OHIO CITY, OH - On January 11th, the Wildcats' run at a third straight GOHL league title fell short in a 3-1 loss to the Gilmour Academy Lancers. The previous two league tournaments for the Wildcats resulted in the Ohio Cup coming home to the John M Coyne Recreational Center with wins over University School in 2023 and Upper Arlington in 2024.
Following the championship loss, the Wildcats picked up a bounce-back victory over Columbus contender, St. Charles Prep, by a final score of 3-2. The Wildcats then packed their bags and geared up for back-to-back weekends in Michigan to take on top-ranked teams.
January 23rd was a dog-fight game against the five-time MHSAA state champions, Brother Rice. The game ended in a 5-4 loss despite the Wildcats outshooting their opponent by a large margin. This would mark the third straight year the Wildcats have been defeated by Brother Rice, losing 4-3 in 2025 and 5-3 in 2024.
The very next day, the Wildcats faced the talented Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks. Last season, the Shamrocks collected their sixth straight MHSAA state championship, the team's nineteenth state championship overall. Despite a close first two periods, DCC pulled away and defeated the Wildcats 4-0.
After a week of practice back home, the Wildcats departed again for Michigan, this time to take part in the MIHL showcase, a showcase featuring top teams from across the region. Awaiting the Wildcats in Trenton, Michigan, were the Hartland Eagles, a team with an 18-6-1 record. Despite falling behind 1–0 early in the first period, the Wildcats responded with two unanswered goals, one from
Cade Bradley and another from
Kyle Rucinski, to take a 2–1 lead.
Hartland tied the game midway through the third, and regulation ended knotted at 2-2. Per MIHL showcase rules, the game went straight to a shootout.
Kyle Rucinski scored the lone goal of the shootout, and
Blake Benedictis made three straight saves to secure a 3-2 win over Hartland.
Day two of the MIHL showcase did not go in the Cats' favor as they took on the six-time MHSAA state champion and six-time runner-up Calumet Copper Kings. Calumet jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period. The Wildcats struck back a few minutes later when
TJ Hulec potted a rebound past goaltender Beau Jukuri. Then, nearing the end of the period,
Aiden White blasted a one-timer top left on the power play to tie the game at two at the end of the first period.
Calumet would add one goal in each of the remaining two periods to claim their 4-2 victory.
The Wildcats wrapped up their two weekends in Michigan with a 1-3 record and 9–15 goal differential. The Wildcats have added several games to their schedule, including matchups against Clay on February 7, Canton-Akron on February 8, Team Ohio on February 13, Buffalo St. Joseph on February 14, Team Ohio again on February 15, and a final game against Canton-Akron on February 22.
The Brooklyn Regional games start mid-February, as the Wildcats look to capture their fourth consecutive regional championship and punch their ticket back to the Final Four.
