CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Edwardsville's hockey team knew that going into a new league this season wasn't going to be an easy task.
The Tigers were going to become the first Illinois-based team in the Mid-States Club Hockey Association since Granite City, who had fielded a team in the league since 1978-79, folded its' MSCHA team following the 2011-12 season, and the Tigers entered the league having dominated the Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association for the past several seasons entering the 2016-17 season.
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Whatever questions that the Tigers may have faced this season entering the MSCHA were answered throughout the season as they put together the third-best record in the league this season and reached the semifinals of the league's St. Louis Blues Challenge Cup, falling to CBC 6-1 Saturday evening in the second of a two-game set; the Cadets will play St. Louis University High at 8 p.m. March 8 at Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis for the third time in the last four season for the league title and the Blues Cup.
“That's a good team (CBC), you've got to tip their hat to them,” said the Tigers' Carson Lewis. “They came out hard; as much as I wish we could play them again, that's it for us. Good luck to CBC in the championship; they've been a good team for a long time, they're a good organization.”
When asked if the Tigers proved they belonged in Mid-States, he said “that was our ultimate goal (to prove they belonged in the league); coming into this league, we weren't expected to make the Challenge Cup. Being able to be in the final four of the Challenge Cup was pretty significant for us. I'm glad we made it here.
“It was good for us to be in this league and to better ourselves; I'm glad we got that opportunity this season.”
“I think we lost two games in the regular season and we beat every private school (in Mid-States); that was a big season for us,” said the Tigers' Lucas Tucker. “No one expected us to do this well; a lot of people didn't expect us to make the Challenge Cup – a lot of people had us going to the (Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Cup playoffs, the second-tier postseason tournament in the MSCHA), but I think we definitely turned a lot of heads out there.”
When Tucker learned that the Tigers were moving up to MSCHA this year, “I was really excited,” Tucker said. “Getting a chance to play better teams was really exciting. It was fun coming as far as we did; I wish we could have gone a little farther.”
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