Nov. 22, 2003
Two great individual efforts by junior Jason Fall and the outstanding goalkeeping of sophomore Jeff Pardue proved the difference as the Endicott Gulls broke back into the win column with a 2-1 overtime thriller over Connecticut College on Saturday, Nov. 22.
In a game dominated by 60 minutes of penalties (11 minors against Endicott, 13 minors and one misconduct against Connecticut), the smaller, faster Gulls had a hard time deciphering the bruising style and clutch-and-grab tactics of the plodding Camels. The Gulls outshot Connecticut 44-26, but many of those chances were taken from long-range, and posed little threat to Camel goalie Hanif Poffy.
After a scoreless first period, the Gulls broke through on a power play, with CC's John Magones in the penalty box for crosschecking. Fall took a pass from freshman Mike Tonucci behind the Camels goal line eight minutes into the second stanza, faked a quick pass on the short side before wrapping the puck around the far side and between Poffy's pads for a 1-0 Endicott lead. Less than eight minutes later, with Endicott's Casey Marini in the penalty box for an ill-advised retaliatory roughing minor, the Camels got the equalizer. Connecticut captain Eric Bozozoski cruised to the front of the crease, took a slick feed from Arthur Peros, and buried the puck behind Pardue for a power play tally. Despite that goal, Pardue was sharp, and kept the score even with several spectacular saves at the end of the second period, when the Gulls were again shorthanded.
The uneven play continued in the third period, with nine penalties whistled. The Gulls got a lucky break when Ryan Woodward fired a shot wide while staring at an empty net at the tail end of a 2-on-1 break. Pardue again came up big in the final five minutes, smothering a number of point blank bids by the Camels and remaining calm under pressure despite a slashing penalty by CC's Kevin Cooke. The game went into overtime, with the score knotted at 1-1, and Fall sitting in the penalty box with CC's Ryan Woodward for coincidental roughing minors. Shortly after he got back on the ice, however, the hard-working junior collected the puck in the neutral zone, made a nifty move along the boards to spring past the Camels defense, and snapped a low wrist shot short side that beat Poffy for the game-winning goal.
The win improved Endicott's record on the season to 4-6-2. The Gulls next take to the ice after the Thanksgiving holiday break in a critical league match-up at Bridgewater State College on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The next home game for the Gulls will be Saturday, Dec. 6, against Bates College.
FINIS
