WPCNR PRESS BOX. By “Red Light” Bailey. November 27, 2006 UPDATED WITH PIX 2:02 A.M. E.S.T.: Monroe-Woodbury’s Crusaders showed why they are the Section 9 State Champions Sunday night, taking a 2-1 lead after one period, stretching it to 5-2 in the final period for a 6-3 win to take the Tigers 2006 Invitational Hockey Tournament. The big, fast-moving, slick-passing, hard shooting Crusaders played 90% of the game in the Tigers defensive end punishing Mike Cambareri with 41 shots to just 19 by the Tigers, and 9 of those came in the Third Period.
JARRING GOAL! After falling behind 3-1 in the second period, a rare misplay at the Crusader blue line let the Tigers Charlie Pavarini carry in on left wing who passed to Matt Altieri (far left of picture) to the right of Crusader goalie. Altieri passed across the goal mouth to Ryan McGee swooping in on right wing -- seen in front of Sean O'Sullivan (M-W goalie). Ryan rammed the puck into the lower right corner to make it 3-2 with 3 minutes to go in the second period. The Tigers were back in it! Photo, WPCNR Sports
First Period and Second Period All Blues All the Time
In the first period, Monroe came out flying. The Monroe-Woodbury Coach told WPCNR after the game that his team plays a cycle-the-puck system in the offensive zone working it around in a circle. He added the team plays a trapping game like the New Jersey Devils, stationing his defense at the blue line. And they pinch forward to the opponents’ blue line if the offense is keeping it in.
At many stages this evening, it looked like Monroe was consistently on a power play with 5 skaters hounding the Tigers and taking long shots, short shots, hard shots at Cabarini. Monroe makes this work becase they have fast skaters who rarely make a bad pass. It was evident all first period, because the Crusaders were out forechecking the Tigers deep in their own end consistently. They were getting a lot of shots and because the shots were so hard, Mike was giving a lot of rebounds.
Andy Himelson, big number 7, gave the Tigers the first taste of the explosiveness of the Crusader stars 3 minutes and 48 seconds into the game when he swooshed in across the goal mouth, shot, and jammed his own rebound to make it 1-0.
Tigers Answer
Phil Segona stole the puck from a Crusader defender to the right of goalie O’Sullivan and passed to Rui Encarnacao to the left of O’Sullivan a mere minute later to tie it 1-1, But, this was one of the few successful forecheck efforts of the night by the Tigers, who usually create their opportunities. They could not do that consistently tonight.
Five minutes later at 9:43, The Crusaders stuck again when Himelson again stole the puck walked in on goal, Cabarini went down stopped the shot. Chris DeThomas was at the side door and netted the rebound for a 2-1 Crusader lead after the first period. The Crusaders left fly 14 shots in the first period to 3 for White Plains. Though there was only one penalty in the period, it looked like the Crusaders were perpetually on a power play. They are a great team.
Carney Kills em
In the second period, Julian Carney poked home a rebound off a hard shot to make it 3-1 three minutes and 27 seconds into the period, which stood up until the Tigers McGee gave the Tigers hope late in the period. Again the Crusaders in what looked like a shootaround warmup in the Tiger end, fired 14 shots at Cabarini.
Superb Defensive trapping and holding position, frustrated Tiger rushes the whole night long. Here Andy Himmelson (in blue nearest camera) pokes away a lead pass for Tim Conroy, while his comrade in "Dee" Brad Campagna beats a Tiger to the puck. Himelson and Campagna broke up rushes at the blue line and even pinched at the Tiger blue line keeping the puck in the Tiger zone. Photo, WPCNR Sports
But, as they had all night, the Crusaders skated right back hard and in the Tigers' faces, answering 27 seconds later when a blistering slapshot by Chris Meily clacked off Tiger Goalie Cambareri’s stick out in front, and rebounded straight out to Tyler Sioboda inbetween the circles who blasted a forehand just to Mike’s left and in for a 4-2 lead to close the second period. It was the biggest goal of the night.
