4-3 Loss for Clarkstown on Senior Night

It was Senior Night. There was just 6:47 remaining. Clarkstown’s two captains (both seniors) had just gotten assists on the go-ahead goal. The whole team came out on the ice to congratulate them.

It seemed like a great ending to a very good year for Clarkstown Hockey.

But alas, sporting events don’t follow a script. With 41 seconds remaining, Clarkstown, after a penalty with just 51 ticks remaining, gave up the game-winner at 14:22.

At the beginning of the contest, it looked as though Coach Willow’s squad would be blown out of the waters as they couldn’t get the puck out of their own end for much of the opening period. The game then turned in the home team’s favor as the Crimson took the first penalty of the game at 12:37, but Clarkstown did absolutely nothing with the man advantage. In fact, Morristown-Beard appeared to get the better of the scoring chances during the 1 minute 30 second interval. However, even with the Crimson emphatically out-playing their opposition the contest remained scoreless going into the middle frame.

It didn’t take long for the momentum to shift back into Clarkstown’s favor. Just 43 seconds into the second period, senior Stephen Fish cashed in on a scramble in front of the net to make it 1-0. However, Captain Steven Marvin took a cross-checking penalty three minutes later, giving Morristown-Beard their first power play of the game. Although they didn’t generate any good chances, Anthony Decesare fired a shot from the point that went straight through and past goaltender Sarath Panicker to tie it up at 1-1. The teams traded chances as the pace picked up for the next 4 ½ minutes until there was a scrum in the Clarkstown crease. Teddy Hatfield found the loose puck and put it in to give the Crimson a 2-1 lead with five minute to go in the period. The teams traded penalties as the second frame faded into the third.

Neither power play unit could come away with a goal as game took on a defensive nature for the opening seven minutes of the third. That was when the two offenses exploded to create an exciting finish. On yet another scramble in front of a net, Brandon Sassano lit the lamp at 6:34 to knot it up at 2 goals apiece. Just over a minute and a half later, Tim Sanford gave Clarkstown a power play that led to goal. This one was a thing of beauty, as Steven Marvin controlled the puck along the point, fed it to defenseman Maurice Murphy who then made a hard pass toward the side of the net. Junior Nick Sassano perfectly deflected the puck into the net to give the home team a 3-2 lead at 8:13.

All the momentum seemed to be on Clarkstown’s side, but they couldn’t finish off the Crimson. Shortly after the go-ahead goal, Brian Andrezejewski made a saucer pass across the ice that was batted down by a Clarkstown stick and into net, tying the game up at 3. Then, with 51 seconds separating the teams from overtime, Brandon Sassano took a penalty and Alex Borowiec made him pay with a goal that gave Morristown-Beard the win.

Clarkstown will play their opening playoff game Sunday versus White Plains, who went 14-5-1 this season.