Angular and quick, Mitchell Cox is an impressive figure on the ice.
A senior forward at Libertyville, Cox is a three-year player on the Libertyville/Vernon Hills IceCats hockey team. His role has shifted from that of a patient observer eager to learn the subtleties of the game to a leading figure younger players look to emulate.
“When I was a sophomore, my role was more about watching what other people were doing, and now it has evolved to being a leader and other people see what I am doing,” he said.
Cox is third on the team with 41 points on 19 goals and 22 assists.
Cox showcased his range and depth of skills by scoring twice and adding an assist as the IceCats beat the Mid-Valley Rampage 3-1 in a first-round varsity combined state playoff game Friday at The Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills.
Varsity combined is a division within the Amateur Hockey Association Illinois for teams with players from multiple high schools. Mid-Valley is a team comprising Elgin-area schools.
The IceCats advance to play Waubonsie on Sunday at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville.
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The playoff victory capped a pivotal week of play for the IceCats (22-16-1). Two nights earlier, the team surrendered a third-period lead and lost in the Illinois High School Hockey League North-Central Division semifinals.
“We did not play our best, and we wanted to prove that we were not that team,” junior goalie Charlie Newberg said.
From the start, the IceCats dominated possession time and played most of the game in the Rampage’s defensive end. Libertyville/Vernon Hills put 65 shots on goal, and Rampage goalie Chad Dodero was credited with 62 saves.
Cox broke through five minutes into the second period when he scored off a beautiful feed from forward Justin Agemura.
“It was a nice look by Justin getting below the goal line and making a nice crisp pass on my stick I was able to hit home,” Cox said.
The exceptional play of Dodero kept the Rampage close. Newberg, the team’s only Vernon Hills player, certainly took notice of his counterpart.
“When I looked over to the other side of the ice and saw their goalie make more than 60 saves, it made me respect him,” Newberg said. “I had the attitude that he was going to make all of these saves, and I have to be able to do that as well.”
Newberg, named the North-Central Division goalie of the year, stopped six of the seven shots he faced against the Rampage. He likes his status as a stand-alone player, both in terms of his position and his place as the only Vernon Hills student on the team. He grew up playing youth hockey with many of the Libertyville players at Glacier.
“It’s kind of cool representing your school as one person,” he said.
The Rampage scored on a rebound in the closing moments of the second period, but that left just enough time for Agemura to score on a spectacular spin-o-rama with 6.5 seconds on the clock.
Cox opened the third period by tipping in a shot by Justin Vieth for his second goal to put the IceCats ahead by two.
“It was a huge confidence-booster for Justin (Agemura) to score like that, and it gave us a lot of energy and enthusiasm to go out and get another one right off the bat in the third period,” Cox said.
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press