The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Pirates erase deficit, zooms past Bruins
When Padua selected its spot on the bracket, it was sending a message: the No. 5 Bruins thought they should be at least the No. 4 seed.
Padua selected the spot that saw it facing off against No. 4 Rocky River in a sectional semifinal when it could have selected a spot that was open and would let fate decide its matchups.
Fate may have been a better
choice.
After falling in an early 3-0 hole, Rocky River scored six unanswered to top Padua, 6-3, on Feb. 19 at Brooklyn’s John M. Coyne Recreation Center.
The Pirates (21-9-1) advanced to a sectional final on Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., where they will play Strongsville. Padua ends its season at 8-20-3.
Initially, it appeared as if the bold move by the Bruins was going to pay off.
After 10 scoreless minutes, Ryan Kisel broke the scoring wall with a shorthanded goal off a turnover. Joey Borsuk extended the lead with a goal off of a faceoff to put Padua up, 2-0, after the first period.
A goal three and a half minutes into the second period by Borsuk pushed the Bruins’ advantage to 3-0, but the game did not feel like it was in Padua’s favor.
A 20-10 shot advantage for the trailing team through a period and a half will do that.
“We just knew it was only going to take one goal,” Rocky River coach Chris Cogan said. “We had plenty of chances in the first five or six minutes. There’s no two-pointer in hockey. You just have to take it one at a time and battle back. They got us early, but I knew these guys would clean up the mistakes and get back in it.”
Rocky River junior Teddy Stueber had another reason for the Padua goals.
“Flukes,” Stueber said. “Two turnovers and a random shot off the faceoff? Ryan (Dunning) isn’t going to give those up normally.”
And it did not take the Pirates long to turn it around, something Stueber made sure of.
Stueber netted a powerplay goal via redirection with just under five minutes to go in the second period to make it a 3-1 game.
Even Stueber didn’t know that he had just opened the floodgates.
“That was great,” Stueber said. “Getting six in a row isn’t easy. But this team can do that kind of thing. Deflection, anything. If we’re moving the puck, we’re going to do good things. I’m just happy I got the goal that started it, but it was a total team effort.”
Aiden Dempsey scored a minute later on a rebound to send the Pirates into the intermission trailing by one, 3-2.
Then came the goal that Cogan said was the backbreaker.
Thirteen seconds into the third period, Eddie Zuercher launched a laser of a shot into the back of the net to knot the game at 3-3.
“That was huge,” Cogan said of the goal. “I think it took a lot out of them, and that’s what we needed. I think we had the momentum coming into the period to begin with. Getting that off the bat was a key ingredient to keeping the foot on the gas and not let up.”
Stueber netted the gamewinner four minutes later and completed his hat-trick with 5:23 to go on a powerplay goal.
Nolan Weaver lit the lamp with 3:35 remaining for the final tally.
“We knew it was going to be a good game,” Cogan said. “I’m happy with how the my guys responded. Now it’s time to focus on the next round.”