The Chaminade Flyers (NY) held on for a tight victory over CHSAA rival St. Anthonys (NY) on Thursday evening at St. Anthonys High School. It was the second of the presumed three annual meetings between the Long Island powers.
Chaminade pushed its 2013 record to 13-1. Meanwhile, St. Anthonys suffered its third setback of the season and second to the Flyers and fell to 11-3.
Chaminade took leads of 5-2 and 6-4 in the second half, but with both teams playing excellent settled defense they were unable to pull away until the final minute, where a big faceoff win and empty-net goal sealed the victory.
GAME TRENDS
First Half
-St. Anthonys would open the scoring in the first minute of the game on a nice alley dodge and bounce shot from senior midfielder Nick Koshansky (Notre Dame).
-The ensuing faceoff was won by Chaminade senior Kris Clarke (Hofstra) in a trend that would permeate the day. Clarke was dominant, winning 13 of 15 draws.
-Following the faceoff win, the teams would trade long, fruitless possessions. It was another theme of this game, as when settled in 6-on-6 situations, the defenses for both teams were outstanding.
-The scoring drought would last around seven minutes before Chaminade junior attackman James Roberts would cash in to tie the score at one.
-After the tally, Clarke won another faceoff and began a fast break that would be finished by senior midfielder Thomas Zenker. Zenker finished the game with three goals.
-Transition was the most effective way to score in this game, as when settled the defenses were excellent.
-The teams would again trade long possessions, but no goals would come as the first would end with Chaminade ahead 2-1.
-Again winning control off the opening draw of the second, Chaminade would possess for almost three minutes.
-The possession was aided by a few failed clearing attempts for St. Anthonys. The Friars had trouble clearing throughout the game.
-Zenker would finally end the possession with a goal to push the Flyers lead to 3-1.
-The two-goal lead would not last long, however. Another Chaminade possession resulted in a turnover.
-St. Anthonys junior midfielder Conner Byrne corralled the loose ball in his own end, absorbed some big hits, but was able to weave his way through traffic to move the ball ahead and start a fast break.
-Again, transition would result in a goal, as Dylan Molloy (Brown) would finish off the play started by Byrne to cut the Flyer lead to 3-2 with eight minutes to go in the quarter.
-After the goal, the defenses would again both assert themselves as the teams traded extend possessions with no scoring.
-With just under two minutes remaining, the Friars would fail a clear off of a timeout, which led to another unsettled goal by Zenker to push the lead to 4-2.
-Chaminade would take the 4-2 lead into halftime.
Second Half:
-Clarke would open play with a faceoff win, which would lead to another long possession for the Flyers.
-Chaminade senior attackman Ryan Lukacovic (Duke) would net a goal about two minutes into the possession on an excellent finish driving from X to the wing to push the lead to 5-2.
-St. Anthonys would win the ensuing faceoff and quickly get the lead back down to two on a nice finish from senior attackman Dave Rivoir (Tufts).
-Another long string of possessions would follow without a goal. St. Anthonys junior goaltender Jack Concannon (Hofstra) who split the game with senior Anthony De Los Reyes (RPI) was magnificent, making some point-blank saves to keep the Flyers off the board.
-St. Anthonys would net one more before quarters end, as junior midfielder Greg Galligan (Georgetown) got a goal on a nice give-and-go with Molloy to cut the Chaminade lead to 5-4 entering the fourth.
-The Friars ended the third quarter with a lot of momentum.
-The final stanza would begin with another long possession for Chaminade. However, Concannon made some point-blank saves for St. Anthonys, furthering the momentum the Friars had seized near the end of the third.
-The ensuing St. Anthonys possession, however, would be foiled by Chaminade senior defenseman Brian Dunne (Duke). Dunne caused a turnover, picked up the ground ball and sparked a fast break that ended with a Lukacovic finish to push the lead back to two at 6-4.
-The play by Dunne was monumental, as St. Anthonys was riding a wave of momentum and looking to tie the game for the first time since the opening quarter.
-Another round of long possessions would follow, but both teams would come up empty.
-With about three minutes remaining, St. Anthonys would take a two-minute slashing penalty.
-The Friars were able to kill it off, and then drew a man-up of their own with about one minute to play.
-In a tense man-up set, St. Anthonys would pull within one on a finish from senior attackman Matt Koerner (High Point), who was the recipient of a nice skip-pass to the crease.
-An all-important faceoff followed with around 30 seconds remaining and Chaminade clinging to a one-goal lead.
-As was the case all day, Clarke came up huge, moving the ball forward to himself and cleanly winning the draw. Chaminade would call timeout once they entered the box.
-St. Anthonys would double the ball, but Lukacovic would outrun his initial two pursuers and then make a nifty move on a third oncoming defender.
-With the cage vacated in the doubling situation, Lukacovic put the ball into the empty net to push the lead to 7-5, where it would remain.
-FINAL: Chaminade 7, St. Anthonys 5.
TEN TEAM OBSERVATIONS
Chaminade Offense
-Were very patient on the day, and rarely forced bad shots against a packed-in defense.
-Moved the ball on the perimeter quickly, which opened some shooting lanes.
-Rode very well, which contributed to the Friars clearing issues.
-Failed to finish inside on multiple looks in the second half, running into a hot goaltender.
-As was the case when we saw them earlier this season, they lacked a true perimeter dodger to force the St. Anthonys defenders to slide.
Chaminade Defense
-Made a huge play to push the lead back to two in the fourth quarter while St. Anthonys had seized momentum.
-They were very aggressive and did not allow ball carriers to be comfortable.
-As a unit, they are excellent handing the ball and getting it off the ground.
-Played excellent one-on-one defense, utilizing good foot position.
-Communicated very well.
St. Anthonys Offense
-Possessed the ball and finished well as a unit when opportunities presented themselves.
-Worked well together, notably in fast break situations.
-Utilized the two-man game well, which on one occasion led directly to a give-and-go score.
-Struggled to handle Chaminade pressure at times, which forced rushed looks on cage.
-Like their counterparts from Mineola, they seemed to lack a go-to dodger that could force the defense to move.
St. Anthonys Defense
-Played exceedingly well 6-on-6 and in settled situations.
-Were fluid as a unit sliding and replacing, which limited quality chances.
-Were audible communicating, switching out of different sets seamlessly.
-Goaltender play was outstanding, particularly in the second half.
-At times, they struggled handling the ball in the clearing game, which led to second-chance opportunities for the Flyers.
THREE PLAYERS THAT LEFT AN IMPRESSION
Jack Concannon (Goaltender, St. Anthonys): Playing the second half, Concannon was excellent. The Hofstra-bound junior made some huge saves, including a couple of point-blank looks that furthered momentum for the Friars while keeping their deficit maneagable. Was very athletic inside, and saw the ball well on outside looks.
Thomas Zenker (Midfield, Chaminade): Zenker was a force in the first half, netting a hat trick as Chaminade took control of the defensive battle. A big player, the Duke-bound senior showed great stick skills and an impressive ability to finish plays.
Timothy Muller (Defense, Chaminade): The Maryland-bound senior stood out with his impressive stickwork. While teammate Brian Dunne was also outstanding, Muller was a consistent force with his stick throughout the game. He picked up numerous contested ground balls and flashed good coordination with a few interceptions.