By Dave Diamond
SYOSSET, N.Y.-On the schedule this was just another Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) game, but what transpired consisted of every element a late-season, playoff-type atmosphere would bring. The Pride’s stunning 5-4 victory Saturday night featured high emotions, drama and a packed crowd, leaving spectators catching their breath after 60 intense minutes.
Hofstra defenseman Tom Germano, an unlikely candidate, scored on a penalty shot with 35 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Pride the victory and sent the capacity crowd and team bench into a joyous uproar. Germano was mobbed at center-ice with both appreciation and relief, and the goal put a thrilling finish to what could have been a difficult night for the Pride.
The Pride blew a 4-0 first period lead, then played on their heals for virtually the entire third period while Fairfield University bombarded goaltender George Lorenz with shots as they searched for the go-ahead goal. And suddenly, the strangest of plays took place.
“I’m a defensemen, so I was in the wrong position, but I saw opportunity so I just started going,” Germano said of the deciding play.
The blue-liner took advantage of a weak Stags pass across the point to break through the neutral zone and come in on a rare breakaway for a defenseman. He was pulled down from behind without getting a shot off, but the referee whistled the play dead and immediately called for a penalty shot. Germano went straight ahead at Fairfield goalie Mark Rienzi then made his move, a quick deke to send Rienzi sprawling forward. Germano went around Rienzi with his forehand and lifted a shot into the top shelf of a wide-open net.
“We found out it could be anybody on the ice [to take the penalty shot], but we knew he earned it,” captain Steve Wagner said. “It was exciting, we all just went nuts.”
The referee’s call seemed to be the first break the Pride had since midway through the first period. Hofstra built a 4-0 lead after only 13:57 of play as they skated right around Stags’ defenders. Bryan Mazliach put the Pride on the board only 2:44 into the first, on the team’s first shot of the game.
Hofstra took a 2-0 lead at 6:13 after a bad giveaway right in front of Rienzi, and Rich Hackford had all day to grab the goal short-side. For the third goal, Ryan Drudy hacked away at a lose puck, which Cory Green found with a backhander while Rienzi was way out of position. They added a fourth goal later in the period on a wrist shot by Dave Rosoff.
Then the game took an inexplicable turn. The Stags’ Ben Welch squeaked a quick shot past a fooled Lorenz that trickled in to cut the lead to 4-1 at 18:24. The late first period goal carried Fairfield momentum into the second, when they struck only 19 seconds into the period. Justin Eisner smacked a big rebound past Lorenz to make it 4-2.
“I don’t have an explanation,” Wagner said. “They’re a good team and they wouldn’t stop coming. We didn’t expect a 4-0 lead at all, so we knew they would come back.”
The defense crumbled under its own pressure, and at 4:14 Fairfield cut the lead to 4-3. Lorenz did not see a fluttering shot from the point, and when it landed the puck hit a Fairfield stick and crossed the goal line.
The crowd was left silent just over 10 minutes later when Fairfield’s Jim Pagliaro scored on the power play.
The third period could have easily gone the Stags way as well, if not for a Herculean effort by Lorenz, who made an amazing 58 saves. While Lorenz was easily the star of the game, Mazliach nearly added a second goal at 7:41, the only real scoring chance for Hofstra before the deciding penalty shot. The puck had apparently crossed the line, but the referee was not in position to make the call. There was not a significant argument from the Hofstra bench.
NOTE: The team retired the number of teammate Vin Kelly, who died tragically last February. To read more about the pre-game ceremony, log on towww.hofstrachronicle.com/sportswire