Blues Compete at St. X Invitational in Ohio By Trip Gintz, 10/09/16

First up was the Oakwood Lumberjacks varsity team. After a competitive first quarter, the Lumberjacks cut down the Blues 12-3 over the final three frames en route to a 15-5 victory. Joe Addison led the Blues with 3 goals in the losing effort.

In the second match of the day, Bluff City squared off against the defending JV champions from St. Charles High School. While the result of this match, a 4-7 defeat, was not the preferred outcome, there were substantial bright spots. Once again, the Blues played a strong opening period, holding St. Charles scoreless in the first quarter. The play of goalie Kenny Pratt was nothing short of outstanding as he recorded 17 saves.

Day 1 of the tournament concluded on a high note as the Blues defeated the St. Francis Knights 13-8. Carter Phelan was a force on offense, racking up 5 goals and drawing 4 exclusions. Joe Addison, like King Arthur versus the Black Knight, repeatedly lopped limbs off of the team from Toledo, recording 10 steals! Joe also contributed 4 goals, while Drew Champion and Erin Haff added 2 goals each.

On Sunday, the Blues continued their winning ways, defeating the host St. Xavier Bombers JV team 12-7. After yet another strong opening period (3-1), the Blues found themselves trailing 5-6 at halftime. However, Bluff City owned the second half, blanking the hosts in the third period 6-0 as they put the match out of reach. The tandem of Joe Addison and Carter Phelan once again paced the Blues. Joe scored 3 goals, assisted on 4 others, and picked up 7 steals, while Carter drew 5 exclusions from the opposing team and scored 7 goals. Kenny Pratt continued his brilliance in goal with 6 blocks, 3 steals, and an assist.

Fatigue finally took its toll in the final match of the tourney. Facing the Princeton Vikings varsity squad, the Blues hung tough in the first half, limiting the Vikings to just 2 goals. The second half, however, saw the Blues outscored 5-8 as Princeton surged to a 6-10 victory. “We found ourselves in foul trouble, and that caught up with us,” Blues Coach Kevin Heinrich said.

Bluff City’s participation in the St. Xavier Invitational showed that it is becoming more competitive. “Players are being put in situations where their responsibilities are different when we field a mixed squad like this,” said Blues Coach Ben Addison. “The experience enables them to develop into more complete players, and we have to learn to adjust as coaches. We can’t wait to find more tournaments to compete in.”