Wissahickon 8, Oakcrest (NJ) 2
(Submitted by Wissahickon Lax)
The Wissahickon Trojans traveled to Jersey Shore for their annual showdown with Oakcrest, putting on a clinic in ball control and defensive grit. The Trojans silenced the Mays Landing crowd early and never looked back, handing the Falcons their first loss of the season with a commanding 8-2 victory.
The Trojans set the tone in the opening frame. After an early test, senior Mark DeCicco stood tall in net with a sharp save, but it was senior Link Matozzo who pounced on the rebound to tuck it home, putting Wissahickon on the board first.
The offensive pressure stayed high as junior Chase Comer worked his magic from "X," feeding sophomore Kyle Intal on the doorstep for a quick finish. The Trojans controlled the pace for nearly the entire first quarter, fueled by a relentless ride from attackers Tyler Moore, Comer, Matozzo, and Intal. The defensive unit joined the hunt as well, with Henry Kang and Quinn McClintic hounding the Falcons into multiple turnovers.
Wissahickon opened the second quarter on the man-up, and they didn't waste the opportunity. Moore found an open Intal, who stepped into a laser to extend the lead to 3-0. Moments later, Moore was back at work, scooping a ground ball behind the goal line (GLE) and hitting senior Paulie Brogan in stride for the finish.
At the center of the field, Nolan Reilly was a force of nature. Dominating the face-off "X," Reilly won 9 of 12 draws to keep the possession clock firmly in the Trojans' favor. He eventually got in on the scoring himself, cutting to the cage where Comer found him for a perfectly placed high bounce shot, making it 5-0. Intal capped off the run with a slick inside roll to push the lead to six.
The Falcons finally broke through late in the second on an EMO play, as Ryan Sanford connected with Gavin Csaszar on the doorstep. However, the Trojan defense proved to be the story of the game.
Wissahickon’s man-down unit was heroic, killing off a staggering 6 minutes of penalty time. The ride remained suffocating, led by an omnipresent Comer. After forcing a turnover and absorbing a heavy hit, Comer scooped the ground ball and fired a "dime" to Intal for his fourth goal of the day, making it 7-1.
While Oakcrest’s Colin Ritchie managed a transition goal to cut the lead to 7-2, the Trojans' special teams put the final nail in the coffin. Early in the fourth, Intal found sophomore Davide Peliggi just above the goal line; Peliggi sold a beautiful hitch move before firing home the final goal of the contest.
The defensive effort was anchored by junior goalie Liam Ruhren, who recorded 8 saves and pitched a shutout in two of the four quarters. With the 8-2 win, the Trojans (10-3) return home with a signature victory over unbeaten Oakcrest (8-1).
By the numbers: Wissahickon: Nolan Reilly ( 1g, 8 gbs 9/12 FaceOff),Tyler Moore (1g, 2a, 1gb) Kyle Intal( 4g, 1a ) Chase Comer( 3a, 2gb, 1ct) Paulo Pileggi (1gb) Trent Thiele (1-1 Face Off), Link Matozzo (1g, 1gb). Gavin Hinchcliffe (1gb), Paulie Brogan (1g, 5 gb, 1ct ), David Pileggi (1g ) Isaac Lo (1gb ) Henry Kang (1gb, 2ct) Hugh Sterndale (1ct) Quinn McClintic (2gbs, 2ct) Ryan Kim (1gb) Brayden Dehner (1gb) Cole Lilienfeld (1gb) Nick Etzler (3gb, 1ct ) Liam Ruhren (8 Saves, 2gb)
Props: “We have kept with the annual tradition of going to the Jersey Shore. Oakcrest has always been accommodating. Every year that team gets better and better with the work of Coach Louis Parks and staff. It was a physical game. The attack was tenacious. Comer left everything out there on the field. They caused turnovers on the ride while picking the ball up and putting it in the net. Intal had another 4-goal game with Reilly dominating the face offs. We log in all these stats, but they really don’t always tell you the stories behind it. Example: Close Defender Quinn McClintic must have over a dozen times of preventing an over and back at the midfield line or Reilly winning the faceoff clean or putting the ball anywhere and everywhere for our wings to pick it up.
Up next: Wissahickon will host Central Bucks West on Wednesday, April 29 at 5:00pm. The Falcons look to get back on track when they host Millville Tuesday, April 28.
Wissahickon 2 4 1 1 – 8
Oakcrest 0 1 1 0 – 2
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