Generals primed for postseason run

NEWARK - The Newark Generals hit a bit of a lull a couple of weeks ago, but they have righted the ship just in time for another postseason run.

They celebrated senior night before a standing-room-only crowd Thursday at Reese Ice Arena, clinching at least a tie for the Greater Columbus High School Club Hockey League title with a 6-1 win against the PHA Prowlers.

Newark (18-3-2) went through a stretch where it settled for a tie, then lost two consecutive games. But the Generals rattled off their fourth consecutive win, the first three coming on the road. They play Saturday at Athens and lead second-place Dayton by two points with one game left for each. Then comes the Columbus Blue Jackets Cup league tournament, followed by the Buckeye Cup state tournament in Cincinnati.

"We need to beat Athens and win it outright going into the CBJ Cup and state," said coach Don Jennings, behind the bench for his last game in Reese Ice Arena. He is retiring after 11 seasons as varsity coach and returning home to Canada, but the team would like to send him out in a big way.

"We had a bit of a rough stretch there, where we weren't really together and there wasn't much chemistry," said Cody Baldwin, one of nine seniors honored Thursday. "A few of the seniors got together and talked about what we needed to do. Now we have some momentum going into the CBJ Cup and state."

"I was in middle school watching them when they last won the state, in 2012," said senior Cole Jaquith, who had a goal and two assists. "Nearly everyone here was there when we lost it last year, and the goal has always been to get back there and win it this time."

Against last-place PHA, Newark quickly fell behind 1-0 but responded with two goals in less than two minutes. Patrick Chaykowkski tied it with a blast from the left flank at 7:00 of the first, off a Reese Trowbridge assist. Then at 5:13, Jaquith's hard shot from the right flank ricocheted off Tyler Schroeder's skate and into the net.

"I guess I got lucky on senior night," said Jaquith, who put the Generals up 3-1 at 9:01 of the second when he broke away for a short-handed goal with some nifty stick work. "I wasn't thinking about senior night when I was skating in for that one," he said. "I just wanted to put the puck in the net."

Schroeder got his second goal to make it 4-1, tapping in Baldwin's shot from the right flank late in the second.

"It was a memorable night, and I was just glad to be able to contribute," Baldwin said. "I've been with most of these guys since I moved here in the seventh grade,"

Newark out-shot the Prowlers 37-15, including 17-4 in the third period when it added to its lead. Joe Rapp knocked one home from in front of the net, off assists by Jaquith and Schroeder. Then, Trowbridge tipped in Levi Beckholt's hard shot from the left flank.

Goalie Charlie Smart had 14 saves in his last home game for Newark.

Jennings feels the Generals are where they need to be right now.

"We used a lot more speed tonight, which is what we need to do," he said. "And we had a little better contact. During our losing streak, we got away from that, and if you don't play physical, you're not going to win. We've addressed that in practice, that we have to challenge at the blue line."

dweidig@newarkadvocate.com

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Twitter: @noz75