The puck has dropped for high school hockey, as two local teams look to be the last left standing at the end of the 2022-23 Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association season. 

The Freeburg-Waterloo Raging Bulldogs played in the league’s final game this past February, falling to Granite City in a heartbreaker. 

The Raging Bulldogs will look to get to the MVCHA finals once again, but there’s plenty of hockey to focus on before then.

Freeburg-Waterloo opened this new season with a convincing 10-0 trouncing of Edwardsville East last Tuesday. Conner Blair scored four goals and dished out three assists. Anna Lugge added two goals and an assist.

The Raging Bulldogs battled Belleville on Monday, falling 5-3. Lugge, Cohin Reynolds and Zach Bonenberger netted goals for Freeburg-Waterloo. 

On Thursday, Freeburg-Waterloo tied O’Fallon, 3-3, at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex. Blair netted two goals and Michael Gildehaus scored the other. Matthew Bushee made 28 saves in net for the Raging Bulldogs, who next play 7:30 p.m. Monday vs. Highland in Granite City.

The Columbia Ice Eagles also started their regular season last Tuesday, posting a 12-0 blasting of East Alton-Wood River. Nathan Carr was the high-point man for Columbia, notching four goals and two assists.

The Ice Eagles battled Bethalto on Monday, winning 5-1. Scoring goals for Columbia were Carr, Rece Sanderson, Anderson Judy, Cam Ax and Sam Muren.

Columbia won 5-4 over Highland on Tuesday despite trailing 2-0 after the first period.

Columbia took on defending champ Granite City at its home rink Thursday night, falling 7-1.

“We had a light bench with almost half the team out with the flu,” Ice Eagles head coach Allen Lalk said.

Columbia battles Belleville at 9 p.m. Tuesday in the McKendree Metro Rec Plex.