The Third Period stayed 4-2 through the first 6 minutes of the third period before Monroe-Woodbury’s Ian Mauriello got his stick on the puck in center ice and, getting up a head of steam skated uncontested straight down Broadway in the circle to the right of Cambareri and beat him clean to Cambareri’s left side, lower right corner, making the net bulge for a 5-2 lead. Mike Altieri answered 18 seconds later, when on one of just three Tiger goal gangups tonight, Charlie Pavarini passed the puck to Ryan McGee to the right of the goal who fed Altieri on the opposite side of goaltender O’Sullivan’s left, Altieri whisking it into the net to cut the deficit to 5-3 with 9 minutes to go.
With 9 minutes to go in the game, and a 5-3 lead, Monroe-Woodbury returned to their one-third ice game, and kept peppering Tiger goaline Cambareri with shot after hard shot, chewing up 6 minutes of precious Tiger comeback time. This was the balance of the action in the final half of the third period right here. This was the scene most of the evening a lot of big blue jerseys hanging out, circling like sharks in front of the beleagured Tiger defenders, blasting away and capturing rebounds and firing again. Photo, WPCNR Sports
By this I mean, Monroe-Woodbury keeps passing and shooting the puck at your goaltender in your ice, most of the time, and they always get the rebound, and they always keep the puck in, I have rarely seen anything like this, but then they are the State Champions. They are aided greatly by their quick-reacting defensemen Andy Himelson (#7) and Brad Campagna, who play on the opposition's blue line, and in reactions of incomparable timing keep the darn puck in you zone. When your forwards do break out they pesk you up in center ice and stand you up at their own blue line, or hold their ground and deftly poke the puck away.
The Tigers took one of the night’s rare penalties, an unfortunate hooking by Pavarini, and that extended Monroe-Woodbury’s shooting gallery time, though they did not score. When the penalty ended, Jaime Fairhurst got called for a crosscheck and the Tigers were shorthanded for another two minutes. With the penalty killers exhausted from chasing rebounds onto Monroe sticks, Mauriello stole the puck again at the Monroe blue line and under a full head of steam ¾ the length of the ice, skating uncontested swooshed in front of Cambareri and tried to jam it in on Mike’s left side. Mike turned it aside but Julian Carney trailing the play picked the rebound and lofted it over Mike’s left shoulder into the upper right corner for a 6-3 lead with 3:03 to go in the game.
"The Conroy Creaming"
Then the game got very ugly. On a Tiger breakaway, Tim Conroy was taken down from behind. No penalty shot was called. In an ensuing melee around the Monroe net, Crusader defenders objected to their goalie being jostled on O’Sullivan’s two toughest saves of the night. Minutes later Conroy coming in on goal for a rebound and was lined up and crosschecked from behind across the shoulders and sent flying into the Monroe net, and was real slow to get up.
The Conroy Creaming was a flat-out dirty play from behind that the Crusader player lined up and deliberately laid on Conroy. The coach should kick that player off the team. If a player is hurled into the net and his throat/neck hits the cross bar you could break the player's neck or paralyze him.
The player who did that disgraced his fine team -- a great team -- by laying on a vicious hit from behind just because he could. He tars his team with one brush with that act, and the players I saw for Monroe hit hard and clean and play the puck not the man. And it ended the game with a pall.
A Champion player doesn't make a hit like that.
Champions don't play like that.
Fights.
Naturally this lead to retaliation. On the next Monroe rush, a Crusader pushed the Tiger goalie. The Crusaders’ Mauriello and Matt Goldstein of the Tigers were sent off for roughing at 1:34 to go.
At 11 seconds to go in the game the Tigers and the Crusaders mixed it up in front of the nets and two fights broke out. The referees ended the game without playing the last 11 seconds. It was an ugly end to a well-played game by Monroe-Woodbury all because one player decided he'd play tough guy by cross-checking a player flying into a net. It's easy to hit a person from behind. Nothing difficult about it at all. Even I, a lowly untough 61 year old reporter can do that and on skates too. That's how tough it is to hit a person from behind. Even a 61 year old can do it. Photo, WPCNR Sports
Coach Howard Rubenstein of the Tigers, said he was disappointed his team did not play better, but noted Monroe Woodbury has very skilled players who pass and shoot well, and rush the puck up ice. He said he’d like to play Monroe Woodbury again.
All's Well: White Plains Coach Howard Rubenstein hands out awards after the game. Photo, WPCNR Sports.
