GTLAX Game Report - May 12 @ BK

With a final score of 21-3 over the Bishop Kearney Kings and a total of 39 points recorded (all but 3 Thunder goals were assisted), the Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder advanced their record to 8-5 under partly sunny skies at Brother Clark Stadium, former home field of the Rochester Rattlers. Thunder got all 3 goalies and virtually all of their roster into the game, save a handful of players out sick, injured or in absentia for some other reason. As expected, Thunder controlled the game from start to finish, winning 20 of 26 face offs and outworking the Kings 63-36 at the ground ball game. Gino Prestigiacomo led the way, scooping 16 (that's a lot of balls) and he distributed quite a few of them, including 5 that stood up as assists. Shots were 28-8 Thunder, so Thunder went 21/28 or 75% from the field.

Despite Nate Kessler scoring for the Kings nine seconds into the game off the first face and then getting by Rudgers again with under a minute to go to bookend the opening quarter with his second goal, Thunder rang the bell ten times in-between on six scores from Dan Vyverberg, two tallies from Anthony Merola, three assists from Joe Trimboli, and one goal apiece from Matt Keough & Tyler Giorgione (that's George-Own), to set the tone for the rest of the way. Steve Cole took the baton from Rudgers between the pipes for Thunder going into the second and would make 4 saves through 24 minutes and two periods, allowing no goals. Zach Cox made his debut serving all 12 minutes in cage for Thunder in the fourth quarter and allowing only 1 goal against. Coxy's not afraid to come out and play the ball. It was fun to watch him run, he's got some wheels. Sort of reminded me of Fran "the Scrambler" Tarkenton who played QB for the Vikes back in the 70's. But I digress and am dating myself, what else is new?

Giorgione (2g-2a) hit the mark again in the second on a fast break feed from Gino Prestigiacomo (5a) before setting up defensive captain Brandon Cheeseman (3g-1a) with his first goal of the season. Third quarter was all Cheese and Ca-Rach with Cheeseman completing the hat and Nick Caracci (2g-1a) finally putting one between the pipes for his first varsity goal, after having chipped a good deal of paint off the pipes in his first season at the varsity level. Caracci went on to score his second before the quarter, sprinkled with assists by by G-Pres, Merola (2g-1a), Bonis, and Materise (first varsity point), was out. Ca-rach's mom, the booster club president and bearer of the beads, is so proud of all of her Thunder boys!

Ca-rach was back to open the fourth frame, setting up Steve Spencer with his first varsity goal. Gino set up Thunder's next goal by lobbing the ball to the slot as purple stickman Eric Hostetter came by to snag it and beat Clarkowski far side on the run. Then back in came Vyverberg for a brief visit, scooping up a rebound and putting it home to tie Joe Hallowell (2005), Matt Keough (2010), and his own (2010) Thunder record for most goals in a single game with 7, before sitting out the rest of the contest. Vyverberg's seventh also broke Nate Wallenhorst's (2008) Thunder record for # of goals in a single season with 39. Finishing off the scoring for Thunder were Matt Keough (2g-3a) and Andrew Prestigiacomo with one each, but Dylan Miller had the last word, scoring for BK with 4 seconds remaining in the game.

Thunder will host Newark, 11:00am on Sat 15-May at Athena Stadium. Come on out and see what it's all about. I am still dying to see/hear who's got talent with an impromptu half-time show from the student body at Athena or Odyssey - stop up to the booth for a sound check before the game. I double-dog dare ya! Also, as part of our emergency broadcast system testing, I have been preparing to say the following over the loudspeaker... "is there an AD in the House?"