By Jack Lynch
Even as the face of D.C. high school hockey changes, its home stays the same. Wilson — still finding its way through its inaugural season — took down perennial local favorite DC Stars 6-5 on a snowy Friday night at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena, the District’s only indoor ice rink.
Forward Juraj Bystramski led the way for the Tigers, tallying two goals in the first two periods, including a long-distance snipe from near the blue line that shot past Stars goalie Liam Susswein. Bystramski was a threat all night, deking and slashing his way past the Wilson defense, at points even garnering cheers of admiration from the Stars bench.
It was a member of the Stars, though, who came up with the game’s only hat trick: sophomore forward Dante Rohck patiently netted three goals, at one point putting the Stars two goals up over the Tigers in the second period.
Sophomore defender Christopher O’Mara scored another goal for the Stars on a long solo breakaway in the second, putting the Stars up 4-3 going into the third.
Despite the Stars’ early efforts, the game was decided in a wild third period that saw the Tigers come alive. The Stars failed to capitalize on a power play opportunity going into the third period after a Bystramski penalty, and then Wilson forward Oscar Lonaeus snuck two quick goals past the Stars defense to put Wilson up 5-4. Fellow Wilson forward Luke Cashion added his own mark a few minutes later, scoring Wilson’s sixth and ultimately winning goal.
Stars senior Adrian McCarthy’s goal late in the third narrowed the Tigers’ lead to 6-5, bringing an edge of suspense back onto the rink, but it was too little too late. A penalty with under a minute left forced the Stars to pull goalie Susswein just to keep the sides at five on five, and the Stars failed to capitalize in the game’s frantic final seconds.
Both goalies worked hard in the crease throughout the game. Wilson netminder Luke Murrell tallied 16 saves on the way to the win. Meanwhile, Susswein’s impressive 20 saves weren’t enough to stop the hot Wilson offense.
The win brings Wilson to 2-4 in Maryland Student Hockey League Play. The Stars — who drop to 4-3 for the season after the loss on Friday — accept players from any high school in the District without its own team, and many of Wilson’s players are former members of the Stars. Both squads wore alternate colors of the same red-and-white DC Stars uniforms on the ice for Friday’s game.
Wilson was set to face Maryland’s Northwest High School yesterday, while the DC Stars will take on Quince Orchard on Thursday.