Kohn Anchors Shutout Win

December 19, 2008 — Senior goaltender Nick Kohn's stellar play against rival KM/Mukwonago led the Warhawks to a 2-0 conference victory and gave Arrowhead its 10th straight victory over the Lasers.

"He thrives off the challenge of big games and everyone can clearly see when he is playing with that confidence. It's the most important position in hockey and we've got a guy that's going to make that big save," Arrowhead coach Carl Valimont said.

Kohn was quick to give the credit to the defense in front of him. "Our theory is do your job and everything will be fine," Kohn stated. He certainly did his job tonight turning away everything fired at the Arrowhead net.

The Lasers were the more determined team in the opening period and came away with the better scoring opportunities but couldn't seem to connect. It didn't help that Kohn kicked away and smothered shot after shot late in the period.

The Warhawks responded to demands from the coaching staff during the first intermission to play with more intensity and came out and peppered the Laser net with 18 shots in the second period.

David Clark scored the first Arrowhead goal at 5:16 following a mad scramble in front of the Lasers net. Tony Koehler started the action with a shot that squirted under the arm of Tyler Platz and came to rest inches from the goal line. David Clark dove to bat in the rebound but the puck was cleared to the right of the net.

Zach Hamer beat the Laser defense to the loose puck and circled into the corner behind the goal line and zipped a hard pass back to crease where David Clark was perched. The quick play caught a recovering Platz still out of position as Clark deflected the puck off his stick and under the cross bar to give the Warhawks the lead.

Arrowhead struck again at 12:17 when sophomore Brendan Garvey knocked home a rebound after Platz blocked a nasty Brian Berger wrist shot from the slot. The Warhawks took that 2-0 lead and momentum into the locker room and never let go.

KM/Mukwonago frantically searched for the key to getting one past Kohn in the third and had three power-play opportunities but couldn't capitalize as the Warhawk penalty kill units kept them from setting up.

With just under four minutes to play in regulation KM/Mukwonago got off a dandy one timer from the slot but with cat like reflexes Kohn ripped that away, along with any hope for a comeback, with a highlight reel glove save.

Arrowhead held a 31-22 shot advantage in the game and moves to 4-0-0 in the conference and 5-1-0 overall. Next on the schedule is a mountain of a challenge against #2 ranked Appleton at home on Saturday. [Boxscore]

Warhawk Power Play Torches Greendale

December 12, 2008 — The Arrowhead power play continues to be red hot in December and accounted for five goals in a 8-1 conference victory over Greendale at the Ponds.

Alex Broderick got things rolling at 10:04 of the first period with a blast from the right point that whistled through traffic and just under the cross bar. Arrowhead continued to apply heavy pressure and capitalized when Mike Herrick bumped a Calvin O'Connor pass in the neutral zone past the Greendale defense. Zach Hamer raced by everyone to corral the loose puck in the left corner and walked out and fired a quick near side shot to notch his first varsity goal at 15:04.

Greendale answered right back on the ensuing face off with a goal by Ryan Unger at 15:31 but Arrowhead recaptured the momentum when Connor McBride went top shelf at 16:47 to extend the lead to 3-1 going into the break.

A power play goal by Brendan Garvey at 3:08 of the second period sparked the attack as Arrowhead continued to blister the Greendale zone. The Warhawks struck again at 12:02 when Brian Berger snagged a pass from McBride near the top of the crease and made a nifty deke to slid a backhand around Mitch Szepi to make it 5-1.

Greendale took a late penalty and the power play unit cashed in again when Zach Hamer controlled the puck behind the goal line and zipped a pass to Donovan Blakney at the left point. With time running down Blakney walked to the middle and fired a slap shot that deflected off Joel Vana in front to find the top corner at 16:58.

The Warhawks dominated with a 15-0 shot advantage in the second period.

Greendale came out with some fight to start the third but took a frustration penalty at 4:11 that Arrowhead wasted little time converting it into their fourth power play goal. Brendan Garvey and David Clark moved the puck to Brian Berger in the low slot, who lifted a snap shot over the shoulder of Szepi at 4:24 to make it 7-1. The Hawks tallied a school record tying fifth power play goal in the final minute of the game when David Clark worked the puck free to Brian Berger behind the net. Berger walked out and fired a pass to Garvey on the back door that deflected off the skate of a defender and past Szepi.

The Warhawks finished with a decisive 40-10 shot advantage in the game and improved their overall record to 3-1-0 on the season. [Boxscore]

Hawks Shoot Down Stars 7-2

December 07, 2008 — Arrowhead opened up a 3-0 lead after the first period against visiting Brookfield, thanks in part to a pair of power play goals, and cruised to a 7-2 conference victory.

The Hawks got on the scoreboard first at 4:05 when David Clark hammered home a deflected Chris Palmer shot from the low slot. Brian Berger put the home team up 2-0 at 13:50 when he buried a rebound off a Connor McBride blast from the point during a second power play. McBride put an exclamation point on the first period at 16:29 when his wristshot from the slot beat Doug Gorand high to the glove side. Arrowhead held a 11-5 shot advantage in the period.

McBride notched his second goal of the game off on a feed from Berger at 2:58 of the second to make it 4-0. The Hawks added to the lead on another power play goal at 12:11. David Clark set up the play when he skated into the Brookfield zone with the puck, peeled off and dropped a pass to Chris Palmer at the right point. Palmer walked into the high slot and launced a missile that squeezed under the arm of Gorand and bounced toward the goal line. Brian Berger was waiting on the back door and poked it home just before Gorand spun to knock the puck away.

Forty-seven seconds later Brendan Garvey made it 6-0 when he jumped on a loose puck in the slot and rifled a quick snap shot under Gorand at 12:58. Alex Broderick notched the assist from the corner when his pass deflected off the skates of two Brookfield defenders like a pinball.

Brookfield responded less than a minute later on a rebound goal by C.J. Caliendo at 13:37 to extinguish the run clock and fired back with another goal by Taylor Anderson at 14:04 to make it 6-2. Arrowhead killed off a penalty a minute later to end a flurry of activity and outshot Brookfield 18-13 in the second period.

Arrowhead completed the scoring at 12:46 of the third period when Joel Vana took a pass from Brendan Garvey near center ice and found Nick Szalacinski flying into the Brookfield zone. Szalacinski got off a quick shot on the cross ice pass that beat Ground just inside the left post to make it 7-2.

With the win the Warhawks move their conference mark to 2-0 and extends the streak to 11 straight. On Thursday, December 11 Arrowhead will travel to the Ponds to face Greendale in a first ever matchup. [Boxscore]