THE MOMENT: 24 seconds changed everything.
Nick Warn’s late goal completed CIK JV’s comeback against Carmel Blue JV, turning a one-goal deficit into a 2–1 win in just 24 seconds.
Nick Warn saw the pass coming. Then he saw the opening.
With just over three minutes remaining against Carmel Blue JV, the Guerin Catholic freshman intercepted a clearing pass, skated past a defender and found the far side of the net.
Twenty-four seconds earlier, the Central Indiana Knights B JV had been trailing. Now, Warn was heading toward the side wall to celebrate the goal that would win the game.
“We tried to get the puck into the zone, but the other team’s defense got the puck and passed it up the ice,” Warn said. “I intercepted it, skated past the defender and shot far side to score.”
His unassisted finish with 3:03 remaining completed a stunning late turnaround in CIK’s 2–1 victory on Oct. 31 at the Fuel Tank at Fishers.
For most of the night, the Knights had been chasing a single goal.
Magnus Beck put Carmel ahead with 2:57 remaining in the first period, assisted by Coal Callahan and Justin McCullough. That lead survived a scoreless second period and most of the third as Carmel goaltender William Heckaman kept CIK off the scoreboard.
The Knights increased their pressure as the game progressed. The official box score credited them with six shots in the first period, 11 in the second and 15 in the third, finishing with a 32–18 advantage.
Coach Alex Moyer’s own video review counted even more: 68 attempts, including 46 shots on goal. Whatever the count, Heckaman was making the breakthrough difficult.
“I thought we controlled the puck well in the second half, and I was confident that eventually we would get one past William Heckaman,” Moyer said.
With the clock winding down, Moyer stayed with the approach his team had established.
“I didn’t change anything,” he said. “The entire group knew the plan from the beginning, and we stuck with it.”
Warn said the players remained focused on getting pucks to the net during their final shifts.
Then Oliver Shide finally broke through.
With 3:27 remaining, Shide scored off an assist from William Schoettelkotte, tying the game at 1–1 and changing the feeling on the CIK bench.
“Oliver scored and the bench got hyped up!” Warn said. “With the momentum swing, energy levels went up.”
The Knights carried that energy straight into the next shift.
“Whenever your team scores, you feel an immediate boost of energy,” Moyer said. “Oliver’s goal gave us that spark, and we carried the momentum into the next shift. That boost paid off for us.”
Carmel tried to move the puck up the ice. Warn anticipated the pass and intercepted it.
“Nick never stops working,” Moyer said. “He anticipated Carmel’s pass, intercepted it and kept his head up all the way to the net before finishing the play.”
Warn beat the defender and spotted room near the far post.
“Before I shot, I saw the far side of the net open,” he said. “I shot about the middle of the net at the left post.”
The puck went in. The Knights had their first lead.
“After I scored, I remember going to celebrate with the team on the side wall and the whole team was hyped up,” Warn said.
There were still 3:03 left to make that celebration count.
CIK goaltender Charles Albers-Jones finished with 17 saves on 18 shots, keeping Carmel scoreless over the final two periods. In front of him, the Knights kept pressing.
“We just kept pressure on them and tried to stay in the offensive zone for the rest of the game,” Warn said. “The whole team stepped up to make sure we kept the lead.”
For Moyer, the winning goal reflected what Warn is already bringing to the program as a freshman.
“He works hard, and his attitude inspires the players around him to work hard,” Moyer said. “That goal reflected his effort, awareness and determination.”
For Warn, those 24 seconds captured something about the entire team.
“Our team was persistent; we never gave up even when down 1 goal late in the game.”
Shide gave the Knights their opening. Warn needed just one more shift to turn it into a win.