Past two Preds Cup champs to battle for top spot tonight

By CAROL STUART
Brentwood Home Page
When the past two Predators Cup champions meet on the ice at A-Game Friday night, it’ll be for first place in the GNASH high school hockey league as well as a Battle of the Woods for city bragging rights.

Brentwood High, last year’s Preds Cup tournament champ, and Ravenwood, the 2010 winner, are battling for supremacy in this second of three regular-season meetings between the two clubs that have 22 points each. BHS won the first meeting and has a five-game win streak going back to last year’s season matchups and the championship game, but RHS has only lost once this season and has played one less game.

Brentwood goalie B.J. Jarnagin gets tangled up with Ravenwood's Justin Selzer in their earlier meeting his season. (File photo by Brian Jones)

“It’s like Game 7 pretty much, that’s what it seems like, that final game that everything comes down to, especially with a ton of fans there and emotions ramped up,” Bruins senior Andrew Falls said about playing rival Ravenwood.

“Energy is flowing through you the entire time, and the entire day at school. All you’re thinking about is that night.”

The puck drops between the Raptors and Bruins at 6:40 p.m. at the A-Game 1 rink, while the joint Brentwood Academy-Ensworth team will be playing Franklin Road Academy on the AG2 ice at 6:25 p.m.

“Obviously every game between our two clubs is a big game,” RHS Coach Al Rooney said. “This is my first year with Ravenwood, but it doesn't take long to figure out that Brentwood is the rival. And they're a good club, as well as defending champions and you have to respect that about them.

“Last time around, we outplayed and outshot them, but that doesn't matter in the end. They did a better job of finishing their chances, took advantage of a few key turnovers on our part, and their goalie played very well. So bottom line, Brentwood earned the win and I respect that. We have a fresh start against them this Friday and we'll see what happens.”

Neither team will be out of the chase with a loss, Rooney adds, since it’s a 21-game season and the ultimate goal is to be playing your best at playoff time this spring. But that doesn't lower the excitement or the impact of the game.

"It's huge. We want to keep our place as the No.1 team in the league right now," said Ravenwood captain Corban Pefanis. "It would really just be a confidence boost. They beat us all three times last year, beat us in the state championship, so we're looking for some revenge."

The Bruins are 11-2 and the Raptors 11-1, both sitting atop the Greater Nashville Area Scholastic Hockey’s Gold standings at 22 points each. RHS technically has the edge since it has the same amount of points in one less game.

Garrett Elmore (15 goals, 4 assists) and Nathan Lee (9 goals, 10 assists) are co-leaders for Brentwood with 19 points apiece. Barry Jarnagin (5-0, 1.73 goals against average) and Tanner Elmore (4-2, 3 shutouts) have split time as goalie for the Bruins along with Triston Blaney.

BHS won 4-1 against Ravenwood back on Nov. 4, with Jarnagin making 35 saves and four different Bruins scoring goals – Connor McKenzie, Kristjan Grimson, Nathan Lee and Christopher Marti.

"I think the biggest thing for us is we were kind of over-thinking things," said Raptors captain Corban Pefanis. "We were nervous a little bit, thinking too much about beating them and not worrying about what  we needed to do, little things that we needed to focus on. I think we've grown a lot as a team, so we can worry about ourselves and not as much about them now."

Brentwood lost its opening game of the season, its one regular-season game at the Nashville Predators’ home Bridgestone Arena, falling 7-1 to Pope John Paul II. BHS has beaten JPII twice since then, but fell to Father Ryan 2-1 on Dec. 9.

Ravenwood’s top line of Pefanis and fellow seniors Nathan Traczewski and Taylor Griffin “is absolutely flying right now,” Rooney said. The Raptors have scored 74 goals to their opponents’ 16, recording 10-0 and 8-0 shutouts over Franklin and MBA in their last games before Christmas.

 “They all bring a little something to the line that the others don't. So they're a great threesome,” Rooney said. “But I think the most satisfying aspect of the three of them is that they don't make it about themselves. They are the first three to be pumping up the other lines, cheering them on, as well as communicating with the younger players. And that makes me prouder of them than any stats on a scoresheet can.”

Pefanis has scored 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists), while Traczewski has 10 goals with 14 assists and Griffin has 9 goals, 16 assists. Ryley Hines is 8-1 in goal with a 1.89 goals-against average, while Simon Ivey is 3-0 – all shutouts.

Ravenwood's Rylie Hines, who deflects a shot in an earlier game, has an 8-1 record in goal (c. 2011 Through Our Lens LLC)

“So far every time we play them, everybody kind of steps up,” said Falls, center forward on Brentwood’s second line. “.. We’re a younger team. This year they’ve got a lot of experience on their side that we don’t have.

“This is probably one of the harder games of the season by far. We’ve always managed to score against them. We know their goalie pretty well and how he works, but it’s definitely a challenge.”

Rooney said the Raptors couldn’t have been “playing any better when we headed into the Christmas break quite honestly.” RHS outscored its last three opponents 29-1.

“That's a tremendous accomplishment at both ends of the ice, and is one type of measuring stick at how our team has learned to take care of both ends of the ice,” Rooney said. “We lead the league in goals for, as well as have allowed the fewest against -- that's something that the boys have taken care of each and every game.

Rooney said it’s always an unknown how any team will come back from the break, but he said every player on the roster has bought into the team concept .

“We just really want to continue to grow as a team both on and off the ice and see where this season will take us,” he said. “And we're going to have as much fun as possible while doing so.

Ravenwood’s Will Lamb, a hard worker on the third and fourth lines, missed a lot of the action so far with a broken wrist and then separated his shoulder after returning. He is out indefinitely.