Streak ended
WARRENDALE — Mars hockey coach Steve Meyers won't consider the Planets' 6-3 defeat against Quaker Valley Thursday night at BladeRunners a total loss.
Missing three players for the Class A Tier 1 Western Conference matchup, Meyers found ice time for younger players.
Mars (8-2) played without its third and fourth leading scorers, wingers Beau Heakins and Paul Maust. The Planets were also missing defenseman Ben Heltman.
That provided a spot for 5-foot-7 junior winger Andrew Norris.
Norris, whose effort was lauded by Meyers, was told earlier in the day he would play.
Meyers was also pleased with Kyle Thomas, who registered two assists.
“You have to get fired up way before the game,” Norris said. “I was fired up yesterday, really. I was so excited for this game and really wanted to play them. I felt ready for this game.”
The three-time defending Class A defending champion Quakers (9-1) were ready from the start.
Quaker Valley forward Connor Quinn, who finished with six points (three goals, three assists), was brilliant throughout.
Quinn took a slapshot from outside the circle that went over Mars goalie Tyler Spreng and found a home in the top corner of the net to put the Quakers ahead 3-0.
In the third period, Quinn leaked out and received a stretch pass from Jacob Kumza to score a shorthanded goal that put the Quakers ahead 5-3 with 4 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the game.
“Connor scores a lot of short-handed goals. He has a bunch in amateur hockey and high school hockey,” Quaker Valley coach Kevin Quinn said. “It's good to do that, but he has to be smarter about when he does it.”
The short-handed goal came in the second of two power plays Quaker Valley killed while clinging to a 4-3 lead. Mars didn't have anything left to tie the game.
“Those two power plays, I would have liked to see more pressure. I think our guys were just dead,” Meyers said. “We had to burn our timeout to regain our composure in the first period and that may have affected us a bit, but that may have gotten us back in the game.”
Owen Vasbinder took the first step for the Planets' comeback. He scored on a power play with 8:59 left in the second period.
Quaker Valley scored seven minutes later when Adam Pilewicz cleaned up a rebound after Spreng stopped Quinn on a breakaway.
Keaton Hanna and Noah Raymundo scored in the third period's first eight minutes for Mars.
Mars, which had a seven-game winning streak snapped, drew two penalties to give themselves a chance in the third period, but Connor Quinn slammed the door.
First with the short-handed goal, then an empty-netter to ice the win.
“Despite the guys we had, I think we did a good job,” Norris said. “Yeah, we could have done better with the guys that were missing. Moving on from that, I think getting this ice time was a good experience, especially against Quaker Valley.”
