By Dave Diamond
Revenge is sweet when done properly. The Pride Ice Hockey team, though not by design, beat the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year in exciting fashion, a 6-5 shootout victory over Briarcliffe College at the Iceworks in Syosset, catapulting Hofstra into first place in the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC).
Pride goaltender George Lorenz (30 saves) was unbeatable in the shootout, stopping all five shots he faced, and defenseman Tom Germano scored the only goal. For Germano, it was the second time in a week that he won a game on a penalty shot. Hofstra did not hold a lead the entire game, but still took two points thanks to a big-time comeback.
“These guys like to give you a heart attack,” head coach Ian Clugston said. “This is four games in a row we’ve been behind and had to come back and fight, and it’s a testament to the will of this team right now.”
The Pride trailed by three goals on two separate occasions, the latest at 1:21 of the second period. The Seahawks dominated the first period and beginning of the second, grabbing a 5-2 lead before the game took an unexpected turn. Hofstra managed to slow Briarcliffe’s attacking offense long enough to gain the momentum before the final period.
At 18:28 of the second period, Jason Sterling jammed at a loose puck to get a huge late period goal and shortening the lead to 5-3.. Sure enough, the Pride carried the momentum into the third and broke through at 11:27 on the power play. Rob Yawman finally beat the Seahawks’ goaltender, who quelled the Hofstra rush for the first ten minutes of the third. The puck found its way in front of the crease, and Yawman got the shot up and over the sprawled out goalie to cut the lead to 5-4.
Only 59 seconds later, Yawman struck again, this time tying a game that seemed out of reach only twenty minutes before. Yawman followed a Mark Lucas shot from the point at 12:26, and the rest of regulation featured heated back-and-forth action. The emotions got the best of Sterling, and put Hofstra in a very precarious position. Sterling took a five-minute major penalty with only 36 seconds remaining in regulation time.
The penalty carried over into overtime, but Lorenz stood his ground and caused series of stoppages that neglected any flow to the Briarcliffe power play. Germano was the second shooter in the shootout for Hofstra, and pulled a move reminiscent of his game-winner earlier this season against Fairfield. The defenseman faked a shot and made the goaltender make the first move, then went top-shelf. The result was Hofstra’s fifth consecutive victory. Lorenz and Germano have been big key’s in Hofstra’s success thus far.
“Personally I think he’s the best goalie in the league when his head’s right,” Clugston said of Lorenz. “(Germano) has offensive skill and is also one of our better defensemen. I feel good for him because he’s such a hard worker and he’s having fun this year.”
Next up for the Pride is the most important part of the regular season, then a break until December. Thanksgiving’s turkey will taste that much better with two wins in the MCHC/College Hockey East (CHE) showdown in Pennsylvania this weekend, which would likely result in a trip to nationals, something Hofstra Hockey has never accomplished. The task will certainly not be easy, considering St. Vincent College and Cal University of Penn., their opponents, are a combined 10-1 in the CHE.
Hofstra managed to outlast Briarcliffe despite trailing by three goals.