Hershey, Pa (Dec. 9, 2007). The Crusader's played a quick turn around game Sunday morning in Hershey and erased Saturday night's deflating loss to Neumann. The Vern fatigued and experiencing some hang over symptoms still managed to smack Shippensburg 9-4 in the nostalgic Hershey Arena. The victory completed the season sweep of the Red Raiders and gave the Crusader's a nice send off for the Christmas holiday.
It was a slow start in this untraditional 11:00 A.M game time. The Crusader's had to lace up two games in less than 15 hours. The Vern still boasting a deep roster had the luxury of utilizing some healthy scratches from Saturday evening's game. The game was riddled once again with over thirty odd penalties. Fortunately, the Crusader's talented penalty kill unit was able to erase a seven minute disadvantage in the second period. The offensive power outage on Saturday night was restored and the Vern illuminated the Hershey Arena goal lamps generously on for the Sunday Hockey Brunch.
Several Alvernia forwards contributed to the offensive party, both
Ryan Kelly (Ardmore, Pa/Lower Merion HS) and Zane Camburn (Rieglesville, Pa/Nazareth HS ) added two goals each. Captain
Michael Gilmore (Farmington, MN/Eastview HS) maintained his goal scoring consistency with two goals in the opening period. Key goals came off the stick of
John Caputo (Philadelphia, Pa/Roman Catholic) and freshman forward
Eric Phillips (River Edge, NJ/River Dell Regional HS). Crusader leading goal scorer
Anthony Froio (Glenolden, Pa/Interior HS) also added a late goal to inflate the score.
Kelly tallied the game winner late in the second period followed shortly by Caputo's insurance effort. Alvernia shut down the Ship in the third period allowing only five shots on goal. The most revealing moment of the game came midway the second period when Alvernia's top line phenom
Eric Ryan (Aston, Pa/Sun Valley HS ) served a tomahawk two minute slash followed immediately with a Game Disqualification cross check. The Vern rallied around the suspect suspension and killed the better part of this major penalty. Alvernia surrendered two goals over this period but could have suffered a worse fate if not for a tenacious penalty kill. The Crusader's head into the Holiday Season with a festive 12-3 overall record.
Special Team Kudos:
Once again a whooping 33 minutes in penalty kill time for Alvernia
Did You Notice:
Ryan Kelly's Hat Trick was waived off but his Flag Pole Still Stands
You could boil an egg in that Locker Room
