Centerville 2, Northview 1
As fate would have it, Centerville faced Northview for the third year in a row in the state playoffs on the Wildcats’ home ice in Sylvania. Only this time, the winner would go on to play for a berth in the State Final Four instead of an automatic appearance in it.

In a contest marked by scrappy, physical play, goals on this night would be scored only on special teams. Centerville struck first toward the end of the first period while on the penalty kill. With senior Tony Bongiorno in the box, senior John Gaster picked up the puck along the boards and raced up the ice with junior Andy Frank in tow. Frank managed to lift Gaster’s rebound into the net to make it 1–0 with 1:26 remaining.

The Wildcats would answer in the same shorthanded fashion about six minutes into the second period. Even with their best defenseman in the box after a wild scramble in front of the Centerville net, Northview knotted up the score on a broken play to the left of goalie Ken Devine after the Elks struggled to clear the zone.

With around four minutes left in the period, Northview netminder Terrance Burzynski was assessed a two-minute delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass, just before sophomore Bryan Arvai could get to it. What seemed like a minor mishap ultimately proved costly for the Wildcats, as the Elks went on to score what would become the game-winning goal on the ensuing power play. With just 14 ticks remaining in the man advantage, junior defenseman Andrew Ziehler—who was a force in this game—teed up a blast from the point that junior forward Mike Ploszek deftly deflected past Burzynski. The goal came on just one of three Centerville shots in the second frame, a period in which Northview dominated.

These two postseason rivals would go on to skate to a scoreless third period, but not one that was without the trademark Centerville-Northview tension-filled final minutes as the Elks tried to kill the clock. Andy Frank played a key part, coming away with three faceoff wins in Centerville’s zone in the last 24 seconds.

As the Elks rushed to the net for another postgame pile-up, a steep price was paid when Ploszek found himself on the bottom of a heap that ended up breaking his ankle and keeping him out of the lineup the following week against Bowling Green.

For Northview, their playoff nightmares against Centerville continued for the third year in a row, having lost each game by one goal on their home ice. Although the ‘Cats were always a top contender in Toledo, their three-year dashing of playoff dreams at the hands of an unseeded underdog from Southwestern Ohio would go on to haunt them for years to come.

Ken Remembers: I remember being more nervous for this Northview game than the other two, just because at this point there was pressure in keeping the streak going against them, and as a senior, I didn’t want them to have the last laugh. So while I didn’t feel very confident during the game, I thankfully made enough stops to help us get the W. Just as with the 1996 contest, the entire team worked hard to limit Northview’s chances, which made it a lot easier on me.

In the handshake line after the game, the last person on the Northview side was head coach Jim Cooper. He shook my hand with a smile and said, “Man, when are you gonna graduate?” It was an unexpected moment of respect that still brings a smile to my face.

Later in 1998 when I was a freshman at Miami University, I ran into Cooper’s son Josh (#17), who had played against me all three years. One night he showed me the Northview highlight tapes from the past few seasons, and it was eerily fascinating to see the our victories from Northview’s perspective. The videos were all pretty positive until they got to the Centerville games—then came the images of dejected players and fans, with each season ending on a down note. So the outcomes of these games definitely had an impact and weighed heavily on them.

One weekend that fall, I ended up eating breakfast with Josh and another guy he knew. When Josh introduced me, he mentioned that I’d gone to Centerville. The other guy was a track & field athlete who said that he’d suffered a bad injury at Centerville Stadium while doing the long jump.

“Centerville ruined my life,” he said.

Josh immediately added, “Centerville ruined my life too.”

After all these years, the Northview games still give me a great sense of pride when I think back on them. And despite knowing the outcomes, watching them again still gives me chills and butterflies.

I think that means we accomplished something great.

Here in 2016, the videos retain a special kind of aura that doesn’t fade away. We all owe a lot to my dad for capturing these unforgettable games and putting them on this site.

My last game as an Elk didn’t go well, giving up seven goals to Bowling Green in the quarterfinals. But my last win in the Black & Gold was against Northview, and that will always be something to feel good about.