Last night's broadcast

Recapping last night’s game

Henry Hine Cup Losers’ Bracket Final
Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon 4, Father Ryan 2
The game was delayed by just over half-an-hour because the assigned officials mistakenly went to Centennial Sportsplex, and had to travel to Antioch. Nearly 4:30 into the first, Father Ryan were on the power play; Curtis Newman gave the puck away to Jackson Blevins inside the Mt. Juliet zone, then passed it up the benches side of the ice to Cade Ellenburg, who moved across the ice, down the left wing side of the Father Ryan zone, and roofed the puck from the left circle, and the Bears led 1-0 after one. Nearly five minutes into the second, the Bears were on the power play, when Jordan Antar took a shot from the right circle that Irish goalie Zach Fonnesbeck saved at his left-hand post, only for Parker Triplett to push the rebound through his legs, where it stopped in the crease right in front of the goal line, and Anthony Giampaolo tapped it in. Mt. Juliet won the subsequent faceoff, and Ellenburg exploded through the pack, carrying the puck to the Ryan net, taking a shot that missed to Fonnesbeck’s right, but he was tripped by Marek McCullars, and was awarded a penalty shot. On said penalty shot, he carried the puck to the right wing side of the Irish zone, then moved to the slot, got to the front of the net, and shot it in through Fonnesbeck’s five hole; the goal came 10 seconds after Giampaolo's. Just over two minutes later, Mt. Juliet were set to start another power play, but Gage Hart won the faceoff to Fonnesbeck's right, raced though center, down the Bears' left wing, right to the front of the net, and fired it in past MJ goalie Shepard Hulsey, and it was 3-1 Mt. Juliet after two. With 19 seconds left in regulation, Father Ryan were on the power play and had the net empty; McCullars fired off a centering pass from behind the Bears’ net in front to Sam Halloran, who shot it in through the legs of Hulsey, with the goal being allowed despite the net being off. Any hopes of a tying goal went for naught, as Ellenburg finished off his hat trick 11 seconds later, going right to the empty net and shooting the puck in to seal the win for the Bears. Like MBA, Mt. Juliet seem to be peaking at the right time. They beat Indy back in November; can they do it twice more to win the Hine Cup?

Next game for Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon: Monday vs. Independence-Centennial in the Henry Hine Cup Final @ 6 PM @ Bellevue-Crisp

Brackets

Predators Cup

Henry Hine Cup

This week's other final scores

The games that were broadcast by MTSN are in BOLD.

Monday
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

Wednesday
Henry Hine Cup Losers' Bracket Semifinal
Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon 4, JPII-MLK-GCS 1 PODCAST LINK

Predators Cup Losers’ Bracket Final
Montgomery Bell 5, Franklin 0 PODCAST LINK

Next week’s schedule

MTSN is planning to broadcast all of next week's games.

Monday, March 2
Both games will be played @ Bellevue-Crisp, and will feature an ice cut after the second period.
Henry Hine Cup Final
#5 Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon vs. #2 Independence-Centennial - 6 PM

Predators Cup Final
#2 Montgomery Bell vs. #7 Nolensville - 8:15 PM
Nolensville are the home team because they came out of the Winners' Bracket.

Wednesday, March 4
Any games will take place @ Centennial A. An If Necessary Game will also feature an ice cut after the second period.

If both tournaments need their If Necessary
Henry Hine Cup Final
#2 Independence-Centennial vs. #5 Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon - 5:30 PM
Mt. Juliet would be the home team for the If Necessary because they won the most recent game.

Predators Cup Final
#7 Nolensville vs. #2 Montgomery Bell - 7:45 PM
The All-Star Game would be rescheduled for the following week if this happens.

