Greeley-Jay Holds on for 4-3 Win Over Cortlandt

Scroll to end for photos

On Thursday February 19, 5th seeded Greeley-Jay hosted the Cortlandt Rebels, and skating to a first period scoreless draw, wasn’t necessarily even up, according to Coach Alex Lichorat. “Their goalie played great,” he said. The Rebels got to know the feeling in the second period, though, but Greeley-Jay made much more of being put on the chase.

Getting out played in the second period, said the coach, Greeley-Jay came away with a 2-1 lead anyway and went onto a 4-3 victory.

Of course, Brendon Di Benedetto didn’t wait to get started. A minute in, Brendan Asta rushed in on the left, and the Rebel had his first save.

Ryan Marcus did the same moments later, and his shot wide didn’t let the goalie off the hook. Freddie Ross found Brody Stogsdill out front, and the Rebel was on alert again

Not good enough at ten minutes, Asta gave it another go 90 seconds later. He took a lead into the zone, and Di Benedetto stood tall on the one v one.

Nonetheless, Greeley-Jay refused to abate and drew the first penalty at 6:11. Ryan Marcus, Asta and Gross all had chances, but the order was still too tall.

So Jack Hartney tried to answer with his height. With the period winding down, the junior reached high on an attempted clear and sent the puck on net to put Di Benedetto back on the docket.

He scrambled and sprawled, and Greeley-Jay had to settle for a deadlock. Even so, the boys were undeterred and came right out to work. Hartney and Asta both put Di Benedetto to the test and now the goalie had to settle.

A face off resulting, Asta made the most. His win landed on Stogsdill’s stick, and the goalie was finally beat.

In at 15:59, the Rebels were suddenly awakened. Especially Aiden Dzubak, twice he put the moves on and tested the Greeley-Jay defense. A power play resulting at 14:00, he took a pass ahead and found the goal over the shoulder of Emmet Geller at 13:35.

Greeley-Jay didn’t cower, though. Hartney put a backhand swipe to send Di Benedetto sprawling, and moments later, the goalie was reaching up for a glove save.

Back the other way, Dzubak got in the way too. On an attempted clear with ten minutes remaining, he stepped in with the interception, and now it was Geller’s turn to scramble.

Making good, the offensive took the cue and began behind the net.. “I saw they weren’t covering the slots, so I found open space on the side,” said Asta. “The puck went to me from Stogsdill, and I just tipped it in.”

Dzubak kept coming anyway. Four separate times he sent Greeley-Jay on alert, but Geller and the defense prevailed to take the one goal lead into the third.

Cortlandt pressed on after intermission nonetheless. The Rebels went on the power play 50 seconds in, and Dzubak forced the issue. The big forward weaved into the zone and teed it up.

Unfortunately for the Rebel, he shot high so Greeley-Jay took their turn. Pinging the crossbar, the razor edge remained with 14 minutes left.

No time to lament, John Jay was quickly faced with a two on one. Straight on, Matthew Lennox didn’t close the distance inside the blue line, and when he fired away, Geller had the save.

Still down one, the Rebels had good reason to stay up at 9:09. Greeley-Jay was hit with a five minute major, and the combined team had their work cut out for them.

So the boys resorted to their fall back. “The coaches gave us a great game plan to forecheck hard,” revealed Asta.

The results showed not just on the kill end. “Marcus passed all the way down to Henry (Millhon, he knocked it out of the air, and I came racing down on the left,” beamed Asta. “Great pass, I just low blocked, and it went in.”

Two minutes later, Millhon acted alone. He swung left across the zone, and his swipe beat Di Benedetto for a 4-1 lead. “They really stepped it up on the power play,” assured Lichorat.

Five minutes to go, the game was in hand. That was until Dzubak decided it wasn’t. He scored two goals in forty seconds, and with 90 seconds to go, Lichorat was feeling it. “Playoff hockey is tough,” the coach conceded.

So a timeout seemed in order. “They had a shorter bench than us, and I didn’t want them to get any rest,” he revealed.

The strategy worked. Greeley-Jay kept their heads, and North Rockland is next on Monday.

Click image for photos