COLUMBUS — St. Francis de Sales once again could not get past Cleveland St. Ignatius in the state final four, but the latest loss for the Knights on Saturday was particularly gut-wrenching.

St. Francis scored first and led 1-0 in the second period. The Knights then rallied to overcome a one-goal deficit late in regulation to force overtime at Nationwide Arena. But the defending state champion Wildcats had the final say as the Knights fell 3-2 in sudden-death OT of the state semifinals.

Senior Nolan Ignacio scored the game-winning goal 27 seconds into overtime

No. 2 St. Francis (30-7-0) lost in a classic chess match featuring action up and down the ice. The Knights out-shot No. 3 St. Ignatius (28-9-0) by a 32-24 margin, including 23-14 in the second and third periods.

St. Francis senior Drew Tucker scored on a quick shot in the slot on a pass from Jamison Rose to tie it at 2 with 5:56 left in the third.

“It was a battle,” said Tucker, who had a goal and an assist. “I wish we would have come out on top, but we gave it our all. When we tied it up, we had great momentum to come in and finish. We just didn't get the job done.”

Tucker's tying marker came a little more than two minutes after St. Ignatius defenseman Zack Bleick had scored from the top of the slot to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead with 8:06 left.

“When Tucker scored, I thought 'we're going to do it,'” Varga said. “But that's just how it ends. It just gives you a bitter taste in your mouth. But that's part of sports. You win, you lose.”

St. Francis seized a 1-0 lead on a goal from junior forward Cole Porvaznik with 50 seconds left in the first period. St. Ignatius tied it at 1 as Otto Bafus scored with 12:01 left in the second period.

“That was a great game,” Porvaznik said. “Just one shot didn't go your way at the end.”

The Wildcats advance to face No. 1 Upper Arlington (28-6-2), which defeated No. 4 Mentor (24-10-2) 7-2 in the first state semifinal.

The Wildcats have had the upper hand over the Knights in Columbus, winning five head-to-head matchups since 2016.

“Anybody could have won that game, especially when you go into overtime,” St. Francis coach Chris Varga said. “We fought hard and we did what we needed to do. It was overtime against them again, right? So it's two great teams going at it. They have our number when we're here. We have their number in the regular season. But I've never beaten them in the final four or the championship game.”

The Knights also lost to St. Ignatius 6-4 in the state semifinals last March. The Wildcats defeated Hunting Valley University School 4-1 in the state title game last season.

“We slayed the dragon today,” St. Ignatius coach Pat O'Rourke said. “That's a hell of a team. We've got tons of respect for them. It could have gone either way once you go to overtime. It's like Duke-North Carolina or Celtics-Lakers in the world of Ohio high school hockey. They're wicked classics every year. They're exhausting and exhilarating. It's just good fortune for us. It's a fluke that it has happened this way down in Columbus. But we'll take it, for sure.”

St. Francis goaltender Carson Dirkmaat (21 saves) and Dominic Filizetti (30) of St. Ignatius were solid throughout.

Perhaps the biggest factor was the inability of St. Francis to cash in on two power plays in the second period, the only two in the game.

“Our power play was horrible,” Varga said. “I don't think we played St Francis hockey like we normally do. I tell the players over and over either do it or you don't. It just seemed like we just didn't want it bad enough.”

Tucker buzzed around the back of the net on a wraparound attempt. Filizetti made the save on Tucker, but Porvaznik was perfectly positioned to knock in the rebound. It was the 26th goal of the season for Porvaznik and Tucker's 101st point.

St. Ignatius knotted it at 1 with 12:01 left in the second period.

St. Francis had a golden opportunity as it went on a second power play with 3:57 left in the second period and the game tied at 1. Again, the Knights had two more good chances, including a point-blank shot by Jamison Rose, but Filizetti made the stops.

The Knights had a 12-6 edge in shots in the second period.

Moments after St. Ignatius took a 2-1 lead, Porvaznik was stopped by Filizetti.

“They're a great, great program,” O'Rourke said. “We worked so hard this week putting in a game plan watching film. Every time I watched the film, the more nervous I got. I think that we all have that belief, and that's a mighty, mighty, strong thing.”

After the Knights tied it, Dirkmaat had to step up in net for the Knights late in regulation before the Knights reasserted their pressure.

St. Ignatius, however, won with a quick rush up the ice early in OT.

“This is probably one of the closest teams bonding-wise on and off the ice,” Varga said. “It's not just wins and losses. They really rallied around each other. They worked hard. I'm not upset. I'm not ashamed. I'm proud of them.”

First Published March 8, 2025, 9:35 p.m.