MONROE - The Avalanche U-18 hockey team took one on the chin Friday night in a 7-2 loss to the Rockford Icemen at the Stateline Ice and Community Expo.
"I think we played OK overall," Monroe coach Cary Bush said. "They are a really good team. Every time we made a mistake, they scored. It wasn't our best game, it wasn't our best effort but every period we got better."
Rockford (21-0-1) is the fourth-ranked team in the nation, according to the new USA Midget Major hockey poll. Monroe (7-7-2) is listed at 131.
"They're the best team in Illinois," senior Drew Geissbuhler said. "I wouldn't say they're tougher physically than anybody else, they're just a lot better with their sticks and they are really fast and good with the puck.
"We played better today, though, than we did on Sunday. We bodied up better and we went into the corners hard."
In the previous meeting between the two teams, Rockford won 8-1.
The Icemen came out charging, scoring just 4 minutes, 20 seconds into the game. Only 1:13 later, they struck again.
"I thought we showed a little too much respect for those guys," Bush said. "I just wish we would have fought just a little bit harder. It seemed like we gave up at times."
Rockford's top forward, Tim Santoloala, scored five goals in the game.
"We played man-on-man down here on our end and we cover their center and forwards and he just found his way in. You just can't give him any room," Bush said.
Monroe trailed 4-0 after the first period. Rockford made it 5-0 at the 11:42 mark in the second. Despite being down, the Avalanche didn't retaliate with hard hitting and cheap shots. Instead, they pressed on, seeking their first goal.
"We kept our heads. We knew we had to stay out of the penalty box. The last game we played, they had four or five power play goals," Bush said.
Monroe had only five penalties in the game.
The Avalanche broke the egg with 4:10 remaining in the second. Geissbuhler and Luke Newcomer were 2-on-1 with Rockford's goalie, and Geissbuhler sent a perfect pass in front of the net, in which Newcomer sent in for the score.
"They played our on-man rushes perfect. They made us make a hard pass to the guy that's open. It's great that we could finally break one on them," Bush said of the Icemen's defense.
The Icemen came right back, with Santoloala scoring another goal with 3:31 left in the second.
In the third, Monroe got back on the board right away. Geissbuhler hit sophomore Matt Bush on a breakaway, and Bush, with a defender in his face, slapped the puck past the goalie for Monroe's second goal.
"It's a pretty good feeling," Matt Bush said of scoring on a breakaway against such a highly-touted team. "Geiss(buhler) had a nice breakout pass and I just took it down and put it in the net."
"(Rockford is) such a good team. If they were to play any of the teams in the WIAA, they would (win easily). There is no reason to think that they couldn't beat Verona, who's No. 4 in the state right now," Cary Bush said.
Monroe hosts Bloomington today at SLICE.
"I think we played OK overall," Monroe coach Cary Bush said. "They are a really good team. Every time we made a mistake, they scored. It wasn't our best game, it wasn't our best effort but every period we got better."
Rockford (21-0-1) is the fourth-ranked team in the nation, according to the new USA Midget Major hockey poll. Monroe (7-7-2) is listed at 131.
"They're the best team in Illinois," senior Drew Geissbuhler said. "I wouldn't say they're tougher physically than anybody else, they're just a lot better with their sticks and they are really fast and good with the puck.
"We played better today, though, than we did on Sunday. We bodied up better and we went into the corners hard."
In the previous meeting between the two teams, Rockford won 8-1.
The Icemen came out charging, scoring just 4 minutes, 20 seconds into the game. Only 1:13 later, they struck again.
"I thought we showed a little too much respect for those guys," Bush said. "I just wish we would have fought just a little bit harder. It seemed like we gave up at times."
Rockford's top forward, Tim Santoloala, scored five goals in the game.
"We played man-on-man down here on our end and we cover their center and forwards and he just found his way in. You just can't give him any room," Bush said.
Monroe trailed 4-0 after the first period. Rockford made it 5-0 at the 11:42 mark in the second. Despite being down, the Avalanche didn't retaliate with hard hitting and cheap shots. Instead, they pressed on, seeking their first goal.
"We kept our heads. We knew we had to stay out of the penalty box. The last game we played, they had four or five power play goals," Bush said.
Monroe had only five penalties in the game.
The Avalanche broke the egg with 4:10 remaining in the second. Geissbuhler and Luke Newcomer were 2-on-1 with Rockford's goalie, and Geissbuhler sent a perfect pass in front of the net, in which Newcomer sent in for the score.
"They played our on-man rushes perfect. They made us make a hard pass to the guy that's open. It's great that we could finally break one on them," Bush said of the Icemen's defense.
The Icemen came right back, with Santoloala scoring another goal with 3:31 left in the second.
In the third, Monroe got back on the board right away. Geissbuhler hit sophomore Matt Bush on a breakaway, and Bush, with a defender in his face, slapped the puck past the goalie for Monroe's second goal.
"It's a pretty good feeling," Matt Bush said of scoring on a breakaway against such a highly-touted team. "Geiss(buhler) had a nice breakout pass and I just took it down and put it in the net."
"(Rockford is) such a good team. If they were to play any of the teams in the WIAA, they would (win easily). There is no reason to think that they couldn't beat Verona, who's No. 4 in the state right now," Cary Bush said.
Monroe hosts Bloomington today at SLICE.
