BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Dec. 3, 2011) - Senior captain Christian Baron (Philadelphia, Pa. / LaSalle College HS) scored his eighth and ninth goal of the season, leading Alvernia in an ACHA Div. III non-conference win over visiting SUNY-Maritime.  The Crusaders never trailed in the game and twice held three-goal leads.  The win continues Alvernia's four-game winning streak.
 
Baron lead the Crusaders with four points on the evening, two goals combined with two assists.  Alvernia grabbed the lead only 45 seconds into the first period with junior Kevin Mengel (Gilbertsville, Pa. / Boyertown HS) assisting on Baron's first goal. Mengel shoveled a short pass from behind the Privateers goal to Baron camping out in the low slot.  Baron added the Vern's second goal at the 6:03 mark, giving a quick 2-0 lead to the Crusaders.  Patrick Dolan (Cranford, Pa. / Cranford HS) finished the first period scoring by snaking a quick 'wrister' from the top of the circles using the defensemen as a screen. Dolan delivered the shot uncontested past the SUNY goaltender's short side.
 
The 3-0 lead stood until the 8:19 mark of the second period as SUNY capitalized on the Crusader's inability to clear their defensive zone.  Maritime mounted excellent pressure but Vern goaltender Jim Fynes (Philadelphia, Pa. / Roman Catholic HS) once again slowed down the attack with timely saves. The Privateers offensive thrust was soon deflated with a five minute major penalty which allowed the Crusaders to steal back the momentum.
 
Alvernia wasted no time operating on the major penalty, punching home two power play goals.  Freshman Anthony Galeano (Brooklyn, NY / St. Edmund Prep HS )  working the low slot on the man advantage found himself all alone in front and stashed home a slick backhander for the winner and 4-1 lead.  Galeano, a welcome addition this season to the Crusader blue line, has great awareness on the ice. Utilized on the power play, Galeano made the best of the opportunity; his exceptional backhand invaluable in clearing situations came in handy tonight as he deposited one in the back of the net on special teams. A shot that generally gets little attention, the pitchfork backhand serves as one of Galeano's bread and butter shots particularly on defensive zone clearing.
 
The Vern added another hole into Maritime's port side when Kevin Mengel ripped home the final goal. Mengel snuck into the slot on the power play and snapped a low wrist shot from the middle of the slot beating the SUNY goalie five hole.  Mengel's tenth goal of the season closed out Alvernia's offense for the evening and a commanding 5-1 lead entering the final intermission.
 
The third period was a neutral zone struggle which Alvernia easily handled, frustrating the Maritime with twenty minutes of a grinding dump and chase.  SUNY had the lone goal of the final period but little offense otherwise.
The Crusaders head into a Sunday showdown with DVCHC conference rival Neumann University. The game features both Atlantic Ranked programs looking for conference supremacy and legitimized as a regional powerhouse this season.