A power play goal by
Conor Parro, scored with 2:41 remaining in the third period, lifted Jesuit Dallas to its fifth consecutive Texas Amateur Hockey Association (TAHA) Division I Pure State Championship with a 3-2 win over Strake Jesuit on Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Valley Ranch StarCenter in Irving, Texas.
The Rangers found themselves down 2-0 midway through the first period before
Connor Sughrue scored off of a feed by
Travis Hogan to cut the lead in half. Jesuit battled with the Crusaders throughout the second period, and finally broke through with 5:12 remaining in the stanza, with senior
Kyle Hogan lighting the lamp off of assists from Sughrue and
Ryan Virkar to tie the contest heading into the third. the Jesuit Dallas defense held firm throughout the final period, opening the door for Parro's game-winner after Strake was called for hooking with 3:44 left in the contest.
Senior goalie
Jayson Hess was stellar between the pipes, racking up 19 saves during the bout. Hess recorded 12 saves in the second period to stem a rally from the Crusaders. Over the three-game TAHA State Championship Tournament, Hess recorded a 92.2 save percentage, stopping 59 shots during the week and securing a 1.67 goals against average.
Kyle Hogan,
Travis Hogan and
Ryan Virkar tied for the team lead with six points apiece during the tournament, with
Kyle Hogan scoring a team-high four goals. Virkar led the team with five assists while additional goals were scored by
Danny Myung,
William Hubbell,
William Sahadevan,
Mitchell Zenick and
Jack Bowdich during the run.
Dating back to the 2020 TAHA State Tournament, the Rangers has won nine straight games in the annual state showcase, completing its third straight unbeaten run through the tournament. The win provides the Blue and Gold with the ninth state championship in program history.
The Rangers will return to AT&T Metroplex League play on Thursday, Feb. 2 as Jesuit will square off with Keller at 8:45 p.m. at the Euless StarCenter.
