OAK LAWN | Brothers Josh and Aidan Wilkinson came into Thursday's game against Brother Rice with a grand total of two goals between them in Catholic League play, both by Josh.
They left the Oak Lawn Ice Arena with four of Mount Carmel's 11 goals in the Caravan's 11-2 rout of the Crusaders in their second meeting of the season.
Josh, a senior, scored three times, junior Aidan once. Josh collected his hat-trick before the second period had ended. Aidan's goal made it 11-0 just after Rice coach James Pembroke pulled goaltender Kevin Biondic in favor of freshman Colton Edling.
"My brother's goal was more fun for me than mine," Josh Wilkinson said. "And it was a pretty good goal, too."
Just about everything Mount Carmel did was pretty good or better. The outcome was Mount Carmel's fourth victory in its last five Catholic League games, boosting their league record to 5-7. Rice, which lost an earlier meeting to Mount Carmel by a 7-0 score, fell to 1-12-1.
"We're playing to our strengths," coach Scott Sortal said. "We're using our team speed, we're tough in our own end, and we're smart with the puck."
That was evident during a first period in which the Caravan scored a half-dozen times, including a pair of goals by sophomore Cullen Walsh. Wilkinson completed his hat-trick with a slot rebound 6:37 into the second period.
"We were focused before the game," Wilkinson said. "Definitely, we're communicating a lot more recently, and our play has picked up because of that. Earlier in the year, we were adjusting to new coaches and new systems from what we played last year. We're starting to jell and our play's picking up."
Rice got on the board with 13.2 seconds left in the second, Jim Brosnahan ending Caravan goaltender Marty Miloslovich's shutout bid.
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