Mounds View vs. Cretin-Derham Hall Game Report

Cretin-Derham Hall took on Mounds View on Wednesday in a Suburban East Conference match-up at the Shoreview Ice Arena. Neither team looks to be a powerhouse this year, but each seems to be vying for the second spot in a section with heavy presumed favorites. (CDH behind Eagan in 3AA, Mounds behind Hill-Murray in 4AA). Mounds View outscored Cretin 2-1 in all three periods en route to a 6-3 victory on their home ice.

Mounds View is a pretty experienced, veteran team. They're not very a deep team, but their top five should be able to keep up with anyone. They're led by two forwards that played in the Elite League this fall in seniors AJ Rupert and Darian Romanko. Rupert isn't very big, but is a skilled, and very heady forward that makes a lot of smart plays. Romanko had a really great night, scoring two goals, including one on an end-to-end rush and adding a nice assist(by my unofficial count, he maybe had more). He's not huge, listed at 5'11" 185 lbs., but he's really solid and strong on the puck. Both are good enough to play junior hockey somewhere next year, most likely at the NAHL level. On defense, senior Max Knutson had a pretty solid game, and sophomore defenseman Wyatt Meyer is a solid, physical player.

Cretin looked like a team that is a year or two from really being a solid hockey team. There were more sophomores taking regular shifts than seniors. The top player for the Raiders is 6'3" junior defenseman Derek Olmschenk. Olmschenk is a really raw prospect right now, but has some physical tools that most players don't have. He didn't have his strongest game here, but the potential is evident. As I mentioned, the sophomore class is pretty deep, and while nobody stood out as a really serious college prospect at this point, there's a lot of potential for development there. Sophomore Max Jackson was probably their most consistent defenseman on the evening.