Heights Hockey Buries Benedictine, 7-0

goalie Aidan Hall readily admits it takes a special breed of player to mind the net amidst a barrage of oncoming pucks. Thankfully for the Tigers, he willingly accepts that role for Coach Eddie Babcox's squad.  

Hall's 20-save shutout performance highlighted the Tigers' 7-0 thrashing of visiting Benedictine Monday evening in the opening round of the Heights Holiday Hockey Tournament at the .

"I always wanted to be a goalie," said Hall, who recorded his second shutout of the season for Cleveland Heights (5-4).  "My dad played goalie for Heights back in the day, but it took some convincing for him to let me play, too, and follow in his footsteps."

Bolstered by a strong effort in front of him led by first-string defensemen Sam Brown and Sean Robinson, Hall thwarted every Bengals' scoring attempt Monday. The 6-foot-0, 230-pound goalie considered a shutout obtainable midway through the second period, though that outcome remained in doubt until a last-ditch effort from Benedictine forward Michael Adamowski ricocheted off Hall's knee pad in the final minute.

The Tigers were not lacking in offensive firepower against the Bengals. After junior captain Tyler Rudy scored the first period's lone goal on a feed in front of the net from sophomore forward Ben Urbas, the offense erupted for four goals following the first intermission, including three in a four-minute span. Urbas, the team's leading scorer with 21 points, accounted for two of those goals en route to his first hat trick of the season.

Freshman forward Isaac Brown, senior forward Aleksi Kuuri and senior defenseman Aleksi Vihanto also found the back of the net, with Brown and sophomore forward Ian Kraus each tallying a pair of assists.

But that scoring was overshadowed by the team's defense. Playing on the heels of , Cleveland Heights enjoyed one of its more complete defensive performances Monday and denied four Benedictine power plays.

"Our goal is always to win the game, but when you have a shutout going heading into the third period, it's always nice to preserve it," said Babcox, a fourth-year head coach. "Aidan Hall stood out for us, but the overall team effort was encouraging.  You always want to defend your home ice well."

The Tigers, winners of four of their last five games, return to the ice for the tournament's second round at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, when they take on Brecksville, a 10-0 winner over Bay Village.

Game Summary:

Scoring

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Total

Benedictine

0

0

0

0

Cleveland Heights

1

4

2

7

Goals:

Period 1

Cleveland Heights – 12:02 – Tyler Rudy (assisted by Ben Urbas and Sam Brown)

Period 2

Cleveland Heights – 10:13 – Ben Urbas (assisted by Ian Kraus and Tyler Rudy)

Cleveland Heights – 7:08 – Isaac Brown (assisted by Aleksi Kuuri and Sam Brown)

Cleveland Heights – 6:36 – Aleksi Vihanto (unassisted)

Cleveland Heights – 2:40 – Ben Urbas (unassisted)

Period 3

Cleveland Heights – 7:30 – Aleksi Kuuri (unassisted)

Cleveland Heights – :20 – Ben Urbas (assisted by Aleksi Vihanto and Ian Kraus)

Saves:

Benedictine – Zachari Martin – 18

Cleveland Heights – Aidan Hall – 20