High School Ice Hockey:
Clearview Wins Championship

Wednesday, March 8, 2000

By Mike Costantino
SJSports Staff Writer

Gunnar Fox and Mike Gooch each scored two goals as Clearview defeated Washington Township 7-5 to win their first SJHSIHL championship. Buddy Anderson paced the Township attack with one goal and four assists. Township scored first, as Mike Schauffele converted an Anderson pass, but Clearview would carry the play for most of the period. John Meenan intercepted a clearing pass and ripped a shot inside the left post to tie the game at 1-1.

Just over a minute later Pat Sullivan gave Clearview the lead at 2-1 with Ryan Arnold and Jon Gardner assisting. Chris Harrington answered for Township with about four minutes remaining and the first period ended at 2-2. After Township won game one, one of the keys for Clearview in game two was the power play as they connected three times, and that would also be the key in this game. Early in the second period, Fox gave Clearview the lead at 3-2 scoring on the power play. Township had some chances midway through the period, but Jared Weisenbach kept them off the board.

Late in the period Steve Brown tied the game at 3-3, after a center ice slap shot by Anderson, Brown jumped on the rebound and put the puck by Weisenbach. Dave Gooch and Joe Gori exchanged goals late in the period and we went to the third period tied at 4-4. Again the power play did in Township as Mike Gooch scored early and Clearview led 5-4. Gooch scored twelve seconds later to make it 6-4. Anderson cut the lead to 6-5 with just under twelve minutes remaining, however the game would drastically change a few minutes later as both Gori and Mike Gooch were assessed fourteen minutes in penalties and would finish the game in the dressing room.

Without their leader, Township never really threatened and Fox closed out the scoring, again on the power play with about eight minutes remaining to make it 7-5. Clearview clogged center ice and kept Township pinned in their own end and skated away with their first title. Clearview manager Larry Meenan said, "We like being the underdog, we weren't supposed to beat Eastern." Well, next year they will be the defending champs and will experience what Eastern faced the last two years, and that is every team wants to beat the champ. Coach Harrington addressed his team after the disappointing loss and said, "be proud of our accomplishments, there are 14 other teams that would love to be in this situation."

Photos by Boog Williams & Art Redd

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