After a scoreless first period, the Salesianum Sallies (4-9-0) were worn down, bruised, and battered by a tough Holy Ghost Prep team (13-5-0, 3-0-0 ICSHL) in a 5-0 defeat which saw multiple medical time-outs interrupt the on-ice action on Friday evening (Feb. 9) at the Patriot Ice Center in Newark, Del.
The Sallies kept pace respectably with the Firebirds early on, but were outshot 15-6 in the initial frame before the Firebirds’ captain Luke Aquaro demonstrated uncanny skill to open the scoring 6:28 into the middle period, weaving through traffic and flipping the puck over the glove of Salesianum goalie Graham Burke from the edge of the crease. Aquaro scored the next two Holy Ghost goals as well, redirecting the puck past Burke at 8:43 directly from a neutral-zone faceoff won by defenceman Thomas McNulty before firing point-blank at Burke from the right dot 2:35 into the third period to complete a hat trick.
The Sallies kept pace respectably with the Firebirds early on, but were outshot 15-6 in the initial frame before the Firebirds’ captain Luke Aquaro demonstrated uncanny skill to open the scoring 6:28 into the middle period, weaving through traffic and flipping the puck over the glove of Salesianum goalie Graham Burke from the edge of the crease. Aquaro scored the next two Holy Ghost goals as well, redirecting the puck past Burke at 8:43 directly from a neutral-zone faceoff won by defenceman Thomas McNulty before firing point-blank at Burke from the right dot 2:35 into the third period to complete a hat trick.
Down 3-0 early in the third period and with the troops depleted—Jack Brady was helped off the ice midway through the second after breaking a blade and colliding with an opposing player, Cam Bergeman left the game due to injury sustained while being tripped on a near breakaway with three minutes left in the second period—Salesianum gave up another two goals in the final period. Byron Hartley connected with a mid-slot snipe 9:25 into the third, while Eric Pohl redirected the puck past Burke from the inside edge of the right circle off a Richard Spor pass from the left corner in the penultimate minute.
In all, Burke faced 48 shots in defeat, stopping 43 of them. Tristan Devine saved 19 of 20 shots in victory for Holy Ghost.
