For a third conseuctive season, the University of Louisville Cardinals defeated the TSCHL Regular Season Champion in the TSCHL Tournament Championship Game -- not to mention the only three season that the organization has been a member of the TSCHL.

Louisville finished second in the regular season, one point behind the Cincinnati Bearcats and one point ahead of the Ohio Bobcats -- its two eventual opponents in the TSCHL Tournament.  Louisville fared well against both opponents in the regular season, defeating Cincinnati twice and splitting the season series with the Bobcats. 

But, The Tournament changes things as guys' hockey careers are in limbo.  Each tournament game will most likely be the last in a player's or group of players' competitive hockey career.  Nobody needs to inform the Cardinals of this -- they sure play like they're well aware.  Defeating Ohio and Louisville, on consecutive days, improved Louisville's All-Time TSCHL Playoff Record to a clean 6-0.

Saturday night's 2-1 win over Ohio played out much differently than the 7-5 shootout when the two teams met in last year's TSCHL Tournament.  The netminders, Michael Lively for OU and Nick Nuss for UofL, were stellar.   Lively stopped 35 of 37 and Nuss turned away 41 of 42.  One similarity between last year's meeting and Saturday night's was that Louisville found themselves trailing midway through the second.  That is when Henry Smith scored the equalizer, assisted by Yannis Soukas and Tyler Bradford.  Back and forth action and superb goaltending kept the score at 1-1 until late in the third when the Bobcats were assessed a too many men penalty with 3:04 remaining. Just as the Cardinal Powerplay expired -- Colin Frederick delivered the game-winner for Louisville.  Soukas and Smith tallied assists on the Frederick goal.

Sunday, the Cardinals were set to face the TSCHL Regular Season Champion Cincinnati Bearcats.  History repeats itself.  Despite trailing 2-1 and 3-2, Louisville overcame the deficits once again and defeated Cincinnati, 6-4.  The Cardinals peppered Bearcat goaltender Michael Weber, scoring 6 goals on 39 shots -- Taylor Burdorf with 2 of the 6, including the game-winner.  Derek Piekarczyk, Soukas, and Smith each finished with a goal and a helper, and Shane Cross pitched in 2 apples.  Nuss impressed once again, stopping 22 Cincinnati shots on goal.

Nuss's 63 saves and 2 wins, in as many games, earned him 2017 TSCHL Tournament MVP Honors.

Both Louisville and Cincinnati, along with Ohio, will participate in the 2017 ACHA DII Southeast Regional Tournament, this weekend, in Lynchburg, VA.

THE OLD KING NEVER LEFT.