If only one tournament needs its If Necessary
If Necessary Game of either tournament - 5:30 PM

2026 GNASH All-Star Game - 7:45 PM

I have not been told what time the All-Star Game would be if neither tournament needs its If Necessary. Like I said in Sunday's newsletter a few days ago, don’t be surprised if the schedule for this week ends up changing. I can’t imagine a player losing an If Necessary Game of a final, then turning around to play an All-Star Game if they were elected. It might be time to move the All-Star Game back to its former place in the calendar, between the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs; having it be the very last event of the whole season is in jeopardy of turning the game into a farce at this point. I was an early supporter of ending the season with the All-Star Game, but it's no longer feasible if it follows a high-intensity championship game.

Requiem for the Eliminated

Father Ryan
Departing Seniors: Michael Jaskoski and Marek McCullars
Father Ryan’s 2025-26 season feels like a fever dream. They finished the regular season 9-6-0, which in most seasons, would comfortably put them in the Top 5, or at least get them a Preds Cup berth. But they finished tied for 8th with the very team they defeated in last year's Hine Cup Final, and lost out on the last Preds Cup berth to them on head-to-head, meaning they’re the Hine Cup 1 seed. So, they should be the favorites to repeat, right? Well, there’s the little matter of the fact that the 2 seed beat them in September, so, hold your horses. They progress through the Winners’ Bracket, and meet said 2 seed in the Winners’ Final, and lose a tight one 3-2. That’s OK. They can just win the Losers’ Bracket Final; I mean, they beat their opponent in that one 9-0, what, six, seven weeks ago? Shepard Hulsey plays the best game of his young GNASH career in goal for the Bears, plus the Mt. Juliet defense is stifling, and just like that, the Irish’s season is over. Of all the wacky things that happened in this GNASH season, Ryan's whole season might be the wackiest: They started 4-1-0, with two of those wins coming against BOTH PREDS CUP FINALISTS! And another one of those wins was against the other two-thirds of the then-defending Preds Cup/GNASH Cup champions. Despite the small roster, which I harped on quite a bit, they were looking good for maybe a Top 4 Preds Cup seed, maybe a surprise GNASH Cup regular season championship to complete their collection of GNASH trophies (the old Mielnik Cup notwithstanding). But then they went 5-5-0 in their last ten games, with those losses coming against Franklin, Ravenwood, Station Camp, Page, and Hendersonville. What do those five teams have in common? They all qualified for the Predators Cup. The Irish were still a young team this season, evidenced by the fact that the sophomores not named Gage Hart were still developing. I thought that Danny Libby would be a little further along, but not this season. Hart led the Irish in goals with 26, nearly four times the joint-second-leading goalscorers, Ridgeway Lambert, and Hart's right-hand man, Hudson Laux. Don't get me wrong, Gage Hart is one of the Top 5 most entertaining players in the league, but one man can't win games alone. They’ll bring back Hart, Laux, Lambert, Sam Halloran, Curtis Newman, Emma Causey, plus both goaltenders (although, Zach Fonnesbeck will be a senior next season, so, they might want to start peering into the pipeline for a potential replacement) next season, so it’s not like it’s a total rebuild. I would like to see them add some players to the roster to bring it back up to 20. Another season of a small roster will not be good for this program. If those sophomores aside from Hart develop just a little bit more, the Irish might make a push for a high Preds Cup seed next season.

JV league championship tonight

Tonight at 6:15 PM at Bridgestone Arena, it's the JV league championship, with an all-Sumner County clash of the Top 2 seeds: 2 seed Station Camp-Liberty Creek, and 1 seed Hendersonville, trying to complete a perfect season. The result of the game will be published in Sunday's newsletter.

Podcasts

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The 2026 GNASH postseason is approaching the finish line, and the championship game matchups have been set! If you’re a fan of Mt. Juliet-Wilson Central-Lebanon, Independence-Centennial, Montgomery Bell, or Nolensville, and you didn’t purchase a full season or playoff membership, this offer is for you! For just $5, you will get an on-air shoutout on the championship game broadcast featuring the team that you support, PLUS a downloadable MP3 of the game broadcast! Just click on the link above, enter $5 in the box, and tell me what team you're supporting so I know when to shout you out!