An overtime goal by Matt Miller was the icing on the cake for the Avon Grove Devils (5-3-0) on Monday night (Dec. 4) in a thrilling 4-3 upset over defending national champions West Chester Bayard Rustin (3-0-1-1) at The Pond Ice Arena in Newark, Del.
The tally in the extra frame was Miller’s second of the evening, and it represented the only point in the game where the Devils had the lead. Early goals from John Harkins and Bayard Rustin pushed them to a 2-0 lead before Miller connected with 1:59 to go in the first frame to halve the Knights’ advantage. While Ian Strasinski extended the Bayard Rustin lead back to a pair in the fifth minute of the second period, the Devils’ power-play corps provided the spark which shifted the momentum right at the beginning of the third.
Brady Anderson connected for a power-play goal 17 seconds into the third, and J.T. McDonald contributed another man-up tally at the 3:50 mark to tie the game at three goals apiece. Avon Grove netminder J.D. D’Ambrosio had a flawless third period, stopping all 13 shots he faced to force the overtime period which ultimately led to the Devils’ upset.
D’Ambrosio ended the evening with 32 saves in victory, while Ryan Nichol accounted for three assists. Josh Sepela had a pair of helpers for the Devils as well.
