After a disappointing close loss in a league-championship match, the Washington-Liberty Generals bounced back a few days later to end their ice hockey season on a high note and claim some neighborhood bragging rights to boot.
The high-school club team (10-3-1) defeated the Yorktown Patriots, 5-1, to retain the Arlington Cup in the annual all-county rivalry match, played March 8 at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
This winter’s victory was their widest margin over Yorktown since the community clash began in 2009.
“Our players were on top of their games,” Washington-Liberty coach Rob Stewart said. “We had a real good group of seniors who have been with the program for four years.”
The Generals’ previous match resulted in a 4-3 shootout loss to Alexandria City in the championship tilt of the Capital Scholastic Hockey League playoffs.
“After losing that, our players were even more super-motivated against Yorktown,” Stewart said.
The Generals were 2-1 in those playoffs after earning a first-round bye for winning their division.
Without its top two goalies, the Generals were winless in their first three games (0-2-1) this season, then won nine straight matches until losing to Alexandria City.
“After those first three games we got on a roll and got better every game,” Stewart said.
Against Yorktown (7-5), W-L fell behind 1-0 as Roger Allenbaugh scored a power-play goal in the first period, his 12th goal of the season. Peyton Tien had the assist. Washington-Liberty scored the next five and outshot the Patriots, 33-17.
Senior forward and team leading scorer Oliver Black scored two goals and had two assists to lead W-L and earn the No. 1 star of the match. Other goals were scored by freshman Fletcher Black, senior Isaac Lavan and sophomore Jackson Ullman. Simon Jackson had an assist.
Washington-Liberty goalie Carson Peddie earned the win in net, his 10th this season.
“He was flawless after that first-period goal,” Stewart said of Peddie.
Oliver Black finished the season with 18 goals and nine assists. He and Lavan, Sam Lukas (eight goals, nine assists), Thjis Bakker, Zach Gehring, Will Clarke and Jackson Nowinski were the other W-L seniors.
Clarke will enter the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he plans to play on the club ice hockey team there with his older brother Matthew Clarke. Others may play on club teams at colleges they attend.
“With those seniors we expected we would have a successful season,” Stewart said.
NOTE: The Generals also defeated Yorktown a year ago . . . Washington-Liberty’s win over Yorktown was its fifth, with its first in 2017, since the rivalry began. Yorktown won the first eight and also the recent 2021 and 2022 matches.
