OHIO CITY, OH - After falling short in the state championship last year in a 5-2 loss to Upper Arlington, the Saint Ignatius Wildcats hockey team is gearing up for another season.
Although the Wildcats fell one game short, they did manage an impressive 28-10-0 record. In the GOHL, the Wildcats went 8-2 and were crowned Ohio Cup champions for the second consecutive year, defeating Upper Arlington 2-1 in overtime.
This year brings a mix of fresh faces and familiar leaders, as the Wildcats return 19 players and welcome seven rookies, including two new goaltenders.
Max Schroeder and
Blake Benedictis spent last year on the varsity white team. They will have to step up to fill the vacant spot left by the graduation of
Dominic Filizetti, who posted a 2.39 GAA in 28 starts last year, and the departure of
AJ Chiaravalle.
Offensively, the Wildcats will also need to replace key production. With
Nolan Ignacio, last year's leading scorer with 32 goals and 12 assists in the regular season, graduating, the Wildcats will look for younger players to step up and help generate offense.
Cade Bradley is a reliable option, as evidenced by his 41 regular-season points in his sophomore season last year. The Cats' top defenseman a season ago, Zack Bleick, left the school after being drafted by the Flint Firebirds of the OHL. Bleick had 35 points last year from his blue line spot.
Despite those losses, leadership won't be in short supply. Six captains were named for the squad ahead of this year, with
Nate Robinson and
Liam Hill wearing the C.
Aiden White,
Cade Bradley, and
Nick Miller will rock the A to round out the Wildcats' on-ice leadership group.
Drew Sidloski was given the last A for the Cats but will not play this season due to an injury.
Ethan Liu, the Jim Skerl award recipient, will be another team leader, wearing #34.
The team's mindset heading into the season is clear. "There's still unfinished business," says
Nate Robinson. He explains that the team needs to stay disciplined, limit penalties, and find ways to generate more offense to get back to the state championship. "The mentality is simple: win." That mentality will set the tone as the Wildcats begin their preparations for the upcoming season.
The Wildcats kicked off their 2025 campaign with a trip out to Western Ohio in a scrimmage against the Bowling Green High School Bobcats, which ended in a 3-3 tie.
Aiden Roche netted one goal in the tying efforts, while young gun Levi Galluci scored two. The Wildcats were victorious in a dominant fashion in their scrimmage against Shaker on Saturday night.
Cade Bradley collected a hat-trick in the winning efforts.
The Wildcats officially open the season on November 15th at the Notre Dame Invitational Tournament, taking on out-of-state opponents, before returning to Cleveland to face Walsh Jesuit on November 22nd. SIBN will have live coverage from South Bend for the season opener.
