CHS Hockey

Season: 21-6-0
 Date  Visitor  Home
2/25 Cathedral 1 Rogers 3
2/23 Princeton 2 Cathedral 7
2/18 Cathedral 7 Marshall School 5
2/16 Cathedral 3 Orono 0
2/14 Cathedral 3 Rogers 4
2/11 Princeton 1 Cathedral 6
2/10 Cathedral 7 Hutchinson 2
2/4 Little Falls 1 Cathedral 7
2/3 Fergus Falls 0 Cathedral 11
1/26 Wadena-DC 2 Cathedral 13
1/24 Cathedral 7 L/D-C 2
1/21 Cathedral 8 Alexandria 1
1/17 Apollo 1 Cathedral 5
1/13 Cathedral 1 Hermantown 2
1/10 Mound-Westonka 3 Cathedral 6
1/7 Cathedral 3 Warroad 2
1/6 Cathedral 7 Crookston 3
1/3 Cathedral 1 Holy Family 4
12/22 Mora 0 Cathedral 14
12/19 Proctor 0 Cathedral 6
12/17 Sauk Rapids 0 Cathedral 6
12/15 Delano 1 Cathedral 2 (OT)
12/9 Lourdes 4 Cathedral 1
12/6 Cathedral 4 Little Falls 3
12/2 Cathedral 8 Sartell 0
11/26 Cathedral 8 Providence 2
11/25 Breck School 8 Cathedral 1

Season ends in Rogers

Cathedral lost 3-1 to Rogers in a Section 5A semifinal game Feb. 25 in Rogers. The Crusaders outshot the Royals 29-24, but struggled to score in powerplay and even-strength situations. Defenseman Austin Swingle teamed with Tommy Hall and Danny Johnston to record CHS' lone goal with seven seconds remaining in the second period. Connor Amundson saved 21 in goal. Coach Eric Johnson's 2011-12 team finishes with a 21-6-0 record. View the Minnesota Hockey Hub game sheet.

Cathedral pounds Princeton 7-2

Will Hammer's four-point effort keyed a 7-2 Cathedral win over Princeton in Section 5A quarterfinal play Feb. 23 at the MAC. The power forward scored in the first period and then helped set up two second-period goals by Austin Poganski and a third-period goal by Tommy Hall.

Hammer's goal, a quick-stick affair that wowed fans on the east end of the arena, was timely for the game and fortuitous for CHS' postseason ambitions. Set up by Poganski and senior blueliner Michael Kerber, it gave CHS the lead. It also sent a signal to the rest of Class A that Hammer's scoring touch is back, his six-game goal drought is over. Sophomores Hammer, Poganski and Hall have combined for 37 goals since Jan. 6, when Coach Eric Johnson first teamed them on a forward line.

The Crusaders fell behind 1-0 after a blocked shot at the blue line produced a Tigers' breakaway tally 5:55 into the game. A Sam Wood-to-Ryan Kissner powerplay goal with 1:38 remaining in the first opened the floodgates and Cathedral took over the game. CHS recorded 42 shots on goal and went 2-for-4 on the powerplay.

Josh Robak earned the win in goal with 15 saves. Also scoring goals for Cathedral were Mitchell Fritz and Jordan Revier. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF).

CHS tops the Toppers for 20th win

Team speed and roster depth, combined with a never-quit attitude, powered Cathedral to a 7-5 defeat of fifth-ranked Marshall School Feb. 18 in Duluth. It was the first road win over the Hilltoppers in recent memory.

Trailing 2-0 in the second period, CHS got a goal from its third line, in the person of Peter Spethmann. The junior center teamed with linemates Travis Gadbois and Cory Wheelock to wreak havoc in the Toppers' defensive zone throughout the game. Coach Eric Johnson played his team-depth card to the hilt, wearing down a Marshall School squad that needed four goals from its oft-shifted senior forward Judd Peterson to keep pace.

The Crusaders then got a confidence-booster from alternate captain Austin Swingle. The junior defenseman carried the puck through two zones, skated behind the Marshall net and then backhanded a pass to the slot for a Mitch Fritz score. Game tied 2-2.

With Cathedral trailing 3-2 at the end of the second, Fritz scored a powerplay goal as time expired, sending equipment flying on the Marshall bench and ushering the Crusaders into a fired-up intermission locker room. CHS erupted for two goals in 60-seconds to start the third. The momentum had shifted in favor of the blue-and-gold, as evidenced by the 16-8 shots advantage in the final frame.

