Upper Arlington duo hopes to push Golden Bears to first state title

Sam Burns and Max Robins have combined for 183 points this year for the Upper Arlington hockey team, but the last two -- a goal for Robins and an assist for Burns -- will be remembered for a long time.
With the Golden Bears tied 2-2 with Olentangy Liberty in the district final Saturday, two of the top-scoring players in the state made magic happen.

Seconds after Upper Arlington goalie Brady Hagkull made a game-saving stop, Burns went the other way, put a shot on net and then got the rebound to the front of the cage for Robins to drive into the open net with 4.9 seconds left, sending UA (29-7-0) to a second straight state Frozen Four.
"I saw an open net and the puck was there, the net was open," Robins said of his 37th goal of the season. "I didn't really know what had happened before that. Obviously I've watched the video a bunch of times. Looking back on it, I saw that Burns made a great play, got a shot, got a rebound and got it to me. I didn't know what to think. Before I had time to do anything, Burns came back and was celebrating with me and we were on the ice."
"Great finish, crazy finish," Burns said. "You look back on it now and I don't really remember much of it because I think I just blacked out when it happened."
"It was exhilarating, right?" UA head coach Hamish Baird said. "Terrifying, too. You have so much invested, just as the other team does, too. You hate to see these young kids disappointed, but somebody has to lose."
Now, the Golden Bears have their sights set on some more program history. The team's appearance in the Frozen Four will be the second straight for fifth-ranked Upper Arlington, as the team faces No. 3 Toledo St. Francis in a semifinal today at 7 p.m. at Nationwide Arena. Second-ranked Lakewood St. Edward, which beat top-ranked Cleveland St. Ignatius in the districts, will take on No. 4 Gates Mills Gilmour Academy in the first semifinal at 4 p.m. The final will be held Saturday night at Nationwide.
All four teams are loaded with talent, but Baird thinks he has an advantage with Robins (37-45-82) and Burns (53-48-101) on his side.
"I certainly feel they're the two best players in the state, but I'm a bit biased," Baird said. "These two are truly elite players, and they put up the numbers to prove it. They show up every single game, they never take a shift off.
"Sometimes you have that dynamic where you need a goal and everybody on the bench looks down at one kid, and they know they're those kids. I think what I see in them is a desire for the puck. They want the puck on their stick. They don't panic with it. They go get it and they are true competitors."
It also helps to have chemistry, something the two have built along with center Charlie Linzell (13-18-31) since Burns returned from playing AAA hockey in Colorado for much of last season.
"He's just such a smart player, such a skilled player," Burns said. "Sometimes I'll have the puck and I might not even take a look to see where he is, I just trust that he's there and it pays off a lot of times, like that Liberty play. But it just makes the game so easy, right, just having someone that knows how you play. It's a really nice one-two tandem."
"It's a blast," Robins added. "It took us a little bit to get our chemistry going, but we've been really good together. I just seem to know where he is on the ice."
The two have been a key part of a historic time for Upper Arlington hockey, as the Golden Bears went 36-1-1 two seasons ago and won the Blue Jackets Cup, won the Cup again last year and made it to the state semifinal, and now have returned this year to the Frozen Four.
The next big accomplishment would be earning wins at the state tournament, something UA has never done before. But Baird believes this team is in a good spot to do so thanks to its depth and experience level.
"We gave it a shot last year and we didn't quite get there, but we certainly learned a lot," the head coach said. "I think this team has more depth and more maturity than last year's team, so I think we're going to come out hard and battle and give it our best go."
Upper Arlington is no stranger to athletic success, as the school's football team made it to a state semifinal this year as well. There's a ton of community support for the program, and the chance to wear the black and gold is something the players don't take for granted.
"It is really special," Robins said. "Over the past couple of years, we've done some things that this program has never done. It's really special to be able to represent the community and team the right way. You can tell what it means to everybody."
Capsule looks at the other three semifinalists follow.
No. 2 Lakewood St. Edward: The drive down I-71 has become pretty familiar for the Eagles, who beat Upper Arlington in a state semifinal a year ago before falling to St. Francis in the championship game. St. Ed's (27-6-3) is making its 23rd Frozen Four appearance but has not won a title since 2008. Head coach Tim Sullivan's team is led by senior goalie Ethan Payne as well as such names as Jack Mansour, Zach Bell, Geoffrey Lapsevich and Sam Meisinger.
No. 3 Toledo St. Francis: The reigning state champs will take on Upper Arlington in the semifinals, and there's no shortage of talent on the squad. The Knights (26-9-1) are in Columbus for the eighth time in 12 years and are led by head coach Chris Varga as well as senior captain Gordy Hunt (24-23-47), sophomore Jake Myers had (20-12-32) and junior Chris Meyer has (12-19-31). Senior goalie Jackson Smalley has a 21-7-1 record with a 1.54 GAA and .933 save percentage after leading the team to a state title a year ago.
No. 5 Gates Mills Gilmour Academy:The Lancers (25-13-1) have advanced to Columbus for the fourth time in school history, including a 2020 berth that ended up going for naught because of the coronavirus pandemic. Head coach John Malloy's team is led by Viktor Povozhaev (18-14-32), Jack Popovich (10-16-26), Matt Bauman (10-14-24) and goalie Ian Anderson, who boasts a GAA of around 1.50.