Down 4-2 in the third period, the Glenbrook North hockey team rallied back to force overtime in its first game of the 2012 state playoffs against Benet Academy. However, the Spartans could not keep their season alive after a Benet player scored off of a rebound shot in a 5-4 loss.
“Last year was kind of a disappointment when we got eliminated by a team that we should have beat,” said center Ryan Maksimovic. “It was in overtime so that made it a lot harder than flat out losing. So going into the season our coach pretty much demanded that we would be champions.”
This season, the team finished the regular season with a 45-13-3 record, earning the second seed in the conference playoffs but the top seed in the state playoffs.
Following the end of last season, the Spartans and eight other teams formed the Scholastic Hockey League (SHL) in order to include teams from New Trier and Loyola Academy, both of which previously played independently. Head Coach Evan Poulakidas believes there is “no question” that the SHL is the toughest league in Ill.
“You can get beat by anyone at any time and I fully predict you’ll see some upsets in our [conference] playoffs,” Poulakidas said.
Before the season began, forward Garrison Sanipass, who made the all-state team last year, left to play for the Detroit Little Caesars AAA hockey team. Although Poulakidas recognized Sanipass’s role on the team, he tried not to “let [the] season go down the drain” as a result of his absence.
“It can’t be understated how important [Sanipass] was to our team,” said Poulakidas. “But I think as a team we grew from [the loss], we understood that we had the talent here to pick up the slack. And kudos to our senior leaders, they didn’t allow the guys to feel bad about [the loss].”
Even without Sanipass, the Spartans won all three of their tournaments this year, the first victory coming on Nov. 11 at the Prairie Ridge Invitational.
“That was our first tournament, so we didn’t really know what to expect,” said captain Seth Gideon. “There were a lot of teams from around here and out of state. We just wanted to go in and play our best. Throughout our season, that was definitely some of the best hockey we’ve played. We dismantled teams, and we beat [Culver Academy] in the championship 6-2. We were playing really fast. We were missing some guys, but we still played really well.”
For Poulakidas, another highlight of the tournament was the play of center Zach Meier, who displayed “perseverance, determination and commitment” on the ice after being placed on the practice squad at the beginning of the season.
“He scored the winning goal against Barrington in the first tournament at Prairie Ridge,” said Poulakidas. “He went end to end, found the loose puck and buried it. Put it this way: he did so much that I couldn’t take him out of the lineup.”
During the Loyola Gold Thanksgiving Hockey Tournament, an overtime, game-winning goal by Maksimovic propelled the Spartans past Loyola and into the finals.
“I stick-handled this kid so hard he didn’t even know where he was,” said Maksimovic. “Then this goalie had robbed me like four times during the night. I should have had a hat trick, but he had some great saves. So on this one I faked it to [Gideon] who was coming down on the back door, and I just snapped it into the top shelf. It was the best feeling.”
Following the victory, GBN went on to capture its second tournament title with an 8-2 victory over Sandburg.
The Blackhawk Holiday Hockey Tournament, the team’s most recent tournament, plays a large role in determining the seeding of the state playoffs, according to Meier. Within 15 seconds of the game-tying goal by center Nick Day as the clock wound down, Meier was able to seal the comeback win in the championship game with a goal against Providence Catholic High School in a 2-1 match.
“[Defenseman] Parker Roth and I were on a 2-on-1,” said Meier. “I passed the puck to [Roth] on the left side. He shot it and rang post, and I hit it in mid-air just below the crossbar and it just went into the back of the net.”
Despite the team’s tournament success, GBN has lost to New Trier Green all three times they have played against each other. New Trier, which defeated the Spartans in the 2011 state championship game, finished in first place in the SHL but is seeded behind GBN for the state tournament. The Spartans’ closest attempt at beating New Trier this year came in their last meeting on Jan. 19, which ended with a shootout loss.
“It’s frustrating,” said Poulakidas. “I think at times we’ve been the better team on the ice and we’ve come away with a loss, especially the last game when we dominated the third period and just couldn’t find a way to win the game in regulation and then got beaten in overtime. It left a foul taste in all of our mouths, so if we use that to strengthen ourselves and not feel sorry for ourselves, then it will be worthwhile.”
Day, Maksimovic, and right wing Jonathan Gauger were each named to the all-state team. All three players also earned all-conference honors in the SHL, a feat Poulakidas thinks may be a better achievement than the all-state award because it is more selective.
The conference playoffs are a best-of-three format, as opposed to a one-game elimination in the state playoffs. In order to qualify for the state playoffs, a team needs to finish in the top half of its conference. However, the SHL has an exemption where all nine teams automatically make the state playoffs because of the talent level in the conference.
“We have probably the most talented team in the state this year and we can’t afford to let [a championship] slip away,” Day said.
Poulakidas also hopes the team can avoid a playoff disappointment this year and capture both the conference and state titles.
“As you get into the playoffs, pressure does a lot of funny things to people,” said Poulakidas. “Hopefully we don’t grip our sticks too tight and miss our opportunity because that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
