Navy Ends 36-Game Losing Streak to Hopkins
from press release
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Junior attackman Andy
Warner scored his only goal of the game with 10 seconds remaining
in the first overtime to lift host Navy to a 9-8 victory over
visiting Johns Hopkins at Navy Marine Corps Stadium Saturday
afternoon. The win snaps a 36-game losing streak for the
Midshipmen against the Blue Jays that dated to 1974 and improves
Navy’s record to 6-7 on the year. Johns Hopkins dropped
its second straight and falls to 5-7.
In a game of runs, it was Navy that had the last one as the
Midshipmen erased an 8-6 deficit late in the third quarter and held
Johns Hopkins scoreless for the final 22:30 to seal the
victory.
A Brendan Connors goal with 10 seconds remaining in the third
quarter ignited the game-ending spree for the Mids. With time
winding down in the period, Ryan O’Leary found Connors
cutting across the slot unmarked and hit him in stride.
Connors wasted little time slipping home his 17th goal of the
season to make it a one-goal game entering the final period.
Navy’s only goal of the fourth quarter came at the 9:39 mark
as senior Patrick Moran blew home an extra-man goal home from 13
yards out. While neither team scored again until
Warner’s game-winner, it wasn’t for a lack of
chances. Navy’s R.J. Wickham twice came up with big
saves in the final nine minutes of regulation and Johns
Hopkins’ Pierce Bassett stuffed Warner in tight less than a
minute into overtime.
Wickham then kicked aside a shot by Michael Kimmel with 2:39
remaining in overtime and Navy forced a Kimmel turnover 15 seconds
later. Warner’s goal came just over a minute after a
Navy timeout and seconds after Nikk Davis missed an open net on a
nifty back-door feed.
The Blue Jays had hopped out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter as
Kyle Wharton and Kimmel both scored a pair of goals and sophomore
Tom Palasek added a goal of his own to spark the game-opening
spree. Palasek and Wharton went back-to-back in a span of 17
seconds late in the quarter to fuel the run, which ended with
Kimmel’s second goal with just 46 seconds remaining in the
period. The Blue Jays outshot Navy 13-6 in the opening 15
minutes, but as quickly as they had crafted the five-goal lead, it
was gone.
The Midshipmen needed just 40 seconds of the second quarter to get
on the board as Moran dodged hard to the goal and scored from in
tight. The margin remained four until midway through the
period when Navy erupted for three goals in a span of just under
two minutes.
Bucky Smith’s first goal of the season started the
three-goal flurry, which was capped by a Joe Lennon goal and
included an own goal. A minute before Lennon actually scored
his own goal, he was stopped by Basset on a drive to the cage from
the side. Hopkins’ Matt Dolente tried to scoop up the
loose ball, but instead directed it past Bassett just inside the
far post.
A Jay Mann goal with 2:30 remaining in the second quarter and the
first of Connors’ two goals on the day with 43 seconds
remaining accounted for a 6-5 Navy lead at the half.
In keeping with the first half flow of the game, it was
Hopkins’ turn to answer with another run of its own.
Palasek slipped inside his defender and scored from in close with
11:30 remaining and senior Steven Boyle dodged from behind the goal
and bounced one home to give the Blue Jays a 7-6 lead with 5:55 on
the clock in the third quarter. Palasek completed the first
hat trick of his career just over two minutes later, but that would
be the last goal of the game for the Blue Jays, who went more than
19 minutes without scoring twice in the game.
Navy got a team-high three points from Wanter (1g, 2a), while
Moran and Connors both scored two goals to pace Navy offensively.
Wickham, who entered the game ranked second nationally in save
percentage, posted eight saves in goal and Navy held advantages in
shots (40-32), ground balls (35-21) and faceoffs (13-of-21).
Johns Hopkins was led by Palasek’s three goals, while Boyle
(1g, 2a), Kimmel (2g) and Wharton (2g) also registered multi-point
games for the Blue Jays, who got a career-high 14 saves from
Bassett.
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Wednesday, April 28 when
the Blue Jays host Towson at 7 pm. The Blue Jays must win
their remaining two games to be eligible for selection to the 2010
NCAA Tournament. Teams must have a .500 record to be eligible
for an at-large bid to the tournament.
#17 Johns Hopkins (5-7) 5-0-3-0-0/8
Navy (6-7) 0-6-1-1-1/9
Goals: J: Palasek-3, Wharton-2, Kimmel-2, Boyle.
N: Moran-2, Connors-2, Warner, Lennon, Smith, Mann,
Team. Assists: J: Boyle-2. N: Warner-2,
O’Leary, Sullivan. Saves: J:
Bassett-14. N: Wickham-9. Shots:
J-32. N-40. EMO: J: 0-for-1. N:
1-for-2. Attendance: 10,128.
