Semifinal #1: Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 4, Sylvania Northview 0
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Galen Frizzie had two goals and two assists to lead Gates Mills Gilmour Academy to a 4-0 win over Sylvania Northview in the first state semifinal at Nationwide Arena.
Frizzie set the tone early, scoring twice in the first period to give Gilmour Academy a 2-0 advantage. He and Ben Slifko would combine to have a hand in all four Gilmour Academy goals.
Slifko, after recording the primary assist on Frizzie’s first goal, extended the Lancers’ lead to 3-0 early in the second period off an assist from Frizzie. The Slifko-Frizzie tandem was credited with the assists on a goal by Zack Cox in the third period that capped off the scoring
Northview held a 30-18 advantage in shots, but Gilmour Academy goaltender Donato Iacurci stopped all 30 shots to record the shutout.
Northview finished the season 26-10-3 overall and made its 15th appearance at the state tournament. Gilmour Academy improved to 35-1-0 with the win.
Semifinal #2: Cleveland St. Ignatius 2, Dublin Jerome 1
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Cleveland St. Ignatius outlasted Dublin Jerome 2-1 in a triple overtime thriller in the second state semifinal at Nationwide Arena.
Kyle Rucinski scored the game-winning goal 2:34 into the third overtime off an assist from Preston Forsythe to send St. Ignatius to the state championship game.
Dublin Jerome, in its fourth trip to the state tournament and first since 2019, got on the board first when Theo Makrogiannia found the back of the net to give his team a 1-0 lead at the 10:31 mark of the second period. Jerome carried its advantage into the third period, putting pressure on a St. Ignatius team that was in the state tournament for the fourth straight year and 15th time overall.
St. Ignatius responded early in the third period, as Levi Galluci scored the equalizer from behind the net 1:54 into the period. From there, both teams traded chances through the remainder of regulation and into overtime.
Dublin Jerome goaltender John Michael Beuselinck delivered a standout performance, tallying 44 saves, including five in the first overtime period and six in the third. St. Ignatius goaltender Blake Benedictis finished the game with 24 saves.
Dublin Jerome finished its season 25-11-3 overall. St. Ignatius improved to 25-11-2 with the victory.
Championship: Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 5, Cleveland St. Ignatius 2
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gates Mills Gilmour Academy captured the 2026 OHSAA Ice Hockey State Championship with a 5-2 win over Cleveland St. Ignatius at Nationwide Arena.
Gilmour Academy’s Ben Stifko and Galen Frizzie, who combined for 12 points (six goals, six assists) at the state tournament, both scored third-period goals to seal the win after St. Ignatius had drawn within a goal early in the third period.
St. Ignatius struck first with a goal from Levi Galucci just over a minute into the game. Gilmour Academy answered midway through the first period when Frizzie tied the game at 7:46, and Johnathan Primano’s goal with 8 seconds left in the period gave Gilmour Academy a 2-1 lead.
Gilmour Academy extended its lead in the second period when Alex Lazuka scored at 14:49 to make it a 3-1 game heading into the final period.
St. Ignatius came out aggressive in the third period and capitalized on a power play goal from Aiden White to cut the Lancers' lead to 3-2 at the 4:48 mark. However, the momentum was short lived as Stifko scored for Gilmour Academy just 28 seconds later to give the Lancers another two-goal lead.
Frizzie added an empty net goal with 2:12 remaining to seal the championship win.
Donato Iacurci earned the win in net for Gilmour Academy with 32 saves, while St. Ignatius goaltender Blake Benedictis recorded 31 saves in the loss.
Gilmour Academy (36-1-0 overall) won its second state championship in its fifth trip to the state tournament. The Lancers, who won their final 21 games of the season, also won a state title in 2022 and finished runner-up in 2008.
St. Ignatius (25-12-2) finished as state runner-up for the second year in a row. The Wildcats have won eight state titles, most recently in 2024