It was Bandits vs. Bandits on Monday night, and if the 2-1 final was any indication, a finals series between the two Beverly teams could prove to be very entertaining.
Though Bandits #2 came up on the short end of the score, they were by no means the lesser team, as it proved to be a very even matchup.
After giving up an early goal, Ice Man Luca Filice settled in and played an unbelievable game, one that had fans from both teams talking. On multiple occasions Ice Man was able to rob Nolan "Knockout" (so known for his booming slapshot) Myers, and Shamus' excellent scoring chances. Though the Bandits allowed the puck to stay in their end longer than preferred, all four of Stephanie Laidlaw, Jack MacPhee, Noah Main and Adam Burnett did a good job of clearing the opposition from in front of Luca.
Slowed by the sticky, warm ice surface, the usually dynamic offense was only able to put a single goal on the board. The strike came from the stick of Colin Racz, who opportunistically jumped on a rebounded shot from Sebastien Haazer. The goal was Colin's second in two games, and he has now scored three in his last four, a great record for a player who only recently moved to the forward line after playing defense for most of the year.
Logan Galer's name did not dot the score sheet, but he proved invaluable all night, sacrificing his body to block shot after shot from the point.
Ryan Hood hustled all night, and had the ice been kinder, would have had multiple scoring chances. Jex Tew, Josh MacDonald and Karson Sherwood all had the motors up full speed, contributing at both ends of the ice.