Staff Reports
HAMMOND — The Columbus Icemen are state champions for the second time in four years.
The Icemen downed Central Indiana Knights 4-2 on Saturday afternoon to capture the Indiana State High School Hockey Association Class 2A championship. The event was moved from South Bend to Hammond late in the week because of fewer COVID restrictions.
“It’s amazing,” Icemen coach Isaac Coy said. “To get two state championships in four years is just an incredible achievement for our program. We’re proud to represent Columbus Hockey and the Icemen organization. The players came together and peaked at the right time today. I’m very proud of them.”
The Icemen took an early 1-0 on a goal by Andrew Clark, and the game was tied 1-1 through most of the first and second periods. Columbus took a 2-1 on a goal by John Ferguson before the Knights tied it at 2-2
In the third period, the Iceman took a 3-2 on a goal by Joe Neal. After killing 5-on-3 power play for two minutes, Brayson Bennett got an open net goal to seal the victory.
Evan Federle had two assists, and Ferguson added one assist for the Icemen. Jake McMullen recorded 21 saves on 23 shots.
“It was a pretty even game,” Coy said. “I think the biggest thing today was just consistent effort and for the boys to take opportunities, it was going to take maximum effort to get pucks in the net.”
