East Ridge Too Much for Eastview Boys Hockey

The East Ridge Raptors beat the Eastview Lightning 2-1 in a nonconference showdown at Cottage Grove Ice Arena on Tuesday night.

Things looked promising early for the Lightning as they came out strong and jumped all over what looked like a shell-shocked Raptors team.

The Raptors seemed ill-prepared to handle the speed and physicality of the Eastview forecheck.

“Eastview came out and took the puck to us pretty good at the beginning,” Raptors head coach Doug Long said after the game. “We didn't execute our game plan very well; that is something we need to work on a bit more.”

But East Ridge found its rhythm with three minutes left in the first period and began dominating play in the Eastview zone. Good defense and strong goaltending kept the game deadlocked at 0-0 after a period of play.

The beginning of the second period, both teams showed much the same. But unlucky mishaps turned into sloppy play from both teams in the first five minutes of the second period.

That changed with 9:45 left, when Raptors senior Alex Idso scored the first goal of the game off a mishandled puck from Lightning goaltender Erik Edsten. The goal was Idso's ninth of the season.

“Alex has been giving us some really consistent play over the last four or five games,” Long said.

Despite being outplayed for much of the period, Eastview captain Bryce Gustafson leveled the score at 1-1 with 3:49 to play in the period. But the Raptors, it seemed, refused to go down without a fight.

Idso again made a difference in the game when he hooked up with linemate Jack Creeley on a nifty two-on-one 30 seconds later to give the Raptors a 2-1 lead. The goal was Creeley's sixth of the season.

An offensive barrage at the end of the second period looked promising for Eastview but proved ineffective.

Eastview junior varsity players Ricky Williams, John Gauger and Ryan Reger tried to encourage their varsity counterparts to remember the hockey basics. To reverse its fortunes the team would need better passing, more shots and a more physical brand of play, the trio said after the second period.

But the Lightning never did regain the momentum with which it started the game.

“Eastview just cannot put the puck in the net,” Lightning hockey dad Pat Cropsey said after the game. “The teams were pretty evenly matched but we made one big mistake tonight and it cost us.” Cropsey is the father of senior forward Cameron Cropsey and sophomore forward Garrett Cropsey.

Raptors goaltender Andrew McDonough was lauded by Coach Long after saving 23 of 24 shots during the game.

“We didn't follow our gameplan but we got great goaltending," Long said. "That is one bright spot tonight. I guess a win is a win."

Eastview next faces off against Bloomington Jefferson at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bloomington Ice Garden.