Tonight's broadcast

#5 Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon vs. #1 Father Ryan - 7:25 PM pregame, 7:30 PM faceoff BROADCAST LINK

Last night’s broadcasts

Recapping last night’s games

Henry Hine Cup Losers’ Bracket Semifinal
Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon 4, JPII-MLK-GCS 1
With just over three minutes left in the first, JPII won a faceoff in front of their own bench that ended up in their zone; Jordan Antar grabbed the puck, carried it into the left circle, and shot it through the legs of JPII goalie Ethan Hickerson into the bottom corner on the left-hand side of the net, and it was 1-0 Bears after one. With just over two minutes left in the second, Michael McEver appeared to tie the game with a one-handed sweep shot from the left circle that looked like it went under the right leg of Bears goalie Shepard Hulsey, but the referee in the right wing corner waved the goal off, saying it didn't completely cross the line, and it was still 1-0 MJ after two. Just 34 seconds into the third, Cade Ellenburg took a shot from the bottom of the left circle that went in off of Hickerson’s blocker as he stood at his right-hand post. Just shy of four minutes later, with the puck again inside the JPII zone, Michael McEver passed it ahead to Reese Davidson, who had the puck go off his stick just inside the blue line, where Antar grabbed it, carried it down the slot, and fired it in over Hickerson's glove. Nearly two minutes later, JPII got on the board, when David Bavas fired off a centering pass from the left wing corner in front to Jagger Dwyer, who knocked it in from in front. Any hopes of a comeback were cut down just over 2:10 later, when, on another power play for Mt. Juliet, Ellenburg passed the puck up the benches side of the ice from his own right wing corner to Antar, waiting at the JPII blue line, where he carried it to the front of the net and roofed it for the game's final goal.

Next game for Mt. Juliet: Tonight vs. Father Ryan in the Henry Hine Cup Losers' Bracket Final @ 7:30 PM @ Antioch-North

Predators Cup Losers’ Bracket Final
Montgomery Bell 5, Franklin 0
Nearly two minutes into the game, Franklin failed to clear the puck out of their own zone, allowing Cortland Klett to grab it, and take a shot from the left edge of the slot that leaked through Admirals goalie Teague Spencer and in. Nearly five minutes later, the puck came to the front of the Admiral net, where Spencer attempted to push it away, only for it to come right to Conner Mazzoni standing in front, and he slotted it into the back of the net, and it was 2-0 MBA after one. Just 97 seconds into the second, the Big Red were on a power play, and Trace Graham passed the puck out in front from behind the Franklin net; it came to Duke D’Alba, who fired it into the back of the net from the right edge of the slot. Soon, Spencer was replaced in goal by Grayson Butters. Just over two minutes later, Quinn Spencer fumbled the puck in his own slot to Graham, who took it to the front of the net, and shot it into the left-hand side. Somehow, MBA didn’t score again in this period, and they led 4-0 after two. Near the halfway point of the third, with the Big Red on another power play, Lawson Brown carried the puck down the benches side of the ice from his own zone, carried to the left-hand side of the Franklin net, and shot it into the bottom right-hand corner for the game's final goal, meaning that MBA will play in the Predators Cup Final for the first time since they won it in 2021. It feels like they’re peaking at the right time.

Next game for Montgomery Bell: Monday vs. Nolensville in the Predators Cup Final @ 8:15 PM @ Bellevue-Crisp

Brackets

Predators Cup

Henry Hine Cup

Previewing tonight's game

Henry Hine Cup Losers’ Bracket Final
#5 Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon vs. #1 Father Ryan - 7:30 PM @ Antioch-North
How they got here
Mt. Juliet:
-lost 6-5 to JPII on February 9 in the first round
-defeated Rutherford 8-4 on February 10 in the Losers' Bracket first round
-defeated the Outlaws 5-4 on February 18 in the Losers’ Bracket Quarterfinals
-defeated JPII 4-1 last night in the Losers' Bracket Semifinal
Father Ryan:
-defeated Rutherford 4-1 on February 5 in the first round
-defeated JPII 6-3 on February 12 in the Winners’ Bracket Semifinals
-lost 3-2 to Independence on Monday in the Winners’ Bracket Final
Regular season meeting: Father Ryan won 9-0 on January 14
Jack Boyett started in goal in that January 9 game, but was pulled just past the halfway point of the first in favor of Shepard Hulsey, after allowing three quick goals. Things seemed to settle in once Hulsey came in, but the game totally fell apart for MJ in the third, as they allowed six goals. The Bears have been playing very well in this Hine Cup so far, thanks to the fantastic duo of Jordan Antar and Cade Ellenburg. They're in a mode right now, so, the Irish will need to keep an eye on them at all times. Jack Karpynec played in goal for Father Ryan on Monday against Indy, so, it should be Zach Fonnesbeck in the crease tonight, just as he was when these two teams met 43 days ago. It's been a nice run for the Bears, but I think it ends tonight. I just hope it's not as ugly as last time.

Game prediction: Father Ryan

Consequences of this game's result: The winner will play Independence-Centennial in the Henry Hine Cup Final on Monday @ 6 PM @ Bellevue-Crisp, while the loser is eliminated

Monday's final scores

The games that were broadcast by MTSN are in BOLD.

Predators Cup
Winners' Bracket Final
Nolensville 2, Franklin 1 PODCAST LINK

Losers' Bracket Semifinal
Montgomery Bell 4, Page-Summit 1 PODCAST LINK

Henry Hine Cup
Winners' Bracket Final
Independence-Centennial 3, Father Ryan 2

Losers’ Bracket Quarterfinal
JPII-MLK-GCS 2, Brentwood-BA-USN 1

Requiem for the Eliminated

Franklin
Departing Seniors: Braden Coleman, Graham Fleming, Wyatt Gerischer, Michael Mannion, Will McCormick, Aidan Murphy, Quinn Spencer, Houston Veile, and Josh Yurjevich
Things were never really normal for this Franklin team this season, with former head coach Todd Grosse being suspended twice, his second suspension eventually getting him dismissed. Grosse had been this team's head coach since the 2018-19 season, and his summer league recruitment suddenly turned them from hovering around the midpack to one of the league's best teams. That 2023-24 team could’ve been something very special, but faltered in the end. This year's team was good, but not as good as that one. When they lost to Nolensville on Monday, you could tell that their shot at the Preds Cup had slipped away. They'll have a large senior class again next year, with Ryan Mannion being the standout player. I do wonder what happens to this team without Grosse. Does Jackson Reid, or whoever officially replaces him as head coach, keep the summer league going, and keep this team near the top? I hope so, because it’s been nice having a Williamson County team that isn’t the usual ones challenging for top dog.

JPII-MLK-GCS
Departing Senior: Ian Sullivan
Man, if the CPA players and Anthony Pellegrino had been around, this season could've gone very differently for the Knights. Still, for the youngest team in the league, they were pretty decent, but that's because a lot of these players already have a lot of GNASH experience. Oscar Ford going down with injury in January and not returning didn’t help, and obviously, Collier Owen's season-ending ankle injury dampened things, but this team should still be proud of how it played. They’ll have a big senior class next season of seven players, with the likes of Joe Hiller, Reese Davidson, and Owen coming back for their swansong seasons. Don't be surprised if Ethan Hickerson returns, as well; Justin Clark drafted Jacob Benoit out of the goalie pool for three straight seasons.

Podcasts

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