Franklin defeats Hillsboro/Hillwood, 3-1, to take the inaugural Henry Hine Cup Blue Division Championship. Henry Hine made the Cup presentation to Franklin at the conclusion of the game.
Article from the Tennessean.com
February 22, 2008
Franklin completes turnaround with hockey title
Rebels earn Blue Division crown with victory against Hillsboro/Hillwood
By CHIP CIRILLO
Staff Writer
NASHVILLE — Five games into the high school hockey season, Franklin's team was stuck at the bottom of the standings.
Now, the Rebels are the Blue Division tournament champions.
After rebounding from their 0-5 start in the Greater Nashville Area Scholastic Hockey League, Franklin beat Hillsboro/Hillwood 3-1 in the championship Wednesday night at Centennial Sportsplex.
"We've played exceptional hockey ever since about the eighth game of the season," Rebels coach Bob Nightingale said. "We started off rough, but we've gone 13-3 since the 0-5 start."
Injuries, illness, a young roster and a tough early schedule hurt Franklin early, but the Rebels finished strong to win the first Henry Hine Cup.
Franklin also got off to a slow start in the championship game, being outshot 13-5 during a scoreless first period.
Then the Rebels got goals from forwards John Negley and Scot Ware during the first two minutes of the second period to take a 2-0 lead.
Negley found a seam in the middle of the ice for a breakaway and beat Burros goalie Douglas Greer with a wrist shot to the upper right corner of the net 18 seconds into the period.
"We finally put one in on an odd-man rush," Negley said. "I kind of faked the goalie out a little bit and put it top corner. From there, we got another goal right off the bat, next shift out, and I think we got into the goalie's head and their players' heads a little bit. That's when I think the tide really turned."
Negley has earned a spot on the GNASH All-Star team at different positions the past two seasons: last year as a goalie and this year as a defenseman. The versatile senior played center in the championship.
Team captain Corey Nightingale found Ware alone on the right side of the crease, and the freshman poked the puck into the net at the 2:12 mark of the second period.
"Their goalie is really good," Nightingale said. "He's got like 10 goals against in the (previous seven) games. Our plan was just throw it at the net every chance and get rebounds. We just got really lucky, putting it in the net."
Hillsboro/Hillwood narrowed the deficit to 2-1 on a power-play goal by Robert Fischman at 6:23 of the second period. The momentum didn't last long as Franklin's Daniel Francis put home a rebound 39 seconds into the third period.
Franklin goalie C.J. Schipani withstood constant pressure from the Burros, earning the win with 31 saves.
"When you get a lot of shots, it helps goalies stay focused, and I felt really good tonight," Schipani said. "I got a lot of rubber. Their guys kept hitting me, though. Every time I looked there was someone either close to the crease or right up against me. Eventually, I just had to hit them. Quite a few times I didn't even see the shot coming."
Like Franklin, Hillsboro/Hillwood (10-10) started the season slowly and finished strong. The Burros got off to a 2-9 start but took an eight-game winning streak into the title game.
"Ever since Christmas break, we've played a lot better," Burros coach Jason Parrish said. "They've played the systems harder and came together as a team. And I think that's what made it work. Once you get that confidence rolling, it's hard to stop that snowball."
Several fights broke out on the ice with three seconds left, marring the ending.
The GNASH Cup championship is set for 2/29 at 8:10 pm at Southern Ice rink 1. Check the schedule page for game times.
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