Flooded Locker-Room Not Enough to Slow Gulls
Nov. 4, 2005
Nov. 4, 2005
Coming off a big win against Marist College, Endicott looked to continue their success against the Babson College Beavers this past Saturday. The Gulls made sure to put on a show for the Homecoming Weekend crowd by scoring 11 goals to the Beavers' 2.
The commanding offense was present the entire game and proved to me no match for Babson. The Endicott hockey team fell victim to the never-ending rain and flooding that had plagued the New England area for the past few weeks, as the team's locker room welcomed several inches of water.
But despite the water-logged equipment, the Gulls came to play and this was evident in the level of play in the first period. Right from the beginning, Endicott threw everything they had at the Beavers, including their bodies. The blue and green sacrificed their bodies in both the defensive and offensive zones with an array of blocked shots and crashed nets. The hard work paid off early in the first period during a four on four when junior Mike Manfredi unleashed a hard slap shot from the top of the circle and freshman Bryan Joyce nailed the open net rebound for the first goal of the game. Seconds later, senior Mark Vaughan crashed the net and punched home a free rebound giving Endicott a quick 2-0 lead.
Off to a roll early in the game, the Gulls allowed Babson to score off a home run pass during a line change, bringing the score to 2-1. But Captain Adam Partaledis struck back, and then some, as he brought out his sniper rifle to let go of a bullet from the boards, nailing the top right corner.
On a gallant play later in the first, Manfredi sacrificed his body as he took a devastating hit but advanced the puck to generate a power play goal from sophomore Chris Garofalo. The big first period was topped off with a fantastic individual effort by freshman Tyler Reeves giving Endicott a 5-1 lead going into the locker-room.
The second period allowed the Gulls to extend their lead with another goal off a rebound during another power play score by freshman Anthony Chedid combined with impressive puck movement by Brendan Mack and Reeves. Sophomore Brian Sullivan scored off the rebound from a Partaledis shot that rang off the post and after a second try; Partaledis hit the net for another power play goal from Chris Garofalo.
With a 9-1 lead going into the third, Endicott began to cool their engines. Babson was able to put one more on the board but was still outscored in the final period. Hungry for the hat trick, Partaledis put home his second power play goal of the game, a result of physical play in front of the net and steady puck movement. Greg Dorman finished up the scoring on a speedy breakaway and pretty move beating the Babson goalie.
Babson was no match for the hard hitting, physical play of Endicott, and team depth certainly played a factor in the game. The restraint the Gulls exhibited as the game went on is worthy of recognition as well. And the play of goaltender Josh Provost was vital to the Gull win. Provost did not see frequent action through the course of the game; however, stopping the puck when Babson did create offense helped Josh to win his first start of the season.
With two wins under their belt, as well as a power outage and flooded locker-room, the Endicott Gulls will host Western Connecticut on Saturday, October 22nd at 7:00 pm. And who knows what extraneous obstacles the team will face then.