Tampa stuns Neumann 6-5 in thrilling overtime victory to earn berth in the Final Four
Posted: April 10, 2010 10:23AM; Updated: April 15, 2010 12:50AM
All photo's courtesy of IDI Photography. www.idiphoto.com
San Jose, CA - Rowan Porter scored 3 goals, including the game-tying
and game-winning goals to lift the University of Tampa Spartans into
the Final Four for the first time in school history.
Steve
Klenk started to scoring for the Neumann University Knights, scoring on
an early power play after a feed from Johnathan Lucente for a 1-0 lead.
Tampa didn't let the goal alter its game plan and eventually scored the
equalizer on a power play of their own. Cameron Rowand registered the
tying goal, with help from Jeffery Kotcher and Jimmy Westwood to knot
things at 1-1.
Dominic Mariotti restored the Neumann lead late
in the first period, when he took a Johnathan Lucente pass and found
the back of the net for a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.
Neumann held the advantage in shots after one at 8-6.
The
intermission provided Tampa a chance to regroup, and they eventually
drew even when Robert Harrison took and Rowan Porter pass and knotted
the game up at 2-2. It was Porter who would put Tampa in front for the
first time, scoring a shorthanded goal for a 3-2 lead and seemingly all
the momentum. However, the resourceful Knights bounced back, with Steve
Saraceni scoring just 13 seconds later to tie things at three.
Kyle
Struble gave Neumann the lead back, just before the intermission,
scoring a power play goal off a Steve Klenk pass to give Neumann a 4-3
lead. Neumann, helped by undisiplined play by the Spartans of Tampa
built a 24-13 lead in shots.
Neumann built the first two goal
lead of the game early in the third period, when Johnathan Lucente
scored to put the Knights up 5-3, with just under 8 minutes remaining
in the game.
With Neumann on the power play and a chance to
put the game away, Jeffery Kotcher stole the puck and scored a
shorthanded tally to cut the lead down to one with four minutes
remaning in the game. The shorthanded tally was the second of the game
for Spartans. The mistake proved costly when Rowan Porter took a Robert
Harrison pass and tied the contest with just 42 second left. Despite
holding a 35-20 advantage in shots, Neumann was forced to play
overtime.
After a thrilling, back and forth overtime, Rowan
Porter ended things with a rebound goal 6:29 into overtime to put the
University of Tampa into the Final Four for the first time in school
history. Tampa will be taking on SIU-Edwardsville, a 7-4 winner over
UCSD.
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Steve
Klenk started to scoring for the Neumann University Knights, scoring on
an early power play after a feed from Johnathan Lucente for a 1-0 lead.
Tampa didn't let the goal alter its game plan and eventually scored the
equalizer on a power play of their own. Cameron Rowand registered the
tying goal, with help from Jeffery Kotcher and Jimmy Westwood to knot
things at 1-1. 