BERLIN- What started as a knock down, drag out heavyweight fight between Bayside powers Stephen Decatur and Easton on Wednesday turned out to be a relatively easy win at home for the Seahawks, who opened up the contest with a five goal third quarter to pull away for the 12-7 over the Warriors.
Decatur dominated early, putting constant pressure on the Easton goal in the first few minutes, but the Seahawks could not break through. Easton scored in the first five minutes into the first quarter on a goal by Jake Griffin to take a 1-0 lead and added to the lead at the 3:45 mark on another goal by Griffin to go up 2-0.
The Seahawks finally got on the board with 1:43 left in the first quarter on a nice isolation move by Logan West from the top of the box to cut the lead to 2-1, which is how the period ended. In the second quarter, Decatur tied the game at 2-2 on a cannon from Calvin Snyder from the restraining line at the 8:45 mark. Easton took the lead again 48 seconds later to go up 3-2.
Decatur tied the game on a beautiful fast break finished by Ben Kelleher to tie the game again at 3-3 with 5:31 left in the first half, but the back and forth scoring binge was far from over. Snyder then scored on a sweet move that landed him right in front of the Warriors’ net to give Decatur its first lead of the game at the 4:48 mark in the second quarter.
Easton wasted no time tying the game again at 4-4 on a goal by Griffin on a nice assist from behind just 24 seconds later. The two teams slugged each other like a pair of heavyweights throughout the remainder of the first half. Kelleher gave Decatur a lead again with a goal at the 2:00 mark in the first to go ahead 5-4. Easton tied the game at 5-5 on a hard shot from the perimeter that deflected off the pipe at the 1:31 mark.
Decatur took the lead 6-5 on a goal by Bruce Howe with 23 seconds left in the first half on an unsettled situation. The Easton keeper was attempting to clear the ball after a save when he lost control behind the net. Decatur’s Snyder scooped it up and found Howe cutting on the crease and Howe finished the play to put the Seahawks up 6-5. However, Easton wasn’t done yet in the half. The Warriors controlled the face off and fired to an attackman near the top of the box who fired a hard bounce shot from way outside to tie the game at 6-6 as the first half expired.
With five lead changes and six ties during the 6-6 first half, it appeared whoever got the ball last in the second half would win the game, but the Seahawks settled the issue once and for all with a six goal outburst to start the third quarter. Nick Hogan scored just eight seconds into the third on a perfect fast break opportunity to take the lead at 7-6. Kelleher then scored 50 seconds later on a nice move from behind and the Seahawks led by two goals for the first time in the game.
Howe scored an extra man goal at the 10:03 mark to extend Decatur’s lead to 9-6 and Paul Kramer scored an extra man goal of his own at 3:44 to make it 10-6. West got back in the act with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter on a nice move from the left side to make it 11-6 as the period expired.
Kramer fired a laser from the left side at the 7:41 mark of the fourth quarter to make it 12-6 before Easton finally broke the ice on a goal at the 6:03 mark to cut the lead to 12-7, which is how the game would end. Kelleher led Decatur with three goals while West, Howe and Kramer each scored two goals and Hogan added one.