Mentor vs. Upper Arlington
What: State semifinal
When: 11 a.m., March 8
Where: Nationwide Arena, 200 West Nationwide Boulevard, Columbus
Records: Mentor 24-9-2, Upper Arlington 27-6-2
What’s next: The winner will advance to the state championship game at 1 p.m. March 9, also at Nationwide, against Toledo St. Francis or St. Ignatius.
What to look for: The day has arrived for Mentor as a program, getting to enjoy its first trip to the frozen four. … The Cardinals are on a 10-game win streak that included wrapping up an unbeaten GCHSHL Red regular-season campaign then capturing Baron Cup I and the Kent District. They are also 14-1 since Dec. 28. … What was most striking about how Mentor reigned at Kent, upsetting by seed Walsh Jesuit (2-1) and University (4-0), was how much of a grind the Cardinals made it through their D-zone for those squads both in passing lanes and shot angles. The homework Mentor put into devising a game plan for success, then executing it so flawlessly, was a sight to see. … In the offensive zone, A.J. Trobenter (33 goals, 31 assists, 64 points), Dominic Trem (20-41-61), Jake Mackey (25-27-52) and Joe Mackey (17-29-46) lead the charge. Trobenter is an odd-man threat at any time with his zonal sense and smooth puckhandling. Trem is a gamer and can contribute in a variety of forms, including as a chipper along the boards or in open ice. The Mackeys are a handful on the edges of the zone and not a whole lot of fun to encounter when they’re forechecking. … The Cardinals’ offensive-zone quality doesn’t stop there, though, of course. Hayden Vallance (14-16-30) is a talented young performer, and Ruslan Sherstiuk (13-7-20) is an inspiring story who struck for the game-winner against Walsh with a deke ability to get to his shot that impressed all who witnessed it. … On the blue line, on their way to the frozen four, that group has aged right before our eyes. Matthew Friel (5-10-15; plus-32) is the ringleader as the senior in the mix, a steady all-zones performer. And it’s been fun to watch Nathan Andree (8-27-35; plus-17), Beckett Swinehart (1-10-11; plus-18) and Zach Ulshafer (2-6-8; plus-16) develop as two-way standouts with a keen eye for breakouts and ability to contribute offensively when the need arises on the cycle. Between the pipes, senior Ryan Wilkinson (858 saves, 90.7 save percentage, 2.48 goals-against average) has been outstanding down the stretch, whether it was in timely-save spots or when high-volume periods were needed. … On special teams, the power play has been scintillating, firing at a 30.5% clip. That could be a factor here. … Upper Arlington avenged a loss to Olentangy Liberty in the Blue Jackets Cup (Columbus’ equivalent to the Baron Cup) in the Columbus District final, getting a goal in the waning seconds then an empty-netter for a 5-3 win to advance to their fifth frozen four and third since 2021. It also had a strong year in the Greater Ohio Hockey League, advancing to the Ohio Cup final against St. Ignatius. UA is 3-0 against News-Herald coverage area teams this winter, with a pair of a one-goal wins over US and a 2-1 overtime clash with Gilmour back in December. … The Golden Bears are paced by a pair of first-team all-Capital Hockey Conference selections in goaltender Mason Herndon (856 saves, 1.84 GAA) and defenseman Henry Thackeray. Their scoring punch is young but of course capable with junior Connor Hagkull (22-23-45) and sophomores Ben Spence (19-25-44) and Tate Rook (17-22-39). … It’s worth noting UA has gone to overtime four times since Jan. 26, including quadruple overtime to advance past Columbus St. Charles in district play. … In the last 30 years, this marks the seventh all-public school semifinal in the frozen four but first since the all-public frozen four in 2013 (Shaker Heights-Rocky River and Sylvania Northview-Olentangy Liberty). … Mentor will do its usual diligence as far as film study and will have a game plan to take down UA. But as vital as anything will be controlling nerves from the outset, settling into the Cardinals’ brand of hockey with consistency across lines, forecheck and ability to limit in the D-zone. … There have been years coming into Columbus in which semifinal prospects seemed bleak at best. This is not impossible against the Golden Bears, but obviously it will be a grind and a tall order — UA is a handful. Mentor’s best performance of the winter — and yes, one even better than against Walsh and against US — is mandatory here. If that can get the Cardinals into a winnable dogfight in the third, it’ll be about will at that point and we’ll see how it goes as they seek the biggest stage of all.
