BHS beats RHS Friday at A-Game
Updated 11:00 p.m. Oct. 22
By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
Ravenwood's defending state champion hockey team fell to cross-town rival Brentwood Friday night in an early-season matchup at A-Game Sports in Cool Springs. How the rest of the season will turn out is anyone's guess.
Here is a look at local high school hockey teams for the 2010-11 season.

Game time is 6:25 p.m. Friday at A-Game Sportsplex rink No. 2, in Franklin.

"It will be spirited for sure. It always is," Hagemann said.

Brentwood, meanwhile, goes in unbeaten. "Highlights so far this season are building on a 2-and-zero record and we hope to make that 3-and-zero when we meet Ravenwood this Friday night," fifth-year coach Chris Morris said.

Here is a look at local high school hockey teams for 2010-11:

Ravenwood

Ravenwood celebrates its state championship in the Predators Cup in 2009-10.

The road to a repeat will be rough for the Raptors, who lost 11 players -- nine to graduation (including goaltender Ty Birge) and two seniors this year who transferred to the AAA travel hockey level out of state.

"This leaves us with no seniors on the team, thus a young group -- yet with a solid core of returning underclassmen," said RHS Coach Dennis Hagemann. "Yet, we have a tradition to uphold as Ravenwood hockey, which as the defending state champion will place a target on our backs for every team we face."

Hagemann is in his second year as RHS head coach and assistant the previous season.

The Raptors are 0-2-1 following Friday's loss to Brentwood. On Wednesday, they had a 2-2 tie with Montgomery Bell Academy.

Ravenwood returns a core of juniors in forward Taylor Griffin (15 points in 2009-10), Corbin Pefanis (goal in Predators Cup shootout), Tate Janasek (12 points last season), Clayton Williams, J.M. Sisk and Nathan Traczewski (game-winner in GNASH Cup).

RHS Coach Dennis Hagemann

The Raptors have depth up front with the terrific addition of junior Van Sullivan, a transfer from Brentwood Academy; sophomore Justin Stelzer; and sophomore Caleb Muncie, who moved in from out of state.

On the blue line, the  Raptors have sophomore returnees Alex Mason and Taylor Fagan, plus freshmen Zach Wertz and Ethan Levy.

In goal, Rylie Hines saved 20 of 25 shots and Simon Ivey 19 of 21 in the first two games.

Hagemann, who has coached for almost 20 years mostly in Maine, led Ravenwood to a 20-2-4 finish last year including championships in the Greater Nashville Area Scholastic Hockey (GNASH) league and the state.

The coach says the team's strengths this year are "grit, work ethic and heart."

"Our defense and goaltending need experience, but they will steadily improve because they will keep practicing against our talented forwards," Hagemann said.

GNASH reformatted the divisions this year, which makes every night competitive, he said. "There will be no easy game," Hagemann said.

Brentwood
The Bruins are 3-0 after Friday's win. The Brentwood hockey club finished third in the state last year, but no longer has top scorer Dane Brunett (16 goals, 33 points), third-leading scorer Hunter Wilhoite and goaltender Patrick Cason.

Brentwood High's seniors are Dominick Granda, from left, Joe Feeney, Tyler Richardson, A.J. Rittler and Nick Thornber. They have all played for BHS for four years.

However, three of the top five scorers are back, with Dominick Granda (25 points in 2009-10), A.J. Rittler (16 points) and Tyler Richardson (15 points). Fellow seniors Joe Feeney and defenseman Nick Thornber are also top contributors.

"We hope to do better this year," said Morris, who previously coached at Hume-Fogg, Hendersonville and in youth travel hockey.

"This year we have five seniors that have returned to play their last year of hockey at Brentwood. I’m excited to have A.J., Domy, Trich, Joey, and Thorny as my returning seniors. With them comes experience, maturity, and good hockey sense."

Already Rittler has 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists), and Shane Liddell and Granda each have scored 2 goals for 3 points.

Goalie Barry Jarnagin saved all 17 shots in Wednesday's shutout victory, while Tanner Elmore has a .80 save percentage from an opening 6-2 victory against Centennial.

Fowards Caleb Callaway, Kyle Ziesig and Andrew Falls are among those expected to take a bigger role this year. 

"The coaching staff looks forward to have these guys become as integral to the team as the seniors and all of our players have become," Morris said.

The BHS coach says top competition is expected from Father Ryan, Pope John Paul II "and, of course, Ravenwood." 

Ensworth/Brentwood Academy
The Ensworth/BA combined team was 1-0-1 heading into Friday night's game with Franklin following a tie with Station Camp-Hillsboro on Wednesday. BA had previously combined to form a team with Wilson Central in the independent league.

Matthew Peacock already has 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists), and Neal Rice has 2 goals and 4 points. Tanner Poss has scored 2 goals for 3 points.

Goalie Jack Allyn has saved 36 of 41 shots so far for a .088 save percentage. Backup goalie Zachary Spires, a former FRA-CPA player, has  a 0.89 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average.