Sachem Hockey Falls Behind Early, Can't Recover Against Connetquot

For the second consecutive game, the Sachem Arrows hockey team had a slow start resulting in early deficits. Last week against Northport, Sachem was able to bounce back and win. This week, however, against a far better opponent in Connetquot, the hole was too deep to get out of, as the Arrows were defeated 7-5.

"This is one of the more simple explanations [for the loss]," said Sachem head coach Tom Kramer, who watched the game from the stands while serving a one-game suspension. "We came here not ready to play hockey."

Kramer said the mental preparation and dedication was lacking from his team.

The Arrows found themselves down just 22 seconds into the opening stanza when Connetquot's Nick Russo led Tyler Young with a pass down the middle of Sachem's zone. Young was able to deke Sachem goaltender Brandon Bassett to give the T-Birds the 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, Sachem's Chris Chizzoniti was robbed on a breakaway by T-Birds goaltender Brett Ficken, who made a spectacular glove save to preserve the one-goal lead.

Connetquot doubled its lead when Young scored his second of the game at 5:04. Young stole the puck at the Sachem blueline and took it all the way for the score. A minute later, the T-Birds went up 3-0 on a slapshot by Casey O'Leary that beat Bassett low.

The T-Birds held Sachem to few scoring chances throughout the first period, and capitalized on Arrow turnovers.

Sachem began to show life in the second period. Chizzoniti came close yet again on a scramble, but the puck found iron instead of twine. Connetquot turned it the other way, and defenseman Nick Lojo was called for tripping, sending the T-Birds on the powerplay.

But it was anything but an advantage. Sachem's Matt Battelli stole the puck in the T-Bird zone, and scored short-handed on a floating wrist shot from the slot that fooled Ficken a bit, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Sachem's Matt Tirelli continued the strong penalty kill with some chances of his own.

Sachem decreased Connetquot's lead to one when Chris Porcillo's wrist shot from the circle went top-shelf over Ficken, who had lost his stick in a scramble.

According to Kramer, the turning point of the game came with 11.2 seconds left in the second period when Russo found a loose-puck on the goal-line and tucked it in behind Bassett to put the T-Birds up 4-2. Sachem had been controlling the play up until that point, and that goal took some of the wind out of their sails.

"That fourth goal killed us," said Kramer. "That was a killer, and we didn't have the right personnel out there."

Connetquot came out firing in the final period, and went up 5-2 on a breakaway goal by Andrew Gonzalez. Sachem answered quickly when Rob Donnelly scored on a rebound in front off a faceoff, bringing Sachem to within two goals, 5-3.

Young capped off his hat-trick on a goal that never went in. The puck nailed the iron where the post and cross-bar meet, but never found twine. The referee, standing in a clear position to make the correct call, missed it and awarded Young the goal, much to the protest of Sachem and the audience.

"It was no goal," said Kramer. "The twine never moved, so to me it was no goal."

The T-Birds made it 7-3 at 6:05 when captain Frank DiChiara fed Russo in the slot for a one-timer, his second of the game. Bassett, who has played well for the Arrows all year, was relieved following the seventh goal. Will Harris came in relief, stopping all five shots he faced.

Sachem closed the gap late with two goals in the final 20 seconds. Chris Haun and Brian Brogan scored seven seconds apart, but it was too little, too late.

"We're so much deeper than these guys, but those two guys [Young and Russo] are quality players. We have to come to the rink and be more focused and ready to play hockey. We just didn't do that tonight."