Eureka, the No. 2 seed in the Mid States Club Hockey Association Founders Cup, plays Timberland (No. 1) from Wentzville for the championship on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at Queeny Park.
The Wildcats eliminated Northwest (No. 6) in the semifinals after they beat the Lions 5-1 in game one on Tuesday and tied them 4-4 on Thursday at Queeny Park. Eureka led game two 4-0 with 13:54 to play in the second period, but Northwest captain Sean Scanlon scored with 42 seconds to play in the game to tie it 4-4. The Lions had to win game two to force a decisive mini-game.
In the two games, Eureka linemates Ethan Moder and Jacob Heuerman were the Wildcats leading scorers. Moder, a center, compiled two goals and three assists. Heuerman, left wing, leads Eureka in playoff scoring with five goals and three assists. During the regular season, where the Wildcats had an overall record of 3-12-1 and Suburban Conference mark of 2-11-1, Heuerman led them in scoring with 11 goals and 16 points. Playing setup man, Moder had a team-leading 10 assists.
“We have a knack for knowing where each other are and we have a few plays we run,” Heuerman said. “We’ve clicked for the last few years.”
Game two was the last for Northwest head coach Ziggy Ziegler, who is stepping down after 12 years at the helm. Ziegler is a 1997 Northwest graduate.
After the Lions finished the regular season 0-16, they upset Francis Howell North in the first round of the playoffs.
“I feel like they need a fresh face and a younger person to come in,” Ziegler said. “The boys never gave up. We didn’t have the season they wanted, but they never quit.”
For complete coverage of this game and Eureka’s championship game against the Wolves, read the Leader newspaper.