Original Article

CREVE COEUR — De Smet junior forward Tyler Loughman never liked the color purple.

His disdain for that particular hue only intensified when he first faced rival CBC, which dons tradition-rich purple and white uniforms.

"Hate purple," Loughman said. "Always have, always will."

The rivalry between the two Mid-States Club Hockey Association bluebloods is still alive and well.

Loughman gave the Spartans the upper hand, at least for the time being, with a goal Wednesday afternoon to help his club to a 3-2 win in a rare afternoon contest at Creve Coeur Ice Arena.

The two programs, which have combined for 30 championships, will meet again Friday in a late-night 10:05 affair at Affton Ice Rink.

CBC has won a record 16 titles, two ahead of second-place De Smet.

"I mean there's a little respect there," said De Smet senior Carson Wilhelm. "Just not when we're on the ice together."

Either CBC or De Smet has been in the Challenge Cup championship game each of the last 25 years. The last time a final was held without the standouts was 1995, when Parkway South beat Webster Groves 2-1 for the crown.

"It's the oldest rivalry in high school hockey around here," CBC veteran coach John Jost said. "Anyone who saw this game today would say, 'Wow, what a really good hockey game.' "

The Cadets (11-1-3), who lost for the first time this season, are 55-10-9 against De Smet since Nov. 22, 1999.

But the Spartans (11-1-2) got the upper hand Wednesday in a makeup contest from December played at their practice facility.

Sophomore Nick Salthouse and senior Connor Clancy scored 82 seconds apart in the first period to get De Smet off and running. Loughman added his sixth goal of the season midway through the final stanza to push the lead to 3-1.

"It was an early game (3:30 p.m. start), so we knew guys would be coming right from school," De Smet coach Christopher Durso said. "We had to get them ready right off the bat."

That early push put CBC in a hole and it never fully recovered.

"They used their speed to capitalize on transition and on the rush," Jost said. "That's probably the quickest team we've played so far."

Salthouse converted on a nifty feed from Thomas Ruder just 5 minutes and 8 seconds into the contest. Ruder slipped a perfect cross-ice pass to Salthouse, who scored his team-high ninth goal of the season.

Clancy pounced on the rebound of his own shot to double the advantage on the Spartans their very next rush.

CBC chopped the deficit in half on a goal by Nick Puricelli later in the opening period.

The Cadets got to within striking distance on a tally by senior sniper Eli Roofe with 6:35 left in the third. They pulled goalie Jack Solomon for an extra attacker with less than a minute remaining.

But De Smet sophomore goaltender Brady Govero, and his strong defense, kept CBC from getting any legitimate chances down the stretch. Govero stopped 26 of 27 shots to improve to 6-0-2.

"This is definitely a big confidence booster," Wilhelm said.

The Municipal Conference powers could very well see each other deep into the playoffs, which begin in less than two weeks.

For now, De Smet holds bragging rights.

"We've got energy and we've got to keep it going," Loughman said. "Not just Friday, but into the playoffs, too."

De Smet, which won its last title in 2010, is well overdue. It is in the middle of the longest drought in program history.

"It's a regular-season game and it will help us in the standings," Durso said. "What it comes down to is that this was a playoff-type atmosphere. It's something we hope we can build on."