be preparing for Perrysburg next Saturday." The Trojans are looking for another fast start.