ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Fitting that the opening event of the winter sports season should be on ice. Among the Pirates' seven winter teams, it was Rocky River Hockey first to get things under way when it opened its 2021-22 season with a 1-0 loss to the Mentor Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.
The goaltenders held sway in a contest that didn't mobilize any digits on the Hamilton Ice Arena scoreboard until the third minute of the third period. The Pirates (0-1) outshot the Cardinals (1-0) 15-13 over the first two frames. And play was five-on-five throughout: only one penalty -- a roughing call on Rocky River -- was whistled over the first two stanzas. The penalty boxes would be empty in a third period that saw just seven combined shots on goal.
The lone marker in the defensive tussle was pegged by Mentor's Matt Kish at 2:53 of the final period. A staunch Mentor defense denied the equalizer, holding up Kish's goal for the final 12 minutes of play. Rocky River was held to just three shots on goal in that final frame.
The final score marked just the second time (Dec. 30, 2020 vs. St. Ignatius) in the last five years that River has been shut out. The loss marked just the Pirates' second in a season opener since 2009; Rocky River has dropped its season opener each of the last two years.
John Rampe stopped 18-of-18 shots to earn the win for the Cardinals, who gained a measure of retribution with the victory. River defeated Mentor in the 2021 Baron Cup Championship Game, the last time these teams met (Feb. 14).
Niko Rose clocked 17 saves for the Pirates.
The Pirates will continue their season Sunday with a game against the Hudson Explorers at Gilmour Academy's Floyd Stefanski Ice Center in Gates Mills, Ohio.
CANNON FIRE ...
PIRATE GRAYBEARDS: The 2021-22 Pirate roster includes nine seniors (Evan Calderwood, Zalen Charney, Jack Davis, Ben Greenfield, Jackson Herrmann, Grayson Hess, Parker McClain, Alex Parnell, Owen Schiefferle). Parnell -- the program's top returning scorer (16 points last season, 44 career) -- is Rocky River's team captain. Davis and McClain are the Pirates' assistant captains.
ANOTHER FRIENDLY CARD GAME: The Pirates defeated the Cardinals twice last season after being winless (0-6-2) against them in eight straight games from 2018-20. Rocky River and Mentor have met 46 times since 2000: the Pirates are 30-14-2 over those meetings.
FOR OPENERS: Rocky River is now 17-5 in season openers since 2000. River lost a delayed opener a year ago, falling to Toledo St. Francis on Dec. 12 after COVID-19 protocols nixed several scheduled games. The Pirates' 17 wins in that 22-year span include 11 in a row from 2009-19. ... Rocky River is also 17-5 in home openers over that same post-2000 stretch. The Double-R went 7-5 across 12 games at Hamilton Ice Arena last season. ... With Saturday's loss against Mentor, the Pirates are 39-3 over their last 42 games played in the month of November.
by Skip Snow
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