Roller Hockey Teams Suit Up For 2013
Both the Empire State Legends Minors and Elite teams were in action on Saturday, Jan. 5 against their counterpart teams from the Plainville Fireant organization.
Tatarian makes Minor Legend debut
The Minor Legends defeated the Plainville Fireants with a 5-4 win in the first game of their scheduled afternoon doubleheader.
The organization, in an attempt to beef up its goaltending, added Matt Tatarian to the system. GM Rich Ritchie asked that Minor Head Coach Mark Ferro start Tatarian to see what he was made of, as he felt it would be a good test.
Tatarian answered the bell, posting a win, surrendering four goals; he was victimized by his team’s lackluster play in their own zone.
Adam Taddeo’s second of the year stood up as the game-winner. Four other players lit the lamp for the Minor Legends in the win (Philip Cascio, Mike Napoli, Vincent Vilinoti and Matt DeMartini) with Vilinoti adding an assist and Napoli two.
The Minors Legends are currently atop the New England Minor Division, but have many more games played over its division rivals.
Minor Legends can’t complete the sweep
After winning the opener, the Minor Legends failed to complete their sweep over the Plainville Fireants in game two, falling short 3-2. Five minor penalties by the team prevented them from getting into a flow.
After Mike Cascio’s screen shot along the ice, between the legs on the PV goalie found its mark with 4:51 left, it looked like the Fireants might fold their tent.
The Minor Legends were awarded a power play with 2:54 left in the game, but the Hartford goalie stood tall to the test and stopped everything thrown at him.
Minor Coach Mark Ferro pulled Berghorn in favor of the extra skater, but the Minor Legends’ efforts fell short and time ran out.
The team were without the services of Sean Beatly who was out with an injury.
Legend Elites outscore Fireants 10-7
Head Coach and GM Rich Ritchie will state that “no lead is safe until the final buzzer and you are never out of a game here,” as evidenced by the five seconnd period goals the Legends scored against the six they surrendered.
After Shawn Hrock (two goals in the first) and Conner Cafferty and Joe Petrizzo scored (the first of the season for each) the Legend Elites led by two after one.
Between periods, Ritchie told his troops that “they had better not fall asleep and get comfortable against this Fireants team, as they are really— and I mean really—a force to be reckoned with this season.” The Fireants battled throughout and outscored the Legend Elites 6-5 in the final frame.
Despite the Legend Elites being outscored in the final period, Jarred Occhicone made some stellar saves to keep the Fireant Elites from taking the lead.
Joe Mazzie added a pair of goals for a three-point game, Hrock completed his hat trick and James Tamburio, Thomaz Zukowski and Frank Florio closed out the Legend Elites scoring.
Legend Elites will have to wait until March to try to tie
Another crazy scoring marathon in Connecticut ended the doubleheader, but this game ended with an even wilder twist.
In the first period, the Fireants tookaa4-3lead12minutesintothe game. After a goalie switch by the Legends, both teams scored four goals each, leaving the Legends down 8-7 late in the game.
With 0:02 left on the clock, the Legends were awarded a penalty shot after a Fireants player was caught catching and throwing the puck out of the playing area.
The shot will take place in Feasterville, Pa. on March 2. That is when both teams will be playing against different opponents in a jamboree.
Joe Mazzie registered his first hat trick of the year, Jim Tamburino netted a pair and Brian Yohe and Jeffrey Kotcher added solo markers, closing out the scoring. Yohe will be taking the penalty shot.
