Happauge, NY -- The NYU ice hockey team was 20 minutes away from the conference championship Sunday, only to see their title hopes dashed.
SUNY Stony Brook senior defenseman Marc Mandello snapped a 2-2 tie with 7:19 remaining in the game and sophomore forward Alex Trezza followed with an insurance goal to give the Seawolves a 4-2 victory over NYU in the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference final. Mandello kept the puck in at the right point and his slap shot beat the glove of Violets sophomore goaltender Chad Ehrenkranz to the top corner of the net.
NYU had a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, but were then outscored 3-0. The Seawolves controlled the puck in the both the NYU and neutral zones, while the Violets struggled to create any sustained attack.
"They [Stony Brook] went on an emotional high and we let down," said head coach Stephen Hetherman. "They were beating us tp all the loose pucks and they were winning all the battles."
The third period collapse overshadowed an inspirational performance by sophomore forward and leading scorer Todd Portadin, who scored both NYU goals despite being hobbled by an ankle injury. Portadin, who suffered the injury at last week's American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II National Championships, was on crutches before and after the game. Hetherman estimated Portadin's health at "about 70 percent."
"Todd did a fantastic job; he played with his heart on his sleeve," he said. "He produced for us; he finished off two nice plays."
Portadin's second goal at 3:53 of the second period, which broke a 1-1 deadlock, was especially nice, as he redirected a pretty centering feed from freshman forward Bryan Friedman past Seawolves senior goaltender Peter Amurata.
NYU had a chance to make it 3-1 later in the second when Friedman was presented with a wide-open net. However, his backhander rang off the crossbar.
If it [the puck] goes a couple of inches the other way, it's in the net and we're up [3-1]," Hetherman said.
The miss would come back to haunt the Violets. The Seawolves tied the score four minutes into the third when freshman forward Lou Barbero tipped in a centering pass from sophomore forward Brad Thomas.
The goal seemed to give the Seawolves life, and they peppered Ehrenkranz with shots before Mandello finally broke through. Trezza sealed the win with 4:29 left, wristing a shot past Ehrenkranz while perched wide-open in the slot.
Stony Brook also had the advantage of a deeper bench, dressing 19 skaters compared to NYU's 14. But Hetherman refused to use fatigue as an excuse. "The kids were all skating hard," he said.
The game had a nasty edge to it as both teams took liberties with their sticks. The play was especially fierce in the first period, in which five of the nine penalties called were stick related fouls. And there were several incidents that weren't called, including a spear by a Stony Brook player late in the period.
"It wasn't as bad as the first game [against Stony Brook]," Hetherman said. "The first time we played them was awful, and the referees didn't call anything, so tonight it was pleasant."
Ehrenkranz had 25 saves on the night, while Amaruta stopped 29 of 31 NYU shots.
The loss was NYU's first in conference play, and they finished the 1999-2000 season with a 22-6-1 record. But their record aside, the Violets might very well remember this game as the one that got away.
"We played well, we just couldn't finish," Hetherman said. "The same thing happened at [the ACHA tourney] in Indiana-- we were snake-bit there, too. It's frustrating when you can't buy a goal."