The open air was crisp, and the stadium-style lighting was punctuated by a burst of deep neon blues and reds from the storefront signage outlining the perimeter of MB Financial Park in Rosemont.
The ice was also softer than normal. “You could literally push your stick in and engrave your own name,” said Eric Kurpiewski, a Hersey sophomore.
On top of that, the game was divided into two 25-minute, running-clock halves instead of the traditional three periods.
Such was the setting for a memorable outdoor hockey game between the BGHW Stampede and the Libertyville/Vernon Hills IceCats on Jan. 12.
Ice engraving aside, Kurpiewski made his mark with a crucial goal in BGHW’s late scoring burst en route to a 5-2 victory against the IceCats.
The Stampede draw players from Buffalo Grove, Hersey and Wheeling high schools, and the IceCats come from either of the two schools in Community High School District 128.
Forward Connor Kelly, a Buffalo Grove junior from Arlington Heights, registered two goals and an assist. His quick shot and playmaking creativity yielded a goal and assist as the Stampede scored three times in a five-minute flurry during the second period.
Wheeling forward Spiro Maglaris and Buffalo Grove forward Sean Brawley also scored.
The Stampede broke out and took an early 2-0 lead until Libertyville forwards Mitchell Cox and Justin Agemura scored. The team took notice.
“We felt we were in control, but then a couple of bounces went their way,” Kelly said. “The tension started rising, and everybody started getting all mad. In that five-minute span, you could tell we really wanted to win.”
Kelly is playing his first year with the program after playing club hockey his first two years at Buffalo Grove. He had friends on the Stampede, and seeing the team capture its first Amateur Hockey Association Illinois combined state championship at the United Center last March convinced him to shift his focus.
He was eager to be a part of the team.
“Even before last year when we won the state title, the tradition this team has is great,” said Kelly, the Stampede’s leading goal-scorer. He combines excellent size with quickness and a dangerously accurate shot.
“Right now our focus is having all four lines go,” he said. “Everybody knows their role. That was the thing about last year’s team. They got everybody to play their role, and obviously it worked out well.”
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Kelly’s superb play shut the door on the IceCats’ upset bid.
Kurpiewski, an Arlington Heights native, also played his role to perfection. He was a stealthy presence on the ice who did all the little things needed to win.
Kurpiewski was a rare freshman on the varsity team last season.
“I am a smaller guy, so I have to get into the corners,” he said. “I have to grind and get into people’s faces or under their skin.”
The outdoor game offered the best of both worlds, a unique opportunity to showcase skills in a different setting and stitch together a strong performance against a quality team.
“Because of last year, the pressure is really there,” Kurpiewski said. “It’s an urgent weight on our shoulders. We really want to get back to the state title game because it is the greatest atmosphere ever. We have a job to do until we get back there. We have to keep working.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press