The only thing standing between the St. Louis U. High hockey team and the Challenge Cup Final was Kirkwood High School’s Pioneers. Last Friday night, the Jr. Bills relegated Kirkwood to the losers bracket in a 3-0 shutout to advance to the Challenge Cup final for a shot at claiming the championship for the second consecutive year.

The tournament No. 2 seed Pioneers were coming off a sizzling 6-2 victory over De Smet, a team that the Jr. Bills haven’t been able to get the best of this season. Led by a red-hot offense who had put up five plus goals in each of their last four appearances, the Pioneers were sure to be a challenging matchup.

The game started off in a stalemate as both teams looked to establish early dominance. Both teams exchanged opportunities but no breakthrough occurred until seven minutes in when the Pioneers were called for a penalty. Even with a numerical advantage, SLUH struggled to capitalize for a goal as Kirkwood held steady defensively until the end of the power play. 

After a penalty kill, the Pioneers received a power play of their own where they also struggled to get on the board. With the first 15 minutes over, the score was tied 0-0 going into the second period. Kirkwood led in shots on goal 4-3.

Early in the second period, Kirkwood’s goalie made a dangerous mistake right in front of the net leading to an opportunity for SLUH. Unfortunately, the defender closed out just in time to block the shot and keep the game scoreless. 

The rest of their period saw the teams exchange shots, but once again, the goalkeepers and defenses stayed strong. The period ended 0-0 with shots tied at eight apiece.

With a scoreless opening 30 minutes, it came down to the final period to determine who would advance to the finals. The beginning the third continued in the same stalemate fashion as before until the 6th minute. Sophomore Gavin Simon took the puck behind the net and flicked it to junior Dean Lyon who dished it out to senior Curtis Bruen. Bruen quickly slid the puck past the clutches of the Kirkwood goaltender, putting the Jr. Bills up 1-0, silencing the Kirkwood student section, and earning him the U-Chain.

“I haven’t scored since my sophomore year so I knew I was in a dry spell and I wanted to break it,” said Bruen. “I’m usually back there defending and getting assists so it was definitely a great feeling getting the go ahead goal against Kirkwood.”

After breaking the stalemate, SLUH wanted more. The Jr. Bill offense attacked the goal and outshot the Pioneers leading to a penalty out of frustration by the Pioneers. The offense seemed to tire out the opponent’s defensive line, especially with Kirkwood only having two defensive line rotations compared to SLUH’s four.

In the 12th minute, sophomore Kai Duncan piled onto the lead, ripping a shot from the right of the goalie to the near post. With just three minutes left and a two-goal deficit, Kirkwood’s odds to win were miniscule as their crowd headed for the exits and the SLUH section jingled their keys. Meanwhile, senior goaltender Maksim Bely continued his perfect game, dispelling all four of Kirkwood’s shots during the period.

“My mentality going into the game was to stay stone cold,” said Bely. “I trust my fellas to put in a few and I just focused on my job.”

With one minute left to go, Duncan hammered the already wounded Pioneers with another goal to put SLUH up 3-0, and solidify the shutout. 

“If you’re going to make it this far into the playoffs, you’re going to need to play as a team,” said head coach Steve Walters. “The team exemplified that teamwork. They took care of each other on and off the ice, making sure everyone stayed cool in high moments and low.”

With SLUH’s victory, Kirkwood was relegated to the losers bracket where they once again met with De Smet. This time, De Smet emerged victorious to punch their ticket to state against SLUH. For a second year in a row, SLUH is set to play De Smet Jesuit, tonight at 8:30 in the Challenge Cup Finals. 

“There’s nothing but excitement to play them again,” said Bruen. “They’re all good friends of ours and we’ve played them for years so we’re all really excited.”