Beyond the Scoresheet

on the other rink

January 21, 2006 on 12:28 am | In game recap | 3 Comments

First of all, I’d just like to say that I saw more cars on 287 tonight driving with one functional headlight than I’ve seen in the past month combined. You might want to check that.

Don Bosco Prep 2, St. Peter’s Prep 1
No. 2 Don Bosco Prep (7-4-1) maintained third place in the Gordon Conference Friday by holding off No. 9 St. Peter’s Prep (6-4-2) by a 2-1 score at the Ice Vault in Wayne. The Ironmen scored two first-period goals and seemed to lose their intensity the rest of the way, allowing the Marauders a goal with 1:29 remaining before hanging on down the stretch.

The game lacked flow, and many a face-off was delayed when one center, or both, was removed out for a minor infraction. Neither team recorded a shot on goal until the 8:02 mark, but Don Bosco Prep scored soon after. Dave Conte fired a shot from the left point that Kevin Fox turned aside, but with St. Peter’s Prep defensemen nowhere to be found, Billy Sanborn had plenty of time to square the puck to a wide-open Greg Blinn for a simple tap-in. St. Peter’s Prep responded with a bit of its 1-1-3 trap, but the Ironmen doubled their advantage three minutes later. Conte’s point shot was again the catalyst, with Fox sprawling to stop a deflection and Steve McKenzie flipping the rebound over a diving Fox.

Despite four power plays in the first two periods, Don Bosco Prep never put St. Peter’s Prep away, and the Marauders (who go old-school with their Latin motto “Sub umbra Petri,” or “under the shadow of Peter,” on the bottom of their jerseys) began to skate into the game. St. Peter’s Prep had a few close-range chances to beat Erick Cinotti, but managed to get in each other’s way on several occasions. Don Bosco Prep used several different line combinations in the second and third periods, but could not find a third goal.

Although Kevin Reich delivered the game’s best hit in the third period, St. Peter’s Prep kept coming, finally pulling a goal back with 1:29 remaining. Second-line forward Bryan Robinson centered a pass from behind the net, and Mike Dellutri had plenty of space to beat Cinotti under his blocker. Although the Marauders pulled Kevin Fox for the final 1:19, Cinotti did not have to make another save.

Meanwhile, on the other sheet, the Ice Vault squeezed in an arena-record 750 (EDIT: 877) fans for the rivalry game between Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley. The Patriots came out with a 3-1 win.

Ramsey 6, Indian Hills 4
This was by far the most entertaining game of the night. #7/wb Ramsey (9-4-1) handed #3/wb Indian Hills (10-2-2) its first loss in 32 all-time NBIAL league games (22-1-9) after a breathtaking third period.

Indian Hills had the better of play in the first period, although Ramsey’s first line certainly created some chances. Indian Hills got a goal from Perry Clarkson, but David Zaentz responded for Ramsey with a breakaway goal after a smart feed by Casey Mignone. The Braves continued to carry play early in the second period, but the play of Ramsey goalie Chris Clifford kept the game tied.

Although Ramsey relies more on its first line than Indian Hills, the Rams seemed to pick up steam in the second period, taking the lead at the 8:36 mark when Brave goalie Anthony Tabbacchino could not hold Patrick Nerney’s point shot. Stamina started to tell the other way late in the period, however, and Ramsey had to ice the puck for a line change. On the ensuing face-off, Brave forward Kevin Ryffle jammed in a back-post rebound to tie the game with 1:48 left in the second period. Ramsey’s top line came right back with plenty of pressure, and David Zaentz looked to have scored from another Mignone feed, but both referees missed the play and, after conferring, did not recognize the goal.

Indian Hills began the third period with a bang, taking a 3-2 lead on a point shot from Tim Aberle past a screened Clifford. Ramsey had to be feeling deja vu all over again when David Zaentz was whistled for two minor penalties on the same play, since the Rams lost to Ramapo last week on a pair of power-play goals from a double power play. Indian Hills only scored once on its double power play, but the goal appeared to be a crushing blow. Brad Montalbano let loose with a slap shot from the left wing, which Clifford deflected straight up into the air with his blocker. Ryffle gloved the puck, dropped it for himself, and finished past Clifford’s despairing dive for a two-goal advantage.

When the second penalty expired, Ramsey responded with immediate pressure, but it took two minutes before it paid off. While Ramsey’s first line skated for probably 9-10 minutes in the third period, the Rams appeared to be matching their first line against Indian Hills’ second line whenever possible. No matter which line they were facing, the trio of David Zaentz, Derek Zaentz, and Mignone completely turned the game around in a span of 1:26 in the third period. Ramsey got a break on the first goal, as Andrew Burns’ point shot was knocked away by an Indian Hills defender but fell right to Derek Zaentz, who fired into the empty half of the net to cut the deficit to 4-3. Mignone stunned the Braves just 21 seconds later, sliding a backhand through Tabbacchino’s legs to tie the game in the blink of an eye. But the top unit was not done, as Derek Zaentz fed Mignone behind the net. His spinning backhand pass left Tabbacchino searching for the puck, which found David Zaentz wide open in front of the net for an easy finish.

Ramsey’s second line got through its one remaining shift without too many problems, and Mignone closed the game with an empty-net goal with less than three seconds remaining. The Rams celebrated an emotional win; their first this year over one of the NBIAL’s top four teams and revenge for an earlier 6-4 loss to Indian Hills. The teams could meet again in the NBIAL Division II championship game. Many of the elite players on both teams play club hockey together, so the post-game line saw a lot more man-hugs than handshakes – the way it should be after a hard-fought contest.

Don Bosco Prep 2, St. Peter’s Prep 1

Scoring
SPP	0	0	1		1
DBP	2	0	0		2

Shots
SPP	3	11	7		21
DBP	5	11	7		23

1st
8:25 DBP #26 Greg Blinn (#21 Billy Sanborn, #27 Dave Conte)
11:33 DBP #46 Steve McKenzie (#27 Dave Conte)
2nd
3rd
13:31 SPP #14 Mike Dellutri (#23 Bryan Robinson)

Goalies
#24 Kevin Fox (SPP) 23-21
#1 Erick Cinotti (DBP) 21-20

Power plays: SPP 0-4, DBP 0-5

Ramsey 6, Indian Hills 4

Scoring
IH	1	1	2		4
Rmsy	1	1	4		6

Shots
IH	11	10	10		31
Rmsy	6	9	9		24

1st
8:49 IH #17 Perry Clarkson (#44 Ryan Larkin, #28 Anthony LaGrega)
13:39 Rmsy #44 David Zaentz (#91 Casey Mignone, #18 Joe Warner)
2nd
8:36 Rmsy #22 Patrick Nerney (#91 Casey Mignone, #44 David Zaentz)
13:12 IH #9 Kevin Ryffle (#22 Brad Montalbano, #7 Bryan Thompson)
3rd
0:57 IH #11 Tim Aberle (#7 Bryan Thompson, #28 Anthony LaGrega)
4:18 IH (pp) #9 Kevin Ryffle (#22 Brad Montalbano)
8:22 Rmsy #12 Derek Zaentz (#21 Andrew Burns, #91 Casey Mignone)
8:43 Rmsy #91 Casey Mignone (unassisted)
9:48 Rmsy #44 David Zaentz (#91 Casey Mignone, #12 Derek Zaentz)
14:58 Rmsy (en) #91 Casey Mignone (#22 Patrick Nerney)

Goalies
#38 Anthony Tabbacchino (IH) 24-18
#30 Chris Clifford (Rmsy) 31-27

Power plays: IH 1-3, Rmsy 0-1