Rumson settles for a 2-2 tie against Mon. Donovan
CHRIS KELLY Rumson-Fair haven’s Doug Yorke tries to put the puck past Monsignor Donovan goalie Corey Kramer during the teams’ Dec. 12 match-up at the Red Bank Armory.
By chris kelly
Staff Writer
Coaches talk about the importance of playing a "complete" game. And the reason is simple, when you let up, you allow your opponent to climb back into the game.
Unfortunately for the Rumson-Fair Haven ice hockey team, that is exactly what happened against Monsignor Donovan on Dec. 12.
After jumping to a 2-0 lead in the first period, Rumson-Fair Haven collapsed enough in the third period to allow their guests to come back and tie the game at 2-2.
With just over two minutes left in the game the Bulldogs held on to a slim 2-1 lead, but with the slap of a rocket shot from the blue line, the visitors tied up the game.
Screened by moving traffic all around him, Rumson goalie Ben Severance never saw Tom Hoggins’ slapshot snap past him.
Assisting the tying goal were Dan O’Malley and Ryan Donnelly.
"We weren’t really in the position to prevent that last play," said Rumson head coach Dave Smith. "The team played a good positional game through the first two periods; then after the first few minutes in the third we became disorganized.
"We came out with a lot of emotion and intensity because we just came off a loss that I think we should have won," he added. "We had a very successful season last year, but the kids need to realize that the clock starts over."
The Dawgs opened up the game in the first period when Brendan Smith scored a short back-hander, 36 seconds into the game.
Almost 13 minutes later it seemed as if Rumson was going to dictate the tempo of the entire game, as Chris Leasor flicked in a second-opportunity goal, off an assist from Kevin Barry.
Earning the assist on the Dawgs’ initial goal were Charlie Karoly and Brian Torcivia.
After a scoreless second period, the Griffins began to make their hosts pay for minor mistakes, first with Dave McKay scoring 4:36 into the third.
It only took Donovan 8:27 to find the net again and walk away with the tie.
Rumson outshot their guests 31-15, with Severance, making 13 saves. They thoroughly outplayed Monsignor Dono-van through two periods, and then let their guard down, and lost a chance to pick up an important win.
The Bulldogs will try to play a more complete game on Sunday when they face a very dangerous Red Bank Catholic team.
Rumson will need to bring its "A" game if it has any hopes of knocking off the Caseys, and more important, they’ll need to sustain that level of play for a full three periods.