Cypress Bay saves late penalty shot to upset Dr. Krop
Time had run out on Dr. Krop’s season, but one kick could extend it. One penalty kick, with no time remaining, could force extra time in Ives Estates. One save could keep Cypress Bay from a meltdown in the final seconds of the Class 7A-Region 4 quarterfinals.
Moises Jena lined up with the ball placed at the dot. Kevin Lass stood across from him. Everyone else stood strewn across Orange Bowl Field at Ives Estates Park. Some clasped hands to their heads. Some knelt on the turf. One of Dr. Krop’s most successful seasons in history was at stake.
Cypress Bay’s run of trips to the region semifinals was, too. Finally, Jena picked out a side and Lass waited to react.
The senior shot to his right and the goalkeeper dove to his left, and knocked it away. The referee blew his whistle.
Cypress Bay was going back to the Region 4-7A semifinals after a heartpounding 1-0 win.
“I don’t even know. I’m really shocked,” Lass said. “I wasn’t expecting an ending like that, but it happened and I had to pull up for the team.”
Lass’ last-second save preserved a shutout and Cypress Bay’ impressive streak of consecutive wins in the region quarterfinals. Cypress Bay, which has won five state championships since 2011, has now advanced to at least the region semifinals in 12 straight seasons dating back to 2010.
Cypress Bay (8-3-1) will face either Flanagan or Gulf Coast in the region semifinals Saturday after upsetting the No. 40 team in the nation, according to MaxPreps.
After a goal by senior Roger Freites in the first 15 minutes, Cypress Bay spent most of Wednesday in control of the region quarterfinal. Dr. Krop (8-1-1) only put one shot on goal in the first half and three in the second, with most of its best scoring chances coming on shots from well outside the box.
As time ticked away, Dr. Krop kept sending all 11 players — including the goalkeeper — up across midfield and threatening Cypress Bay.
In the last minute, Dr. Krop senior Edward Chalarca ripped a shot in the box and Lass turned away one of the Dr. Krop’s best opportunities.
There was no time left when Dr. Krop set up for its final free kick of the game. Cypress Bay committed a handball right in front of Dr. Krop’s bench and the referee informed everyone the ensuing free kick would be the final play of the game.
Dr. Krop senior Jeremy Nichols launched a free kick from beyond midfield into the box and Cypress Bay senior Mourice Muvdi reached up and hit the ball with his hand. Dr. Krop’s season would come down one final penalty kick.
“He’s a really good player, had a great game, but I
don’t know what happened,” Cypress Bay coach Colin Ilgner said. “He lost a little mercury in his brain.”
It came down to a 1-on-1 showdown between Jena and Lass, who play together with the Weston FC development academy.
“He plays for my team,”
Lass said, “so I know where he’s going to go.”
Lass anticipated the shot to his left and dove in front of it. The ball bounced back across the goalmouth and Dr. Krop did deflect in an apparent game-tying goal, but the final whistle blew as soon as Lass made the save.
Time had expired, the referee explained to frustrated Dr. Krop players and coaches, and the extra play allowed ended once the penalty failed.
The loss ended an unbeaten season for Dr. Krop shy of the region semifinals once again. Dr.
Krop, which reached a region championship in 2019, has only been to the region semifinals four times in school history.
Cypress Bay, meanwhile, is back where it almost always is. Even after an ugly three-goal loss in the District 13-Class 7A championship Feb. 4, Cypress Bay is only two wins away from another trip to the final four and only four away from another state title.
“We’re going to come back again stronger,” Lass said. “We can’t let one of those games get to our head and come back stronger, harder and show them who we really are.”
Alexander Kerfoot broke a tie with 9:14 left, Frederik Andersen made 27 saves and the NHL-leading Toronto Maple Leafs beat the last-place Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Auston Matthews added his NHL-leading 14th goal for Toronto in the second game of three-game series in Toronto. Jake Muzzin had two assists.
Brady Tkachuk scored for Ottawa, and Matt Murray made 26 stops.
In the opener Monday night, Ottawa overcame a 5-1 deficit in a 6-5 overtime victory. The teams will wrap up the series Thursday night.
Not long after a Toronto power play ended, Kerfoot fished a puck out of a scramble in front of Murray following Muzzin’s initial shot for his third goal of the season.
Toronto opened the scoring at 4:32 of the second on Matthews’ 13th goal in his last 12 games. Moments after Joe Thornton had one of his own waved off for the second time in the game — a high stick, on this occasion — Matthews took a pass from Justin
Holl and rifled a one-timer past Murray.
Tkachuk tied it with 1:22 left in the second for his fifth of the season and 100th NHL point.
ELSEWHERE
Rangers: New York, on a four-game losing skid, will be without defenseman Jacob Trouba for the next four to six weeks because of a broken thumb. MVP finalist Artemi Panarin is expected to to return Thursday against Philadelphia after missing the past two games with a lower-body injury. Panarin, who was injured last week in a game against Boston, leads the team with five goals, 10 assists and 15 points.
Stars: The NHL announced Wednesday that Thursday’s Stars-Lightning game would be postponed “as a result of ongoing power issues caused by severe weather in the Dallas area, and after consultation with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s office.”
The decision to postpone Thursday’s game came after games Monday and Tuesday against the Predators were postponed. The next scheduled Stars game is Saturday against Tampa Bay at the American Airlines Center.
The latest postponement is the seventh of the season for the Stars, who lost their first four games of the season because of a COVID-19 outbreak during training camp. Only New Jersey has played fewer games than the Stars (12).
Should Dallas restart its schedule Saturday against the Lightning and end it May 10 as currently scheduled, the Stars will play their final 44 games in 80 days.
The combination of the coronavirus pandemic and a severe winter storm have left the Stars with a heavy burden to carry the final three months of the season.
“Ultimately, the league is responsible for postponing games,” NHL senior vice president of communications John Dellapina said. “But ... we make such decisions in close consultation with the clubs affected and the local authorities, clearly prioritizing the safety of our players, coaches, fans and communities.”