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Boys Hockey: Glenbrook North’s Maksimovic nets game-winner with 25 seconds left
2/4/2012 Northbrook Glenbrook South sophomore Eric Davis (32 left) battles for the puck against Glenbrook North junior Garrison Sanipass (32) during the Scholastic Cup playoff game at the Northbrook Sports Center on Saturday, February 4, 2012. | michael jarecki ~ for Sun Times Media
Updated: March 10, 2012 8:10AM
The Glenbrook North Spartans again beat its long-standing hockey rival Saturday night in the second round of the Scholastic Cup.
Glenbrook South (17-13-3) played strong, but lost 2-1 in the last 25 seconds of an energized contest in Northbrook.
Saturday’s match was the fourth win this season for the Spartans over the Titans.
Spartan goalie Griffin Peifer, coming off a 3-0 shutout of New Trier Blue, turned away 39 shots.
With the clock winding down remaining, forward Ryan Maksimovic scored the winning goal in front of the net with teammate Nicholas Day assisting.
Minutes earlier, referees disallowed a Spartan goal that would have broke the tie.
“We had to get one in the net because we were coming so close. I was in the right place at the right time,” Maksimovic said.
“This game was tougher than I thought. We give props to South because they turned in an excellent game tonight, especially the Titan goalie who played on his head. We think about South all season long.”
Titan coach Jim Philbin said a key moment involved his goalie, Reid McMahon, who was called for delay of game. A Titan was shipped to the penalty box with 3:22 left, which sent the Spartans swarming the net until they scored the go-ahead goal.
“Still, we killed the penalty off, but doing so made us tired,” Philbin said.
Philbin was proud of his defense the entire game. The Titans implemented a neutral zone trap in the third period that closed off the Spartans’ passing and shooting lanes.
“It worked perfect because it slowed down their game for a long time. We played an excellent hockey game. We used the same trap against St. Viator last Saturday — a team that’s second in state,” he said.
Spartans coach Evan Poulakidas was drained after an intense contest,.
“Coming out of the first two games unscathed is a big plus for us. I don’t think people know how hard this can get,” he said.
“We played well tonight in certain areas, I thought, such as a good zone offense and saving 39 shots on goal. But we needed to elevate our rebounding.
“Glenbrook South beat St. Viator last week, and for our guys to beat them four times this year is asking a lot.”
In the first period, Spartan forward Eric Anderson led a mid-ice breakaway at 5:54 to score the first goal.
Titan forward Jim Philbin Jr. tied the game at 9:06 of the second period with forward Billy Savino assisting.
Scholastic Cup action continues Saturday when Glenbrook North (32-13-8) takes on Highland Park (34-7) at 7:50 p.m. at Northbrook Sports Center..
Glenbrook South (24-17-5) meets Stevenson (33-9-6) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Twin Rinks in Buffalo Grove.
All-state honors
Spartan forward Garrison Sanipass was named to the Amateur Hockey Association Illinois High School all-state team.
From Glenbrook South, forwards Jim Philbin Jr. and Billy Savino were selected.
