January
6, 2007
HACKENSACK -- As a freshman playing for the first time in the Bergen Catholic-Don Bosco rivalry, Carlo DiPiazza admitted to being scared prior to stepping on the ice on Friday afternoon. Less than two hours later, he struck fear into the Ironmen hearts.
DiPiazza got the Crusaders going with the all-important first goal, then was in the right place at the right time to score two more in leading Bergen to a 5-3 win that keeps them alive in the chase for a Gordon Cup playoff spot.
“We were really worried about this game,” DiPiazza said, “and for me, the first time playing in this rivalry, I was nervous.”
The win moves BC to 2-5 on the season and continues the trend of the last four games. They have been a work in progress, according to head coach Dan May, and progress was the operative word against Bosco.
“Ever since the CBA (loss), we changed some things around and have been making progress,” May related. “I’m happy for the kids that they got some positive feedback in winning a game, but I don’t think we ever thought of ourselves as a bad hockey team. This was another step in our development.”
For Bosco, the loss ended a modest two-game winning streak and dropped them to 2-4-1 overall.
“The key to the game was that we got outworked for the first 30 minutes,” DB head coach Matt Nielsen assessed. “We didn’t work hard, we didn’t finish checks, they beat us to loose pucks and outplayed us for two periods.”
Bergen Catholic also got the first goal of the game at 4:04 of the first period, and it was set up by a Dan Brecher pass to DiPiazza in the right circle. He dropped low off the right post and sent a shot across the crease and just inside the left post.
“There were two defensemen, and I beat one and got the pass and had a perfect lane to shoot,” DiPiazza said.
”One of the things we talked about before the game was trying to score the first goal,” BC head coach Dan May said. “We haven’t been playing with a lot of confidence, and scoring the first one was a boost.”
Armed with the lead, DiPiazza and his teammates were able to relax a bit, despite not generating very much in the offensive zone. They had only three first period shots compared to eight for the Ironmen.
DiPiazza struck again at 3:16 of the second period after Dan Semon had done the majority of the work. Semon came in on a rush to the left of DB goalie Brian Beneke, and he feigned a shot and pulled the puck back before getting a shot off that Beneke saved. The rebound came to DiPiazza in front and he had most of the left side to shoot at.
The Ironmen cut the deficit to 2-1 just 44 seconds later, as Dan Fredeman sent one off the right post and in, with assists from Mike Garlasco and Connor Leen on the power play. Don Bosco took a penalty right after the score, and it came back to bite them at 4:52.
C.J. Ganass took a shot from the right point along the ice that Beneke never saw off the stick. He reacted late and could not slide over in time as the puck slithered just inside the right post for his first varsity goal. Brendan Maron got the assist on the power play score.
DiPiazza completed his hat trick with a power play goal at 11:46 of the second, again thanks to a fortuitous bounce. He worked his way in front and sent a shot on net that Beneke (16 saves) stopped. The rebound came right back to his stick and he beat the sprawled goalie for a 4-1 BC advantage.
“He’s a natural goal scorer,” May said of his freshman. “He has that nose for the goal, and he has a lot of poise with the puck.”
“We’ve been playing our hearts out,” DiPiazza remarked, “and now we’ve got a little confidence.”
The Ironmen had a potential goal waived off at the end of the second period, as the referee ruled that Garlasco’s shot went in after the buzzer, and Garlasco had an earlier breakaway on which he lost the puck as he was about to shoot.
“We came out flat, and I a game against your rival, you shouldn’t be coming out flat,” Nielsen said. “That was the last thing I expected. They were a team on their heels and we gave them life."
Leen scored for Don Bosco at 7:24 of the third, deking and pulling the puck from his right to his left before beating Crusader goaltender Mike Lanwehr (26 saves). Garlasco was credited with the assist.
Bergen answered back at 11:34 as Ray McCourt cashed in a rebound in front. Tyler Bishop and Mark Plage earned the assists on the score.
Collin Berndt finished the scoring at 12:26, collecting the rebound of Joe Wesolowski’s shot from just inside the blue line and knocking it past Lanwehr. Mike Dolman had the second assist.
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