Loyola edges out McHenry

Updated: May 20, 2011 8:48PM

That Loyola’s boys water polo team made it to the state tournament after an 0-5 start to the season was something of a minor miracle.

That Ramblers captain Pat Stein – who suffered a brain aneurysm in October – will be in attendance Saturday as Loyola competes for a state trophy on the final day of the season is the actual one.

Robbie O’Connor had 17 saves and Brendan Hulseman scored six goals – including three in the final 2:44 – in a 13-11 victory Friday over McHenry in an IHSA state quarterfinal at Stevenson that Loyola desperately wanted for their injured teammate.

“It was all for our captain, Pat Stein,” ” Hulseman said. “He wasn’t here because they didn’t want him to leave the hospital two days in a row. But Saturday he’s coming and we wanted to win this game so we could have him be with us. He’s everything to us, he’s our inspiration.”

Stein, 16, who was made the Ramblers captain at the end of last season, suffered the second brain aneurysm of his young life in October while watching a Loyola football game.

Since then he has been confined to a wheel chair and unable to speak as he has spent nearly every hour of the intervening seven months at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in rehabilitation.

“The doctors and his parents have said his recovery is going to be a long-term process, but he’s been working incredibly hard at his rehab,” Loyola coach Dan Hengelmann said. “His Dad has said it’s going to be a marathon and that it’s still early.”

Stein communicates using his eyes and a screen, but coach and teammates say his personality still shines through during their constant visits.

“He’s still cracking inside jokes with his teammates and his personality still really shows through,” Hengelmann said. “He has built real relationships with the staff, and even though he can’t talk, they all know his sense of humor.”

The team won both games with Stein in attendance during the regular season and the players were positively giddy at the idea of having him with them for the state semifinal.

“Having him with us means our team is complete,” Hulseman said. “It does so much for us just to have him with us.”

Kyle Braun had six goals and Alex Birkle made 10 saves for Warriors (29-5), who had a 20-game win streak snapped.

The Ramblers will play St. Ignatius in a state semifinal at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The two teams split their two regular-seasons meetings.

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