Georgetown Prep glides past Bullis by Jacob Bogage
Special to The Gazette
It was a long time coming, but Jack Olson finally scored his third goal of the night late in the third period Friday for the Georgetown Prepatory School ice hockey team. He camped out in front of the net with a little more than a minute to play and the rebound trickled on to the tape of his stick with Bullis goaltender Will Gansler sprawled out on all fours.
What else was he supposed to do?
Olson, Prep’s (5-1-1, 3-0-1 IAC) prized senior center, flicked a wrist shot almost apologetically into the unguarded net for his hat trick and the icing on the Little Hoyas’ 10-1 win at Rockville Ice Arena.
“It was just one of those days,” Bullis (1-6, 0-2 IAC) coach Jack Kinder said.
Olson’s first two tallies came within four minutes of one another in the first period, beating his man down the right wing and popping a layup past Gansler.
“Speed kills,” Olson said. “You play defense first, but then it’s off to the races.”
“He’s an animal,” Prep coach Paul Fritz said. “He can put the puck in the net when he has to.”
In a game that lopsided Olson said he wasn’t looking for a third goal. It’s better to distribute the puck, he said. That didn’t seem to be a problem. He tallied three assists as well.
“We just want to move the puck a lot and crash the net,” he said. “When somebody shoots, everybody goes to the net. That’s what we practice.”
Olson’s line had eight of the Hoyas’ 20 points on the evening. Wingers John Mac Mulera, sophomore, and Riley Backenstoe, senior, combined for three goals themselves and an assist.
That chemistry emerged by accident, said Fritz. In a sudden change situation two weeks ago, Olson and Mulera — or “Jonny Hockey” to the Prep student section that serenaded the Bulldogs all game long — skated together and moved the puck well. They’re two of the team’s fastest skaters, assistant coach Nick Bliss said.
“Coach Bliss and I looked at each other and said, ‘These two have to stay together,’” Fritz said.
Fritz added Backenstoe to inject some grit in the unit, and the Hoyas had a new first line, one that’s been producing without compare, Fritz said.
It also evened out Georgetown Prep’s lower lines, said Olson.
The Hoyas are still awaiting the return of five players from injury, the majority of whom will garner major minutes on the ice, according to Bliss.
“We’ll just have the plug them in wherever we see a spot,” he said. “You have to work your way back in.”
To many a high school hockey team, that’s depth coaches dream about. Not so for Georgetown Prep, said Fritz. It may have been enough for the IAC rivalry, but teams like Gonzaga and Landon run three to four lines with ease.
“In the past your have four or five guys who can play and it makes it difficult when they come off the ice,” Fritz said.
Moving Olson and Mulera together helps, he said, but it doesn’t solve defensive problems. Bullis scored on an anemic shot from the point that slipped past an unsuspecting Will Boggs, Prep’s freshman netminder.
He started the year as the Little Hoyas’ third goalie and moved into the starting slot after injuries. He had 14 saves Friday night, but the Bulldog offense created plenty of opportunities, just ones foiled by deflections near the goalmouth.
Prep’s depth means sometimes defenders can get away with sacrificing on fundamentals at times, said Fritz.
“Your physical speed and strength and power are important, but when we get up by two or three goals, guys start to slow down,” he said. “Those are the little things. That will help us win down the stretch.”
Georgetown Prep 10, Bullis 1
Georgetown Prep 3 6 1 — 10
Bullis 0 1 0 — 1
GOALS
Georgetown Prep — Jack Olson 3, John Mac Mulera 2, Ryan Holman 1, Max Newman 1, Riley Backenstoe 1, David Stanislav 1, Ben Holman 1.
Bullis — Thomas Opsahl 1.
ASSISTS
Georgetown Prep — Jack Olson 3, Max Newman 2, Blaine Green 2, Ryan Holman 1, John Mac Mulera 1.
Bullis — None.
SAVES
Georgetown Prep — Will Boggs 14.
Bullis — Will Gansler 16.
Georgetown Prep Hockey 