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| Cade Groton, Ryan Leibold help Stone Bridge cap perfect season with another title | Cade Groton, Ryan Leibold help Stone Bridge cap perfect season with another title |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| In three seasons together on Stone Bridge’s top line, Cade Groton and Ryan Leibold have provided the substance for local high school hockey’s highest scoring show on ice. In its last hurrah in Friday’s Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League championship against Woodbridge, the duo arrived determined to go out in style. | In three seasons together on Stone Bridge’s top line, Cade Groton and Ryan Leibold have provided the substance for local high school hockey’s highest scoring show on ice. In its last hurrah in Friday’s Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League championship against Woodbridge, the duo arrived determined to go out in style. |
| With added flair in front of a standing-room only crowd at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Groton and Leibold passed around the Vikings defense to lead an all-out assault on its net. No. 3 Stone Bridge completed its second straight undefeated season with a 6-0 win. | |
| “You want to put on a show. That’s just the type of players we are. We’re not the grit it out, grind kind of guys. We’re the playmakers,” said Groton, who finished with a goal and three assists. “I’m the guy that likes to pass, he’s the one who likes to shoot. It’s just the way we play hockey. It’s fun and it works, and it doesn’t get any better.” | |
| From the start, Woodbridge packed its defensive zone and allowed Stone Bridge to patiently pass around the perimeter. Midway through the first period, Groton opted for a direct approach. The senior forward burst down the left wing before dropping a centering pass to Leibold, who gathered the puck in the slot and fired home the game’s first goal. During the pair’s next shift, instead of passing, Groton shot from a similar angle to double the lead. | From the start, Woodbridge packed its defensive zone and allowed Stone Bridge to patiently pass around the perimeter. Midway through the first period, Groton opted for a direct approach. The senior forward burst down the left wing before dropping a centering pass to Leibold, who gathered the puck in the slot and fired home the game’s first goal. During the pair’s next shift, instead of passing, Groton shot from a similar angle to double the lead. |
| “That’s worked all year. It’s a quick connection, we know where each other’s going to be,” Groton said. | “That’s worked all year. It’s a quick connection, we know where each other’s going to be,” Groton said. |
| “We outwork people and put the puck in the net,” said Leibold, a junior center. “They didn’t have enough depth to play with us, so we just outworked them, tired them out, and won the game.” | “We outwork people and put the puck in the net,” said Leibold, a junior center. “They didn’t have enough depth to play with us, so we just outworked them, tired them out, and won the game.” |
| With four minutes left in the opening period, Leibold’s scorching wrist shot from the point gave Stone Bridge a 3-0 lead. Leibold, who will forgo his senior season in Ashburn to play junior hockey next year, followed up his second goal of the game by double tapping the ice and fist pumping his way into the boards in front of the Bulldogs student section. | With four minutes left in the opening period, Leibold’s scorching wrist shot from the point gave Stone Bridge a 3-0 lead. Leibold, who will forgo his senior season in Ashburn to play junior hockey next year, followed up his second goal of the game by double tapping the ice and fist pumping his way into the boards in front of the Bulldogs student section. |
| “I’m going to miss that,” Leibold said. “I did the same celebration in last year’s final, so I thought I’d re-create it to have fun and show off in front of everyone.” | “I’m going to miss that,” Leibold said. “I did the same celebration in last year’s final, so I thought I’d re-create it to have fun and show off in front of everyone.” |
| Leibold completed his hat trick three minutes into the second period. Seniors Nick Haeff and Ian Ross also got on the score sheet as Stone Bridge (13-0) closed out its season with a goal differential of 120-4. | |
| Including a 5-1 loss on Feb. 5, sixth-seeded Woodbridge (10-4) played the Bulldogs to their two closest contests of the season. | |
| West Potomac made a habit of starting slow this season, so when it trailed after one period of Friday’s Capital Scholastic Hockey League championship against Forest Park/ Hylton, there was no panic on the bench. | |
| The Wolverines regrouped during intermission and calmly hit their stride with four goals in the second period to erase an early deficit in a 5-2 win. | The Wolverines regrouped during intermission and calmly hit their stride with four goals in the second period to erase an early deficit in a 5-2 win. |
| “We’ve done it all year, and dropping the first goal humbles us. It makes us feel what losing is like even if its only for a few minutes, and we didn’t like the feeling,” senior captain Jack Yager said. “I don’t know why we didn’t have any energy at the start, but we got hyped up and made the changes.” | “We’ve done it all year, and dropping the first goal humbles us. It makes us feel what losing is like even if its only for a few minutes, and we didn’t like the feeling,” senior captain Jack Yager said. “I don’t know why we didn’t have any energy at the start, but we got hyped up and made the changes.” |
| Yager finished with a goal and two assists. West Potomac (12-1) has won the title in each of the CSHL’s first two seasons. After allowing five goals in three separate regular season games, the Wolverines clamped down to allow five total goals in three playoff victories. |