Northview Hockey Varsity Blog - Sylvania Ohio

Thomas Monteith otherwise known as “Don Vito” may not have the scoring touch of his senior teammates, but he does share one common goal with them, his desire for a final four appearance. What he lacks in scoring prowess he makes up for in his solid defensive play and hard work. All great teams need a player willing to due the little things that help the team win. And that is what Thomas has done for the Wildcats. His relentless forecheck and work on the penalty kill have helped Northview reach the district finals on Saturday night where they will face the Knights of St. Francis.
Thomas came to Northview for his junior season after many years of travel hockey in Michigan. A versatile player that had experience at both forward and defense, Thomas became an asset to Northview for his ability to shift from defense to forward during any given week or even during a game. This year though he has found a spot among the top 9 forwards for the entire season and much like his pizza he has delivered excellence

His shining moment came during the St. Johns game with his Wildcats trailing 2-0 midway through the third period. His hard work and persistence paid off in a goal that lifted the spirits of his teammates and propelled them to a thrilling 3-2-overtime victory. That victory all but clinched the league title for the Cats as they took a strangle hold on first place. Congratulations Thomas on a wonderful senior season and career at Northview. Good luck the rest of this season and in the future.
Northviews game vs St. Francis will be at 7:30 Saturday night at Tam-O-Shanter. Pregame sales of tickets at Northview sold out on Tuesday. There may be a few left for sale at Tam-O-Shanter or may come available Friday at Northview. Good luck Cats, your Family, Friends and Alumni are all behind you.

This past Saturday the Wildcats skated past the Bowling Green Bobcats 8-2 to earn a spot in the district final to face St. Francis. Skating in front of a nearly capacity crowd the Cats overwhelmed BG to make it to their first district final since the 2000-01 season and are looking to make their first final four visit since the 1989-90 state runner-up squad.

The seniors led the way in this one as the line of Lavoy, Hurst and Hirschfeld accounted for 6 of the 8 Northview goals. Early in the first period Hirschfeld gathered a loose puck in front of the BG net and found the upper corner to make it 1-0. Then with about 50 seconds left in the period Erik Lavoy’s centering pass from the corner deflected off a Bowling Green Defenseman and into the net to make it 2-0 after 1. Sensing that BG was down a little the Cats turned it up an extra notch to start the second. They opened up a 4-0 lead on goals by Hirschfeld and Cody Bourland. After a BG goal cut the lead to 4-1, Lavoy answered with his second of the game to keep the momentum in Northviews favor. Hirschfeld would trade his third of the evening with a Bowling Green goal to make it 6-2 after 2 periods of play. The third period was a good effort defensively as Brandon Snead scored and Hirschfeld added his 4th goal of the evening to give the final of 8-2. Bobby McElheney was solid in nets for the victory.

Next Saturdays game will be at 7:30 at Tam-O-Shanter. Tickets for students go on sale Monday and the general public can pick them up starting Wednsday at Northview High School. Tickets are $5 and will be limited to 500 per school. Please come out and support the Cats as they try to keep this magical season going.

When Bobby McElheney graduates from Northview he would like to serve his Country in the United States Marine Corp. For now he will have to be satisfied standing guard against enemy fire in the Northview goal. On pace for one of the finest seasons in Northview history, McElheney leads his Cats into the state playoffs seeking their first final four berth since the 1989-90 State runner-up team.
As with a lot of High School athletes, Bobby followed in the footsteps of his older siblings. Pat Brighton and his stepbrother Blane Schmich patrolled the Northview blue line from 1998 through the 2001 season. In donning the Northview black and gold McElheney has done what his brothers had been unable to do by winning a league championship. Now he would like to continue that by making a trip to the final four. Bobby currently has an amazing record of 15 wins 0 losses and 2 ties and earned first team all-league honors for his play.

With a minimum of 1 game left and a maximum of 5 for a possible state title, the Wildcats will hand over the rest of their season to one of the finest goalies in Northview history. To go along with his current season, he has amassed some of the best statistics in Northview history. His 50.5 wins currently rank 3rd all-time behind class of 1982’s Rocky Muzynski’s 62 and goaltending partner Craig Trego’s older brother Todd’s 52.5 class of 1997. He is also the all-time leader in shutouts for Northview with 14, and his 89.36 save percentage and 2.57 goals against average rank 2nd all-time. But as with the rest of the seniors he would gladly give up all of those personal accomplishments for a trip to the state final four.
His play on the ice has been rivaled only by his performance in the classroom and extracurricular activities. He has been very involved with the Young Life group and has become the spiritual leader of the team. His positive attitudes for his team, teammates and school have caused him to be held in high regard with all of those lucky enough to know him. Good luck in the future and with the rest of your senior year! A person of your character is bound to do special things.