Divine Child Goes Down to Wyandotte in Metro Showcase

Skating on home ice, finishing off the daylong at Yack Arena on Jan. 29, the Wyandotte Roosevelt Bears netted a victory against the Falcons.

Both teams showcased speed and skill throughout the night, but it was Wyandotte who had the last offensive burst, winning the game 6-3.

Senior captains Gerald Mayhew and Nick Kovalchik led the Bears with four points each—Mayhew with two goals and two assists and Kovalchik with one goal and three assists.

The Bears opened the scoring in the first period with a goal by Kovalchik. Two minutes later, Divine Child tied the game on a goal by senior Dominic Ronchetto. The teams exchanged multiple shots, yet the first period ended with the 1-1 score, the Bears taking eight shots on goal and the Falcons, five.

Mayhew wasted no time getting his first goal in the second period, scoring 13 seconds in. He skated in and took a shot that beat senior goaltender Andy Law over his catching glove.

The Falcons quickly responded, however, tying the game with a goal by junior Austin Pearson.

Both teams took the opportunity in the second period to be more physical with one another, each having multiple huge hits. 

With just under five minutes gone in the second period, Bears junior Tyler Groat scored a goal that went over the blocker pad of Law and just under the crossbar. The goal became simple for Wyandotte: shoot high and often.

Despite giving up the goals, Law was still playing well as his team was committing multiple turnovers that were changing into shots.

Senior Bears goaltender Chase Schmittou made a save that changed the entire complexion of the game. The Falcons were able to bring a two-on-one advantage down the ice on a Wyandotte miscue. Schmittou stopped the initial shot, but it was his diving save across the ice that preserved the one-goal lead and gave the Bears more momentum.

Kovalchik committed a slashing penalty toward the end of the period. Then he argued with an official, which got him a 10-minute misconduct penalty. Divine Child seized the opportunity and scored on the power play.

Kovalchik’s misconduct penalty carried over to the third period. While Divine Child had an opportunity to maximize on the advantage, the Falcons spent nearly as much time in the penalty box as Kovalchik. 

Four straight penalties by the Falcons put their comeback in dire straits.

On the fourth power play, Bears junior Jake Carlisle scored the goal that put  Wyandotte two goals ahead—a lead they did not relinquish for the rest of the night.

“There was a shot that was saved,” Carlisle said. “I was able to control the rebound and put the puck in the back of the net.”

Groat scored an empty netter for Wyandotte, allowing the Bears to finish with a three-goal victory.

“Tonight was a hard fought game,” Wyandotte coach Steve Kovalchik said. “A lot of people gave us quality minutes, like sophomore Tyler Winters, junior Alex Sharpe, junior Jimmy Howe and sophomore Vinny Jelsomeno. Those guys are our role players and tonight they showed up to help us out.”

Mayhew said his team needs to have more nights like this.

“Going forward, we just need to keep fighting,” he said. “Tonight was a good victory, especially with us missing guys.”

Dearborn coach Brian Dallas gave high marks to Wyandotte’s key scorers.

"I am impressed with Kovalchik and Mayhew, and we knew that coming into the game,” he said. “They were the difference in the game. The game was definitely closer than the score.”

Divine Child next faces off against Saline High School on Feb. 1; and the team's biggest rival, Dearborn Unified, on Feb. 5 in the Mayor's Cup.

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