Moeller Ice Hockey Looks to Make a Run

With the possibility of each game being their last, Moeller Hockey looks to build on what they accomplished last year, win out, and make a run for the coveted OHSAA Championship. The current senior-dominated roster seems to have that special formula, on paper, that has blossomed deep runs in years past.

Adversity has been a good word to describe the team's recent stretch of games. However, one of the two senior captains, Jordan Walter, is excited for the near future. “We started out hot, but then our home rink closed down,” he said, “this forced us to have to drive an hour for games and practices.” The closing of Northlands Ice Center also meant the team could only practice once a week on the ice instead of twice, making them less sharp for their games. However, now that the rink is open the team hopes to get back in-form.

When sitting down with senior assistant captains Tyler Totin and Shay Black to talk about the final stretch of the season, Tyler mentioned, “It’s all about the team. Coach wants us playing good, team fundamental hockey and minimizing mistakes.” He went on and talked about how he knew from freshman year that his senior class was going to be extremely talented. The roster, which has 13 seniors, is something truly unique, and hopefully all the experience should ultimately give these boys an edge over anyone else they play. When asked about playing with 12 other seniors Shay mentioned, “It's been awesome. It has drawn us all closer together.” Even though the team does have a lot of seniors, Dain Casselman and Clay Mathews are two studs who have given the team good production and minutes.

Jordan Walter and Drew Totin Celebrate a Goal

This year Jordan Walter is currently leading the Moe Hockey team in goals, but this was expected as he was a major contributor last year. The real surprise has come with freshman Brennan MortonStrauss taking the league by storm with an 88.5% save percentage. This is 7th among the other goaltenders and only 5% off the current leader.

Drew Totin, the other senior captain, is also having a monster year leading the team in assists.  When asked about what the team looks to accomplish this year, Drew said, “We’re just tryin’ to win state. Hopefully I can keep producing goals and assists, so we can accomplish that goal.” The team ended their regular season with the Columbus Blue Jackets (CBJ) cup. They won the finals of the consolation bracket, so it seems they are hitting their peak just in time for state.

Moeller Hockey will look to continue their season on Saturday, February 23rd against Olentangy Liberty. The game will be played at 6:45 at Ice Haus in Columbus.