Brooks' OT Goal Puts Bayhawks Solely in Third
from press release
HAMILTON, Ontario, Canada -- Goalie Brian
Phipps put forth his third straight strong performance in goal as
the Chesapeake Bayhawks came from behind to beat the Hamilton
Nationals, 12-11 in overtime, at Ron Joyce Stadium in Canada.
Phipps, a rookie out of Maryland, continued to yield a hot stick by
making 14 saves. He has now stopped a total of 51 shots in the past
three games since taking over as the team’s starting net
minder.
Midfielder Steven Brooks was the hero, taking a feed from line mate
Justin Smith and firing in the game-winning goal with 2:10 elapsed
in the extra session as the Bayhawks captured a showdown of teams
that were tied for third place in Major League Lacrosse (MLL).
“This is a huge win because it puts us in sole possession of
third place and gives us the tiebreaker against Hamilton should it
come down to that for the playoffs,” Chesapeake owner and
head coach Brendan Kelly said. “I am so proud of the entire
team. We showed tremendous poise and a ton of courage
tonight.”
Attackman Danny Glading led the way offensively with two goals and
two assists for Chesapeake (5-3), which rallied from a pair of
three-goal deficits during the game. Smith finished with a goal and
two assists while Brooks and attackman Ben Rubeor scored two goals
apiece.
“Brian Phipps was phenomenal again tonight. He made some
outstanding saves down the stretch to really give us a
chance,” Kelly said.
Goalie Scott Rodgers was tremendous between the pipes for Hamilton
(4-4), making 19 saves to keep the score close throughout.
Attackman Kevin Crowley scored three goals for the Nationals, who
were outshot 57 to 31.
Rookie attackman Stephen Keogh scored two goals as host Hamilton
jumped out to an early 5-2 lead. Midfielder Kyle Dixon fired in a
2-pointer to pull Chesapeake to within 5-4 at the end of the first
quarter. The Nationals regained the three-goal lead, but Brooks and
Rubeor closed the second period with back-to-back goals to make it
7-6 at halftime.
Chesapeake came out on fire in the third quarter, scoring two goals
in the opening four minutes to take a 9-7 lead. Smith sparked the
run with a goal and an assist while Phipps helped turn the tide
toward the visitors by making five saves in the stanza, which ended
with the Bayhawks leading 10-8.
It remained that way for the initial five minutes of the fourth
quarter before Hamilton scored three goals in the span of 3
½ minutes to regain the lead. Rookie midfielder David Earl
tied the game at 10 with an unassisted goal at the 8:46 mark while
Geoff Snider won the ensuing faceoff and scored just 27 seconds
later to make it 11-10.
Neither team managed a goal for a stretch of nearly seven minutes
before Chesapeake attackman Brian Carroll came through in the
clutch. Carroll took a feed from midfielder Michael Kimmel and
fired in a rocket shot that tied the score 11-11 with just 27
seconds left in regulation.
“Brian Carroll really came up huge. Time was winding down and
he stepped up to make a big-time play,” Kelly said.
Brooks then came through in overtime to give the Bayhawks their
second straight victory. Smith set up the winner by dodging and
drawing a slide from the long stick midfielder defending Brooks.
Smith quickly dished off to Brooks, who scored on a sidearm,
left-handed crank shot.
Alex Smith won 14 of 25 faceoffs for Chesapeake, which held
Hamilton scoreless on three power play attempts. Long sticks
Michael Evans, Steve Whittenberg, Kyle Hartzell and Barney Ehrmann
anchored a defense that allowed just four goals after
intermission.
