WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Red Light Bailey. November 25, 2006: White Plains held off a furious finish by Somers/North Salem, making Phil Sigona’s point blank goal off a flip in from the left crease on a pass from Rui Encarnacao and Tim Conroy at  4:34 of the Third period hold up for 10 minutes for a 4-3 win in the Tiger opener  of the 2006 White Plains Tiger Invitational Hockey Tournament Friday. The Tigers play Horace Greeley Saturday night at 8:30 P.M. on Ebersole Ice in their second game. 

TIGER Phil Segona behind goaltender and defender (8) puts the rubber in the net for the winning goal at 4:34 of the Final Stanza after Rui Encarnacao (9) and Tim Conroy (right) set him up. It was Segona's second goal of the game. Conroy had 2 assists, and Encarnacao 1. Photo, WCPNR Sports

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead at the 3:26 mark of the first period on a brilliant hustle goal unassisted by Matt Altieri (shown at far right in this shot, stick in air, flat on ice), who picked off a clearing pass falling to the ice and batted it 20 feet into the lower left hand corner of the Somers net. Outstanding pesky pucking behind the goal by Charlie Pavarini, center of pic, and Ryan McGee(8) resulted in Altieri's hustle goal. As a Somers defender cleared the rubber,  Matt intercepted in an athletic dive-and-shoot motion and deftly lined it low and hard past the screened goaltender, zipping it into the net. The puck is about to jut the net out to the right of the official's arm. Photo, WPCNR Sports

Somers-North Salem got the equalizer on a power play goal at 4:06 of the second period as Nick Mastroianni skated across in front from 30 feet out and fired unobstructed dead-on, beating Mike Pavarini to his left side. Somers stepped up the hitting,  checking and decking Tigers left and right disrupting the flying Tigers. Somers aggression distracted the Tigers to where Joe Marasco scored a shorthanded goal 11 minutes into the second period, with the Orange and Black on a power play, Marasco slipping behind the Tiger defense, giving Somers a 2-1 lead at 11:32.

The Little Forward Stuns

Jeremy Lindh, the little forward, the Bobby Shantz of hockey,  who comes up to the knees of every player on the ice took a pass from Weston McCandless and Matt Goldstein, skated in deep on the near side to the goal line and 15 feet to the goaltender’s right,  fired a parallel  to the goal line shot from the side of the net in behind the Somers netminder of the unlucky keeper’s skate to equalize matters  a minute later at 2-2 at 10:32.

The Tigers peppered 15 shots on goal in the second period packing most into the last five minutes. The pressure paid off when  Phil Sigona took a pass from Tim Conroy from the side of the net at the top of the left circle, skated in to the top of the circle and blasted a forehand blazer whipping it into the lower right hand corner for a 3-2 lead at 12:39 into the second stanza. Here Sigona facing the sports camera celebrates from where he fired the shot into the lower right hand corner of the net.  Defenseman  Steve McCarrick(24) raises his stick in celebration. Photo, WPCNR Sports

Through two periods the Tigers had outshot Somers-North Salem 25-10.

Somers tied it up off a face off to begin the third period, a mere 3:39 into the final 15 minutes as Joe Marasco took the draw  to the left of Pavarini and skated straight in unmolested

On Mike’s left and beat him between post and leg for the equalizer.

The Seek Line Combines for the winner. Photo, WPCNR Sports

Not to be denied the “Seek” Line of Conroy, Encarnacao and Sigona hit the ice and working deep in the Somers end worked the puck loose. Encarnacao circled in the near corner behind the goal, unchallenged by Somers defense, he skated in passed to Tim outfront who fed to Sigona waiting on the back door on the left post at point blank range got it past the goaltender who had come out a skate too far. Phil was right there to stick it in for a 4-3 advantage 3 minutes and 26 seconds into the period. There were ten minutes and 34 seconds to go.

Bottling them up: The Tigers work the trap in center ice in the final minutes killing off two penalties. Defensemen Steve McCarrick, (24) and Jaime Fairhurst (16) and their mates did not let Somers-North Salem get into gear. Photo, WPCNR Sports 

The Tigers were tested on two power plays by Somers but they handled the kills brilliantly, particularly the second man-advantage, bottling Sommers up in the center zone like the Devils trap. Mike Pavararini made his toughest save of the night on a three-foot high mortar shot from the top of the circle plucking it out of the air before it found the upper right corner.

Closing the Backdoor. Mike Pavarini, Tiger Den Minder, closes the door as Somers attacker attempts to jam the post in final two minutes. Photo, WPCNR Sports

Somers pulled their goaltender and  Charlie steered away one close call with less than a minute to go, and the Tigers held on to win one of the most entertaining high school hockey games you’ll see. Tiger Coach, Howard Rubenstein, said Somers gave the Tigers all they could handle, and the Tigers were fortunate to come away with the win.

Chippie Second Period.  Matt Altieri (6) fires! Puck heads for Somers Goaltender as a Flying Tiger dives for the bound with 2:25 to go in the rousing Period 2. Photo, WPCNR Sports 

Tiger Paws: The Tigers unloaded 35 shots to 19 for Somers-North Salem…There were 14 penalties in this contest, 9 in the line-em-up and let’em have it second period. The contest was well-called by the officials. There were three or four Tigers who were slow to get up in this one due to the heavy hits. The Tiger conditioning helped considerably in the Third Period as Somers appeared to not have the legs to challenge on the two power powers in the last 7 minutes… The Tiger forechecking was the difference in this game, fearless forechecking created every Tiger goal.

In other tournament action, Horace Greeley beat Stepinac 5-2 and White Plains will faceoff against the Quakers Saturday night at 8:30 P.M.  Mahopac defeated Brewster, 7-0, and the Indians will play Monroe-Woodbury at 6:30 P.M. Monroe Woodbury defeated Ryetown-Harrison, 9-0. Brewster will play Ryetown-Harrison at  9:45 A.M. Saturday morning, and Stepinac will play Somers-North Salem at  4:30 P.M.