By Dylan Butler
It wasn’t hard to find Bobby Glade Sunday night at Abe Stark Rink on Coney Island. All you had to do was look for the puck and the senior on the Christ the King hockey team was sure to be in the vicinity.
He was also the player usually surrounded by a horde of St. Edmund players who tried to kill him every time he touched the puck.
And if you just wanted to find him on the score sheet, the Broad Channel resident was the one with one goal and four assists in the Royals’ 7-2 CHSHL B division romp.
“The biggest thing about Bobby and [Carmello Stracuzzi] is that when they play well and have a big game, everyone follows,” said Christ the King coach Pat Boller. “That’s the difference between this year and last year — I now have two lines to go to.”
Not bad for someone who said he was sluggish during the game.
“I was tired, that’s why I didn’t hit as much,” said Glade, who was on the ice at 7 a.m. with his Royals teammates for the morning skate around. “I was lazy.”
From the outset it appeared Glade was St. Edmund’s Public Enemy No. 1. He played a tough, physical game and managed to get under the skin of almost everyone in an Eagles uniform.
“I know a lot of their kids and I heard their coach yell ‘hit him,’ every time I touched the puck,” Glade said. “I would just hook at them and I knew they’d take penalties.”
Glade used the extra attention to his advantage. Whenever two or three St. Edmund players went after him, he dished the puck to an open man and the result was usually a Christ the King goal.
“I like it when he’s in control,” Boller said of Glade’s physical play. “He walks that tight rope and knows when not to cross the line.”
Glade did have two penalties, but on one trip to the sin bin in the third period, he drew a double minor on St. Edmund’s Joe Ciervo for slashing. Luis Acosta netted his second goal of the game on the ensuing power play to put Christ the King (5-4-3 CHSHL B) ahead, 6-2.
While Glade is one of the top scoring threats in the CHSHL B division, he goes unnoticed as one of the best checking forwards. He showed why he deserves that honor early in the second period.
With the game tied at 2, St. Edmund put heavy pressure on Royals goaltender Rodrigo Vidal. Eagles defenseman Matt Antonell picked up his own rebound in front and saw an open net. But Glade slid across the goalmouth to block what should have been St. Edmund’s go-ahead goal.
“That was just instinct,” said Glade, who played goal for his roller hockey team in Broad Channel.
One minute later it was Christ the King taking the lead as Steve Whelan tipped in a shot by Glade past Eagles goaltender James Keane. It was the freshman from Maspeth’s first of two goals on the night.
The Royals really took control of the game in the final 2:06 of the period when Glade threaded a gorgeous pass to Stracuzzi for a power play goal and with just seven seconds left in the period. Greg Cutrone followed Jakub Kubrak’s low hard slapshot with a great extra effort rebound goal to send the Royals into the third period ahead, 5-2.
“It’s the simple, little things,” Boller said. “It might not be the prettiest, but they’re the goals that’ll win games for us.”
Joe Taylor and Mike Rios scored for St. Edmund (4-9-1). Kubrak added three assists for the Royals, who play last place Mount St. Michael Thursday at Murray Rink in Yonkers before facing St. Peter’s Sunday at Abe Stark Rink at 7:45 p.m.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
