Zahorian's last-minute goal propels Cranbrook past Country Day in D3 quarterfinal
Cranes advance to USA Hockey Arena and will face Hancock Friday morning
FARMINGTON HILLS – The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood Cranes got a power play goal from Dawson Zahorian with 29.2 seconds left to eke out a 2-1 win over the Detroit Country Day Yellowjackets on Wednesday night.
“I got a pass from Alec Regula and waited at the point for a couple of seconds for a screen to open up or an opening,” Zahorian said. “Right as an opening opened up I took the shot hoping for a tip or something lucky like a rebound or something to go in, and luckily it went in over the pad.”
Zahorian’s blue line blast settled a tight game where all three goals came on the power play. The Cranes had opened the scoring with a power play goal in the first period when Alec Regula ripped a slap shot from inside the right circle that found the back of the net.
Country Day tied the game early in the second period on a wrister by Filip Stankiewicz. Stankiewicz took a pass from Hayden Taylor and fired a shot from the high slot that slipped through a crowd of players in front to make 1-1.
Country Day’s top line of Stankiewicz, Carter Elrod, and Will Krushena were consistently dangerous all night and the Yellowjackets rolled them out every other shift.
“That has been our m.o. all year of being a good team down low, of cycling pucks,” Yellowjackets head coach Frank Novock said. “Guys keep the pucks on the boards and they get it to the net, and stuff like that. We executed to a ‘t’. There goalie made some very good saves.”
Both teams had their share of opportunities in the later part of the game, including five minute major power plays, but goaltenders Brendan Dolan of Detroit Country Day and Nolan Rogow of Cranbrook took turns coming up with big saves as the teams went back and forth until Zahorian’s blast settled the game at the tail end of a five minute Cranbrook power play.
“It was an unusual game. There were two five minute majors, one against us, one against them” Cranbrook head coach Andy Weidenbach said. “It was a real interesting game. Both teams played hard. It could have went either way, and we were fortunate to get that last goal.”
With the win, Cranbrook (19-10) moves on to the Division 3 Semifinals where they will face Hancock.
“It’s always nice to make it to the big dance at USA Hockey,” Weidenbach said. “For us, it was definitely the icing on the cake. We have a brand new team. We’re real young. We played a lot of sophomores tonight and to get to the final four is really a gratifying experience.”
Detroit Country Day finishes the year 18-11.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing to come as far as we did, to be 14-3 in the second half and to play like we did tonight and to get that result,” Novock said. “A bounce here or there would have been outstanding, but it just wasn’t meant to be tonight.”
“I got a pass from Alec Regula and waited at the point for a couple of seconds for a screen to open up or an opening,” Zahorian said. “Right as an opening opened up I took the shot hoping for a tip or something lucky like a rebound or something to go in, and luckily it went in over the pad.”
Zahorian’s blue line blast settled a tight game where all three goals came on the power play. The Cranes had opened the scoring with a power play goal in the first period when Alec Regula ripped a slap shot from inside the right circle that found the back of the net.
Country Day tied the game early in the second period on a wrister by Filip Stankiewicz. Stankiewicz took a pass from Hayden Taylor and fired a shot from the high slot that slipped through a crowd of players in front to make 1-1.
Country Day’s top line of Stankiewicz, Carter Elrod, and Will Krushena were consistently dangerous all night and the Yellowjackets rolled them out every other shift.
“That has been our m.o. all year of being a good team down low, of cycling pucks,” Yellowjackets head coach Frank Novock said. “Guys keep the pucks on the boards and they get it to the net, and stuff like that. We executed to a ‘t’. There goalie made some very good saves.”
Both teams had their share of opportunities in the later part of the game, including five minute major power plays, but goaltenders Brendan Dolan of Detroit Country Day and Nolan Rogow of Cranbrook took turns coming up with big saves as the teams went back and forth until Zahorian’s blast settled the game at the tail end of a five minute Cranbrook power play.
“It was an unusual game. There were two five minute majors, one against us, one against them” Cranbrook head coach Andy Weidenbach said. “It was a real interesting game. Both teams played hard. It could have went either way, and we were fortunate to get that last goal.”
With the win, Cranbrook (19-10) moves on to the Division 3 Semifinals where they will face Hancock.
“It’s always nice to make it to the big dance at USA Hockey,” Weidenbach said. “For us, it was definitely the icing on the cake. We have a brand new team. We’re real young. We played a lot of sophomores tonight and to get to the final four is really a gratifying experience.”
Detroit Country Day finishes the year 18-11.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing to come as far as we did, to be 14-3 in the second half and to play like we did tonight and to get that result,” Novock said. “A bounce here or there would have been outstanding, but it just wasn’t meant to be tonight.”
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