Carroll ready for playoffs, wary of opponent

By Rick Mauch
Special to the Star-Telegram

SOUTHLAKE -- C.J. Johnsen and his Carroll teammates were thrilled at first when they learned they would be playing Lewisville instead of Coppell in the Southwestern Bell Metroplex High School Hockey League semifinals at 8:30 tonight at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Irving.

Then something dawned on them. Lewisville must be playing pretty well to defeat Coppell, one of the teams expected to make a run at a state championship.

"At first, we went nuts," Johnsen said. "But then we realized they beat Coppell 3-2 in overtime, and we came back down to earth."

Not that the Dragons (18-1-1) won't still be favored. After all, they bring an 18-game unbeaten streak into the game and defeated Lewisville, 5-0, earlier this season.

But the Farmers (10-6-4) were without leading scorer Chris Doyle (36 points, 26 goals, 10 assists during regular season) for that first meeting.

"Having Doyle back will definitely make a difference," said Brian Jacobowski, the Dragons' second-leading scorer with 20 points (13 goals, 7 assists) in only 11 regular-season games. "But Coppell wasn't ready to play, and we're definitely going to come out prepared."

Prepared but short-handed. For the third consecutive playoff game, the Dragons will be without five players. Willie Quinn (broken foot) and Adam Linville (broken collarbone) are out for the rest of the season, and Erik Ahlund, Ryan Hopkins and Johnsen will serve the final game of a three-game suspension each for fighting in the regular-season finale against Trinity.

In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Dragons defeated Keller, 4-2, and Richland, 4-1, to win the Section 4 championship. Lewisville is the Section 3 champion, and both teams have earned berths in the state tournament Friday through Sunday at the Chaparral Ice Center in Austin.

The Dragons have filled the holes by doing what they've done all season, utilizing one of the most balanced attacks in the league. Danny Force led the team with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) during the regular season.

The Dragons also have the league's top-rated goaltender. B.J. Cotton stopped 230 of 244 shots during the regular season (.943 save percentage) with eight shutouts, including six in a row.

"It's important to jump out to an early lead on Lewisville," Jacobowski said. "We can't do like Coppell did and get drawn into their game."