After a disappointing loss in the league championship game, Washington vs. the Liberty Generals will bounce back in the next few days to end the ice hockey season on a high and be the pride of the neighborhood.
Arlington's high school club team (10-3-1) defeated the Yorktown Patriots 5-1 in the annual all-county game on March 8 at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex. won the cup.
This winter's victory widened the largest lead over Yorktown since community clashes began in 2009.
“Our players played well,” Washington Liberty coach Rob Stewart said. “We had some really good seniors, he's been in this program for four years.”
The Generals' last game was a 4-3 shootout loss to Alexandria City in the Capital Scholastic Hockey League playoff championship game.
“After the loss, our players were even more motivated against Yorktown,” Stewart said.
The Generals went 2-1 in the playoffs after winning the division with a first-round bye.
Without their top two goaltenders, the Generals were winless in their first three games of the season (0-2-1), but then won nine straight before losing to Alexandria City.
“After the first three games, we hit the ground running and got better each game,” Stewart said.
Against Yorktown (7-5), WL fell behind 1-0 after Roger Allenbaugh scored a power play goal in the first period, his 12th goal of the season. Peyton Tien provided the assist. The Washington Liberty scored the next five points to outscore the Patriots 33-17.
Senior forward and team leading scorer Oliver Black led WL with two goals and two assists, earning him the game's No. 1 star. Other goals were scored by freshman Fletcher Black, senior Isaac Laban and sophomore Jackson Ullman. Assisted by Simon Jackson.
Washington Liberty goaltender Carson Peddie found the net for his 10th win of the season.
“He was perfect after that goal in the first period,” Stewart said of Peddie.
Oliver Black finished the season with 18 goals and nine assists. He and LaVan, Sam Lucas (eight goals, nine assists), Thies Bakker, Zach Gering, Will Clark and Jackson Nowinski were the other WL seniors.
Clark will enroll at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he will play on a club ice hockey team with his older brother, Matthew Clark. Some people play on the club teams of the universities they attend.
“We expected to have a successful season because of these seniors,” Stewart said.
Note: The Generals also defeated Yorktown a year ago. . . Washington Liberty University's win over Yorktown is the fifth since the rivalry began, dating back to 2017. Yorktown also won the first eight games and the most recent games in 2021 and 2022.
