Newman’s Electric Second Period Seals Win Over St. Mary
By Larry Moko
The St. John Henry Newman Cardinals 'flipped the switch' on the St. Mary Crusaders boys' hockey team Tuesday.
In a stunning reversal after the first period, the Cardinals scored seven unanswered goals en route to a 7-2 victory at Pat Quinn Parkdale Arena.
The Crusaders had dominated play with some impressive passing in the opening period to take the lead on goals by Haydon Bradley and Aiden McGee.
However, in a span of just three minutes when play resumed in the second, Newman fought back to take a 4-2 lead.
The final result evened Newman's record at 3-3 while St. Mary dropped to 2-3-1 in the tightly-bunched Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic league standings.
"Honestly, in the first period they were all over us," Newman coach Matt Pritchard said. "It was a slow start. But in the second period we came to play -- four goals in three minutes. We completely flipped the switch there."
Newman got two goals apiece by Jack Randles, Dom Fidanza and Deson Moriarity. Will Lawrence added a single.
"We were down two," second-year left winger Randles said. "Coach wasn't happy. So the boys pulled together and scored four right away. We were buzzing. It was electric."
The rally began with Randles, who scored just 48 seconds into the middle frame.
"I can finish up close when the puck gets to me," Randles said.
According to Pritchard, Randles is a "heart and soul guy" who is a great player to have both on the ice and in the dressing room.
"You love to see a guy like that score a couple of goals," the Newman coach said.
Earlier this season, St. Mary defeated Newman, 2-1.
"I guess the only thing I can say is we have a young team this year ... like half our team is in Grade 10," Crusaders coach Jason Kokoski said. "When you have a young team it's a bit of a wild ride sometimes.
"It's sports," he added. "I don't know how else to explain it."
The Cardinals extended their lead with three goals in the third period, including a shorthanded marker by Moriarity.
Pritchard said defenceman Ben Skingley chipped in with four assists as well as turning in a solid game on the back end.
"We're not going to out-skill a lot of teams, but we play hard and get pucks on net," Pritchard said of the Cardinals. "I think we're also pretty good defensively.
"Coming into this game we had the fewest goals-against in the league. We had the fewest goals-for, too, but we made up for that today."
The Bishop Ryan Celtics lead the five-team league with a 4-2 record. And although they are tied for fourth place, St. Mary and the Bishop Tonnos Titans are only three points out of top spot.
"All the teams have pretty much beat each other," Kokoski said. "So in the playoffs I think it could be pretty crazy. It's been one of those roller-coaster years.”
"I think everyone is just trying to stay out of the fourth and fifth spot. They play an extra elimination game."
In the girls' half of the hockey doubleheader, Newman (1-4-1) and St. Mary (1-4-1) played to a 3-3 tie.
Both the St. Mary boys and girls teams recently travelled to Peterborough for a tournament, staying in cabins on Rice Lake.
"It was a fun trip for the kids," Kokoski said. "The boys lost in the semifinals and the girls lost in pool play."
Photos by Bob Butrym
More photos on the HWCDSB Athletics Facebook page here
