Four teams set to battle for state championship in Columbus

In a season like no other in high school hockey, there will be some differences and some similarities as Columbus gets set to host the annual Ohio High School Athletic Association's state tournament Saturday and Sunday.
The biggest change will be that instead of the games taking place inside of Nationwide Arena, as they have been in recent years, they will be staged in the OhioHealth Ice Haus.
But the passion and drama of the Frozen Four will remain, with four schools left in the battle for a state championship. And that's fitting for a year in which teams had to battle through COVID protocols, last-minute schedule changes and all other challenges in order to get the season in.

They have done just that, and now two wins separate one team from a title. Toledo St. Charles and Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit will battle at 12 p.m. Saturday in the first semifinal, followed by a 3:30 faceoff matching up top-ranked Lakewood St. Edward with Upper Arlington. Finally, the state final will be held Sunday at 11 a.m. in the Ice Haus. All games will be streamed live by NFHS Network.
A new state champion is guaranteed, as Cleveland St. Ignatius won four straight crowns from 2016-19 before last year's tournament was canceled. The event features a mix of traditional powers plus some new kids on the block, including a Walsh Jesuit team making its first-ever Frozen Four appearnace.
Capsule previews for each of the four teams follow. All quotes are from Ohio Hockey Digest's state tournament preview podcast,
which can be heard here
.

Lakewood St. Edward

State coaches poll rank:1
Record: 24-3-2
Path to the Frozen Four:No. 1 seed in the Brooklyn West district; beat Elyria Catholic 11-0; beat Westlake 10-0; beat Avon 10-0; beat Rocky River 6-1
State tournament highlights:22nd Frozen Four; state champions in 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008
Team info:A proud program with a history of titles under legendary coach Bob Whidden, St. Edward will try to keep the Cleveland-area Catholic schools in the ascendency in its first trip to Columbus since 2015. The state's top-ranked team is likely the favorite after romping through its tournament run to this point, with the Eagles led by forwards Noah Schultz, Sam Kolenich and Jack O'Sullivan as well as senior goalie Evan Wrightsman.
Quote: "We didn't know if we were going to have a season, so to be where we're at today is just astonishing. I was happy with the competition we played. I was happy with the way that our boys persevered through. The one thing I told our guys is 'You gotta enjoy it. Let's enjoy it because you seniors won't get a chance at this again, and for the juniors on down, it took me 19 years as a coach to get here, so we may never be back. So just enjoy the ride.'" -- head coach Tim Sullivan

Upper Arlington

State coaches poll rank:7
Record:22-9-3
Path to the Frozen Four:No. 2 seed in Columbus district; beat Columbus Academy 4-0; beat Olentangy Berlin 2-0; beat Olentangy Liberty 3-2 (OT); beat St. Charles 2-1
State tournament highlights:Third Frozen Four; semifinal appearances in 2006 and '07
Team info:The Golden Bears were unbeaten last year until a loss in the district semifinal before the pandemic hit, and while this year's team lost some star power from last year and some games, UA still has a formidable roster led by star forward Max Robins (36 goals), veteran forwards Adam Karap and Carson Gresock, the return of Sam Burns from a junior team in Colorado, and standout goalie Garrett Alderman.
Quote:"We had a great year last year, so there were a lot of big expectations. We lost 10 players, so we had not a reset, but we did have some chemistry to build and some identity to find for our team. We struggled a little bit, we lost to some middle division teams with Moeller and Berlin, but we intentionally gave ourselves a difficult schedule and as we moved through the season we really found ourselves getting better and better with every game." -- head coach Hamish Baird

Toledo St. Francis

State coaches poll rank: 2
Record:24-3-1
Path to the Frozen Four:No. 1 seed in the Sylvania district; beat Sylvania Southview 11-0; beat Bowling Green 4-2; beat Sylvania Northview 5-2
State tournament highlights: 11th Frozen Four appearance; state champions in 2011 and 2015
Team info: A Toledo power that has become a bit of a mainstay in Columbus with six Frozen Four appearances in the last seven years including being the last team before St. Ingatius to win a title, St. Francis had qualified for the state tournament a year ago before the pandemic shut things down. Jon Jaros scored twice in the district final and Luc Kuhr added a goal and there assists, while senior forward Riley Box leads the team with 22 goals. In net, goalie Jackson Smalley has a GAA hovering around 1.50.
Quote:"It was a lot of hoops (to jump through) but we dodged a lot of bullets to get to this point, too. This is a special thing. I have been down here before. It never gets old, and every time you do come down, it's just exciting like your first time. I'm proud of our team. The kids are resilient and they just love the sport. They are great kids." -- head coach Chris Varga

Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit

State coaches poll rank:NR
Record: 17-9-3
Path to the Frozen Four: No. 3 seed in the Brooklyn East district; beat Cleveland Heights 11-0; Beat Hudson 3-2 (2OT), beat Hunting Valley University School 2-1; beat Mentor 3-2
State tournament highlights: First Frozen Four appearance
Team info:The Warriors are a well-known athletic school in the Cleveland area but have made history with their state tournament appearance. A trio of one-goal wins pushed Walsh Jesuit into the final four, including a district semifinal upset of perennial power University School. Forward Joshua Weiner leads the way scoring wise and had a goal in the district final along with Billy Holtzer and Ryan Kerscher, and goalie Zach Firment allows less than two goals per game.
Quote: "Am I surprised we're here? A little bit. That's mainly because I was not even sure we were going to have a season this year. Everything just kind of fell into place. We're obviously excited to be where we're at and looking forward to the chances that are coming. I think we've made it to the district final three times in the past and haven't been able to get over that hurdle. I'm just happy that we were able to get it done this year." -- head coach Peter Calleri