It was senior nite for Spencerport as they hosted Athena/Odyssey under the lights on the turf, Thursday the 20th of May at Ranger Field. In a see-saw battle where the lead changed twice and the momentum changed thrice, the Rangers ultimately came out on top 16-12 to win the game and sweep a rather competitive series, having edged Thunder by only 2 goals with a 9-7 result earlier in the season. Better tell the engineers that the new field is tilted as 21 of the 28 goals were scored at the East end with the Rangers winning the first 4-1, Thunder winning the second 6-2, Rangers winning the third 7-1, and Thunder winning the fourth 4-3.
It was a rather sloppy start for the Thunder as they struggled to complete a pass and watched the Rangers take an early lead. Scoring for the Rangers in the first were Nick Fischer (7g-1a) with a pair, Ben Tribunella off the hail mary pass from Schweikert, and Seth Miller with a drive from up top. Tyler Giorgione (5g) had the lone goal for Thunder in the opening frame as he split the D, got checked and dropped the ball, then regained the handle and beat Schweikert at close range to put his team on the board and stop the bleeding.
First quarter truly tested Thunder's mettle as they trailed by three but they would battle back with six goals in the second to lead by one at the half, 7-6. Matt Keough (2g-2a) setup Dan Vyverberg (3g-2a) for two tallies, Giorgione ripped three more, and Nick Caracci added one, after making a quick cut to the slot and gathering a no-look feed zinged over the cage by Vyper at X. Kristan Barbato (3g) and Ben Tribunella (3g) scored one apiece for the Rangers assisted by Marcus Palvino and Matt Kaser.
Matt Keough netted his first of the game at the start of the third, assisted by Vyper, to keep the rally going and get ahead by two, but the the tide would soon turn as the Fischer show took center stage and the Ranger's senior attackman set up his line mate Austin Hintz before going on a 4-goal tear of his own. Marcus Palvino walked in and hit the mark to join the to Fischerpalooza as did Ben Tribunella with a bingo goal, and it was 13-8 Rangers going into the final frame.
Barbato scooped one outside the Thunder crease and beat Rudgers to open the fourth. Keough answered back for Thunder, rolling and ripping one post and in. Fischer got the next goal, his 7th, followed by Barbato for the Rangers. And then Thunder tried mounting a comeback as Nick Kraft sailed a wing to wing pass across the middle to Vyper for number ten, Andrew Prestigiacomo drove the lane and notched number eleven, non-dom, and Tyler Giorgione buried his 5th for an even dozen. Unfortunately for Thunder it was a little too little, a little too late, but still a rather exciting finish with everyone in the house on pins and needles as the players battled their hearts out on the gridiron.
Despite losing the war, Thunder won the ground ball battle 56-45, led by Brandon Cheeseman (16gb) and Nick Kraft (6gb). Thunder also controlled the face off circle winning 18 of 30 draws, bolstered by front-man Joe Trimboli. Thunder went 3 for 9 on the EMO and shut the Rangers out on all 6 attempts. Hats off to the Thunder defense who played a very physical game from the cage out, keeper, long poles and middies alike. Rudgers fisnished with 11 saves, stoning some pretty heavy shots by the Rangers. Sophomore long pole Keenan Mahoney was a key contributor for Thunder in his second game up from JV thwarting numerous Ranger offensives alongside the usual suspects on D from Cheese to Materise to LePore. The beads help us score, but the angels (in the outfield and around Gloria's neck) protect our turf. Joe Trimboli (at one point having 6 white shirts on him and still coming out with the ball), Eric Hostetter, Mike LoFaso and Parker Bonis played gritty on the defensive side of the ball as well, forcing beaucoup turnovers to help Thunder go on the attack. Take away the lapse in the third quarter when Fischer went on his 4-goal streak and we just might have gone to extra innings. All of that said, Spencerport finished the regular season with an 8-8 record while the Thunder delivered a team best 10-6. Official MC3 standings and sectional seedings are forthcoming as the remaining Section V contests wrap up over the weekend. Stay tuned for further details!
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