Hockey: McDaniels’ overtime goal gives Olentangy Berlin win over rival Liberty
Saturday, December 30, 2023
By Scott Gerfen
sgerfen@cbussports.com
Olentangy Berlin defenseman Parker McDaniels surveys the ice near the end of the Bears’ win over Olentangy Liberty Dec. 30 at Chiller North. Photo: Kevin Lam
Parker McDaniels is a big believer in visualization.
Creating that mental image of a specific scenario before games and in between periods finally paid off for the Olentangy Berlin senior defenseman, whose powerplay goal in overtime defeated defending state champion Olentangy Liberty 3-2 in a Capital Hockey Conference-Red Division contest at Chiller North.
McDaniels, who also plays baseball, said his instincts kicked in when he caught the puck at the blue line and then got around Liberty’s defensemen for a “low blocker” with 7 minutes, 11 seconds left in overtime.
“Beating rivals is a big thing for us,” he said. “These are the games that you remember when you’re older. It was a big game for us.”
Berlin improved to 5-4 in CHC-Red Division and 11-5 overall, while Liberty, which last season became central Ohio’s first team to win an OHSAA state championship, dropped to 6-2 and 8-7.
Olentangy Liberty’s Brian Savage (88) skates with the puck during the Patriots’ game against Olentangy Berlin Dec. 30 at Chiller North. Photo: Kevin Lam
“We started out with a few bad division wins, so now we’re trying to claw our way back into it,” Berlin coach Tim Pennington said. “That’s a big win in the division and especially because we beat Liberty, for sure.”
Most of the scoring came in the second period when Liberty senior forward Brian Savage’s goal put the Patriots up 1-0 with 10:30 left.
About six minutes later, Berlin’s Cade Mascari found the net to make it 1-1 before sophomore defenseman Wyatt Gernert’s goal gave the Bears a 2-1 lead with 2:04 left in the second period.
“It was really all about effort in the second and third periods,” Pennington said. “When our kids give the full effort, we think we can play with anybody. In that first period, I think we were on our heels, and you just can’t play that way against a team like that. … But it’s how you end up.”
Olentangy Berlin goaltender Kai Nelson does the splits to make a save during the Bears’ overtime win over Olentangy Liberty Dec. 30 at Chiller North. Photo: Kevin Lam
Liberty senior forward Brady Long ensured overtime with his game-tying goal coming at 8:37 left in the third period.
Berlin’s junior goaltender Kai Nelson finished with 29 saves.
“I think we’re still making too many mistakes,” Liberty coach Kevin Alexander said. “We’re not playing very smart hockey. We’re turning the puck over and giving the other team too many chances. Even at the end there, we had a chance to clear the zone on the penalty kill. We tried to shoot it up the middle. They kept it in, and it was game over.”
Olentangy Berlin’s Myles Edgson shoots the puck during the Bears’ win against Olentangy Liberty Dec. 30 at Chiller North. Photo: Kevin Lam