Oakville Hockey Sits Atop Suburban Southwest Standings

Oakville's dominance in the Suburban Southwest Conference of the Mid-States Hockey Association continued Thursday night as the Tigers defeated Kirkwood 8-3 at the Kennedy Recreation Complex.

The Tigers came from behind against the Pioneers, who led 2-0 and 3-2 before Oakville scored six unanswered goals.

"We got knocked down but we responded well," Oakville coach Derek Stephens said.

Steve Farina and Charlie Freshman (who is a freshman) led the way with a pair of goals each for the Tigers.

The win moves the Tigers to 6-0-1 in the conference. Marquette and Lindbergh are tied for second place with a 3-2-2 mark.

"We are doing pretty well overall," Stephens said. "The guys are believing in themselves and in our system. Having a good record like we have is good but we need to continue to build and sharpen our game to be playoff ready."

The Tigers improved to 12-3-1 overall. Two of their three losses came against CBC and St. Louis University High, which are the top two teams in Mid-States. The only loss, which would be classified as a bad one, occured Dec. 30 when the Tigers lost to Francis Howell Central 4-3.

"We used that loss as a learning tool," Stephens said. "It shows that you can't take any opponent lightly."

Oakville came back the next game to defeat Francis Howell North, the leader in the St. Charles Division, 7-1.

Defense has been key for the Tigers, who allowed just one goal in four of their last six games. They have also recorded three shutouts during the season.

"It starts with the play of our goalie (Zach Jost) who has started for us since he was a freshman," Stephens said. "He gives us a chance to win every night. And the defense has been very solid, led by senior captain Ryan Basgall. He is an impact player and the other guys have done the little things that you need to be successful."

Senior Tommy Heinzman has led the way offensively with 15 goals. He is on a line with junior Troy Korte and sophomore Farina. The other consistent line includes juniors Brendan Nichting and Andrew Kovacich and sophomore Lance French.

"Our division is tough and we play all the major teams out of the division," Stephens said. "There is a lot of hockey left to play. We are doing well but I still feel we have the potential to move to another level."

Stephens hopes that level will involve being competitive in the Challenge Cup playoffs which involve the top teams in the Mid-States Hockey Association.