Peterson scored his fourth goal about four minutes into the third. Danny Johnston responded a short time later with a solid body check on the 190-pound D-I prospect, just feet from the Cathedral bench, a symbol of the shifting fortunes of the day. Cathedral sealed the deal with a goal from Tommy Hall and an empty-netter by Austin Poganski.

Poganski scored twice and earned an assist while enduring clutch-and-grab defense and public-address mispronunciations of his family name that made every Polish patriot from Tadeusz Kościuszko to Karol Wojtyla turn over in their graves.

Connor Amundson recorded 23 saves for his eighth win of the season.

As for Coach Johnson: He stuck steadfastly to his forward and defensive rotations with the same resolve he displayed in October when he led a Flash mob dance routine at a Homecoming pepfest. Dynomite!

CHS ends the regular season with 20 wins, the most since 2008-09 team that went 22-3-0 in the regular season and 4-2-0 in the postseason. View the Minnesota Hockey Hub game sheet. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

Crusaders shut out Orono

A revitalized powerplay and perfect goaltending helped Cathedral defeat Orono 3-0 Feb. 16 in Long Lake. Junior netminder Josh Robak saved 15 for his 12th win and fifth shutout of the season. Michael Kerber and Austin Poganski each scored on the powerplay. Tommy Hall scored on an assist from sophomore defenseman Jordan Maetche. CHS' penalty killers protected a one-goal lead in the second period by killing off a five-minute man-disadvantage. View the Minnesota Hockey Hub game sheet. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

CHS loses in Rogers

After a month of feasting on lesser opponents, Cathedral met its match Feb. 14, losing 4-3, on the road, to Section 5A rival Rogers. Seniors Sam Wood, Danny Johnston and Ryan Kissner scored for CHS. An opportunity to take control of the game slipped through the Crusaders' gloves early. Leading 2-1, Cathedral was unable to score during a five-minute man-advantage that put one of the Royals' top forwards in the penalty box. Ill-advised penalties in the second and third periods plagued Cathedral's ability to keep pace with the Royals. The Crusaders out-shot Rogers 35-30, but went scoreless on four powerplay chances. Rogers converted two-of-three powerplay opportunities. Connor Amundson was in net for the visitors. CHS averaged eight goals a game during an eight-game win streak that dated back to Jan. 17. View the Minnesota Hockey Hub game sheet. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

Cathedral earns 18th win over Princeton

Even-strength goals by Austin Poganski and Austin Swingle set the tone for a 6-1 Granite Ridge Conference win over Princeton Feb. 11 at the MAC. Mitch Fritz maintained his hot hand, scoring twice and recording two assists. Danny Johnston and Ryan Kissner also scored. Johnston reached the 50-point threshold on the season with an assist on the final goal of the game. The senior captain electrified the crowd in the second-period with breakaway goal over the Princeton goalie's right shoulder. Josh Robak saved 25. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast. Photos by Mike Hornung and Jeff Wood.

Fritz fries the Tigers

Junior wing Mitch Fritz continued his torrid scoring spree, notching four goals and an assist in Cathedral's 7-2 road win Feb. 10 in Hutchinson. Senior defenseman Michael Kerber recorded two assists, including a faceoff-circle-to-red line pass to a streaking Fritz, who buried a breakaway goal, his second, to give CHS a 2-1 lead with 4:30 remaining in the first. Tommy Hall scored the oddest goal of the game. While racing down the right boards in the first period, the sophomore forward wristed a at the goalie. The pucked rebounded high into the air. As the puck came down it bounced off the goalie's back and into the net. Austin Swingle and Danny Johnston each scored a goal for CHS. Connor Amundson saved 13. Fritz has recorded 14 goals and five assists in the last seven games. With three regular season games remaining, the Crusaders' 17 wins surpass the season-win totals of the 2010 and 2011 Cathedral teams. View the Minnesota Hockey Hub game sheet. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski.

View all the game summaries

Coaches
Eric Johnson, coach
Ron Brown, assistant
Tom Bruce, assistant
Dave Erickson, goalies
Nick Thibault, assistant
Nick Maiers, assistant

Managers
Tommy Weisbrich
Tom Baker

Statistician
Elliott Jaye

Blue Line Club
Scott Bailey, president
Keith Swingle, past president
Jeff Spethmann, vice president
Mary Jo Robak, treasurer
Brigid Golebiowski, secretary
Jeff Wood, website

Activities
Emmett Kennan, activities director
Julie Murphy, administrative assistant

Administration
Mike Mullin, president
Lynn Grewing, principal