Hockey’s Final Win in The Baron Cup
Since the start of the 2022-2023 winter season, the Western Reserve Academy Ice Hockey team has shown excellent performance in each game. Starting the season with a big win over Solon City School with a score of 9-1, the team has continued to bring back outstanding results to WRA. With the hockey team finishing their regular season strong, they took part in the Baron Cup tournament for one final time. The Baron Cup has a long and rich history, established in 1972, recently reaching its 51st anniversary. The tournament is a tournament organized by the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League (GCHSHL), with over 20 schools competing against each other to fight for the championship. It is a single-elimination tournament where the losing team of each match is immediately eliminated from the tournament. The WRA hockey team has won a few times, most recently in 2022. Mr. Closen, the head coach of the WRA hockey team, is excited that the 2022-23 team has reached their goal of maintaning their status as league champions for their last season ever. The team won the final game of the tournament against Stow with a score of 4-1.
The tournament startedduring mid-winter break, and the team succesfully carried on their excellent performances during the games. Mr. Closen’s goal during end of the season was to have the players enjoy hockey and for the sport to bring them all together. He wants to create an environment where players have a sense of belonging and comradery. Although winning is not always the ultimate pursuit, it makes things much more enjoyable for the players. The WRA community is very thankful for his contribution to the hockey team.
Mr. Closen has recently achieved a 300th victory as the head coach of the hockey team. Over 29 years of coaching more than 235 different players, he was able to draw out the best in each player. He gives credit to the players, acknowledging that their past successes were achieved through the efforts of a team rather than just their individual performances.
Mr. Closen has truly made a remarkable impact on the WRA hockey program.
– Christine Baek ’26
The Reserve Record 