There will be a new Baron Cup I champion. Mentor was unable to successfully defend its title with a 3-1 semifinal defeat to Rocky River on Feb. 6 at John M. Coyne Recreation Center in Brooklyn. River will take on No. 4 Hudson in the Baron Cup I championship game at 5 p.m. Feb. 7. The Explorers pulle d the upset over No. 1 Amherst in the other semifinal, 3-1. In the fifth matchup between these two teams this season, the difference was shots on goal. The Cardinals were outshot, 38-15, and couldn’t find any answers. Goaltender Luke Palmer’s big night with 35 saves wasn’t enough. “It was clearly evident we didn’t generate enough attacks on time,” Mentor coach Paul McKito said. “That makes a difference when you’re playing in your own zone for 30-45 seconds and you’re finally able to break a puck out. You don’t have enough time or energy to mount an offensive attack.” Mentor only put up three shots on goal in the opening period compared to Rocky River’s 14, but the game remained scoreless. That changed in the second period as Luke Newman found the back of the net for the Pirates with 4:27 remaining in the period off an assist from Colin McDonough. Jackson Rood got in on the fun with 45 seconds remaining in the period with an unassisted goal to extend the lead to 2-0. “We’ve outshot a lot of our opponents this year, and it’s kind of our thing. We just haven’t been able to find the dirty stuff in front and put it away,” Rocky River coach Chris Cogan said. “To get that one, that’s what we needed. It gave us a little extra spark to keep us going.” Rocky River’s momentum was short-lived as Mentor scored 30 seconds later. Joe Mackey cleaned up the rebound following a shot from his twin brother Jake and scored with 15 seconds left in the period. It gave the Cardinals much-needed life. “That was huge,” Joe Mackey said. “Going into the locker room down, 2-1, is a completely different game knowing one goal ties the game compared to building back two. It’s a big difference.” Despite Mackey’s goal, Rocky River was able to regain its composure and was ready to go. Dominic Kovi provided a clutch insurance goal with 8:40 remaining as his blast sailed in off a faceoff win from Lucas Konopka. Although they would rather be playing for a Baron Cup title, the Cardinals’ focus quickly shifts to the postseason that is rapidly approaching. “Like we said to the kids, it stings now but we’ve got to use it as a little fuel for the fire moving on through the state tournament here,” McKito said. “It doesn’t get any easier from this point. Every game is either win or go home. We have to make sure we do more things on the offensive side of the puck to try and give ourselves a better opportunity to win hockey games and put pucks in the back of the net.” THE SCORE Rocky River 3, Mentor 1     ...read more read less