Lions Shock Canfield to Advance in OHSAA Tournament Thriller

KENT, OH- The Orange Lions are moving on in the OHSAA Tournament after pulling off an 8-6 upset of the Canfield Cardinals on Thursday at Kent State University.

The win was especially meaningful for Orange, as the Lions had dropped the first two meetings with Canfield this season, falling 9-2 in November and 13-3 in January at the Covelli Center. Proving that beating a team three times in one season is no easy task, the Lions flipped the script when it mattered most.

Orange wasted no time getting on the board, as Russell Tye scored just 18 seconds into the game off a pass from Charlie Thomas. Noah Rice doubled the lead later in the first period, giving the Lions a 2-0 advantage heading into the intermission.

The second period featured a flurry of offense from both sides. Canfield struck early with two goals to tie the game at 2-2, but Orange answered back quickly. Cooper Radillo and Rice each found the net to restore a two-goal cushion. The Cardinals responded to make it 4-3, but Tye netted his second goal of the night to push the lead to 5-3.

Momentum swung again as Canfield scored twice in under a minute to knot the game at 5-5. Ben Hegyes then put Orange back on top with a goal in the final two minutes of the period, only to see Canfield tie it once more with 35 seconds remaining, sending the teams into the third period deadlocked at 6-6.

The final period was a defensive battle, with both goaltenders coming up with big saves to keep the game even. The breakthrough finally came with 2:19 left, when Charlie Thomas buried the go-ahead goal to give Orange the lead. Rice sealed the upset moments later with an empty-net goal.

In net, Caleb Rivchun turned in a strong performance for the Lions, stopping 27 shots to help secure the victory.

With the win, Orange advances in tournament play, delivering a statement victory when it mattered most. They will play Solon on Saturday at 2 PM at Kent State University.

OR- Russell Tye (Asst- Charlie Thomas) :18

OR- Noah Rice (Asst- Ben Hegyes) 10:57

CAN- Gavin Ruppert (Asst- Connor Lloyd) 3:39

CAN- Connor Cattaneo (Asst- Luke Scolieri) 4:31

OR- Cooper Radillo (Asst- Noah Rice) 5:18

OR- Noah Rice (Asst- Charlie Thomas) 7:19 PP

CAN- Alex Stewart (Asst- Gavin Ruppert) 8:16

OR- Russell Tye (Asst- Cooper Radillo & Noah Rice) 8:51

CAN- Gavin Ruppert 11:53

CAN- Luke Scolieri (Asst- Connor Cattaneo) 12:47

OR- Ben Hegyes (Asst- Charlie Thomas) 13:17

CAN- Michael Silvestri (Asst- Connor Cattaneo) 14:25

OR- Charlie Thomas (Asst- Ben Hegyes & Noah Rice) 12:41

OR- Noah Rice 14:09 Empty Net

Caleb Rivchun 27

Matt Warren 25

CAN- Connor Lloyd (2:00/Roughing) 6:17/1st

CAN- Connor Lloyd (2:00/Tripping) 6:26/2nd

CAN- Connor Lloyd (2:00/Roughing) 11:01/3rd

OR- Max Golubitsky (2:00/Roughing) 11:01/3rd