Dominant Carroll hockey controls state opener

By Rick Mauch
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

AUSTIN -- Carroll goaltenders B.J. Cotton and Erik Ahlund had time to ponder a lot of things during the Dragons' 4-0 victory against Midland/Odessa in the opening round of the Texas High School Hockey Association State Tournament at the Chaparral Ice Center on Friday.

Although they were on the ice, they had most of the afternoon off as the majority of the game was played near the Bulldogs' goal.

Their Carroll teammates were so dominant that the Bulldogs managed only five shots. Cotton faced three in a period-and-a-half of work, and Ahlund faced two.

"I knew I didn't face too many shots, but I still had to stay focused," Ahlund said. "But there wasn't much happening on our end."

Carroll (21-1-1) won its 11th consecutive game and extended its unbeaten streak to 21. The Dragons will face Plano East (20-3) in the second round at 7:30 a.m. today, a rematch of the Southwestern Bell Metroplex High School Hockey League championship game Thursday won by Carroll, 2-1, in overtime.

Plano East advanced by defeating Arlington, 6-1, Friday. It was their second victory over Arlington in four days, including a 3-2 overtime victory Tuesday in the Southwestern Bell league semifinals.

The Bulldogs (17-1-3) entered the game as the state's only unbeaten team and as champions of the San Antonio/Odessa league. It wasn't long before it became clear they were outmatched by the Dragons, the champions of the Southwestern Bell league.

With the game not even three minutes old, Carroll's Mike Casey scored. Not quite six minutes later, Ryan Hopkins scored at 8:24 of the first and assisted Jeff Kraemer two minutes later for a 3-0 Dragons advantage. Kraemer assisted Chris Tyrell at 5:17 of the second period for the final score.

In the first period, the Dragons bombarded the Bulldogs' net, gaining a 16-1 shots advantage. Carroll finished the game with 38 shots.

The Bulldogs' first shot came with a little more than 30 seconds left in the first period. After getting off two shots in the first ninety seconds of the second period, they were stifled for the next 18 minutes.

Despite the Dragons' dominance, Kraemer said it could have been worse for Midland/Odessa.

"I think we could have played better," Kraemer said. "We should have had a lot more goals."

So controlling was the Dragons defense that the Bulldogs' frustration became obvious even to those watching. Twice in the third period, an attempted shot wound up hitting a Midland/Odessa teammate in their behinds instead of coming anywhere near the goal.

"They have a great record, but maybe they just had a bad game today," Carroll coach Laddy Tresl said of the Bulldogs. "They've got some strong players.

"But from minute one today, there was only one team on the ice."