NT Green proud of title run that comes up just short

A New Trier Green four-peat was put on ice courtesy of St. Viator on Friday, March 6, at Allstate Arena.

St. Viator held off a Green comeback, clinging to a one-goal lead in the third period, before burying two empty-net goals to win 6-3 in the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois championship game.

“We had a few chances almost immediately after (making it a 4-3 game),” Green coach Adam Cheris said. “We had two or three good looks but bad bounces and couldn’t get it. Their goalie made big saves down the stretch. He was tough to beat all night.”

Green was chasing much of the contest.

Though the first period was scoreless, St. Viator to start “was all over us,” Cheris said, adding that Green responded but could not get a puck in the net despite 11 shots on goal.

St. Viator regrouped and scored a goal (Albert Przywara) within two minutes of the second period and then another (Przywara again) two minutes after that.

Green’s Charlie Cannon stemmed the bleeding with a goal off a John Wilson assist, but the Lions weren’t done in the third.

Two more St. Viator goals (Giovanni Di Pinto, Matthew Ciccone) within 21 seconds made it a 4-1 game headed to the final period.

“We look up and we’re down 4-1,” Cheris said. “It was a weird flow and everything was going their way. They are an amazing team that’s been built for four years.”

Green, though, was battle tested and proved it early in the period.

Goals from Jenner Laden (assists: George Knight, Peter Marino) and Dane Lohmeier brought New Trier to within one, 4-3, with a full 10 minutes to go.

But the equalizer never came, and Viator, the bracket’s top seed, clinched the state championship with two empty netters in the waning minutes.

The loss denied New Trier Green of its fourth straight state championship. Green has seven state titles in the past 10 seasons and 19 total.

Following last year’s victory, Green lost 18 seniors to graduation, and Cheris said his team had to work in 17 newcomers.

The coach said he heard plenty of preseason chatter about how Green needed to rebuild and was probably not a contender. But New Trier Green won 50 games, finished second to St. Viator in the Scholastic Hockey League and ran roughshod through the AHAI bracket, outscoring four opponents 25-1 — including rival Loyola Gold 5-0 in a semifinal — prior to the state championship.

“Everybody this year said it was not our year and we wouldn’t be near the finals,” Cheris said. “All year even with the 17 new players this was an incredibly bonded group. The seniors really led by example and the underclassmen learned a lot. … I’m really proud of all of them.

He later added, “Right now, it never feels good to lose. But with this group, they did everything right. They worked so hard and I couldn’t be happier of the effort.”

The Trevians placed five players on the AHAI All-State team: forwards Jack Hirschtritt and Jack Woleben, defenders Nolan Naggatz and Chase Marino, and goaltender Max Reed.

Hirschtritt was also the leading scorer in the SHL (41 points in 33 league games) and won the AHAI JJ O’Conner Award as the state’s top boys high school hockey player.

“Even though we fell short, I’m super proud of our team,” Hirschtritt said. “We were able to never give up. … We showed heart, showed resilience. I’m super proud of everybody. Although we didn’t win, the season and everything overall were definitely a success.”

While Green will feel the loss of Hirschtritt and other seniors, they will also return a healthy crop of contributors, including Reed.

“We’re returning 10 players, including the best goalie in hockey in Max Reed, who I have tremendous confidence in,” Cheris said. “Many of them will be All-State players — some already are.”

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