PLEASANTVILLE

RED DEVILS FIND IT EASY-GOING AT NICHOLS
HIGGINS FIRES IN TWO FIRST HALF GOALS
NINE CLARENCE PLAYERS REGISTER GOALS

(BUFFALO) The Red Devils wrapped up a fairly productive week by hammering the Nichols School by the score of 13-2. It was a beautiful sunny day down on the Nichols campus and Clarence took full advantage of the nice weather by easily defeating the home team. The Red Devils took advantage of a Nichols roster littered with underclassman and inexperienced players. The loss leaves the Big Green winless on the season at 0-13. Clarence took advantage of the opportunity to get some quality game time for several of their reserves. The non league victory upped the Red Devils overall record to 7-5.

The Red Devils wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Jordan Collins-Hartwig (3g, 1a) got things started just 26 seconds in on a nice quick dodge and shot past the Nichols goalie. The play was setup by Jordan Zaprowski on a fine pass. Collins-Hartwig did the rest, and the score stood at 1-0 Clarence.

The balance of the first quarter was marked by sloppy play for both teams. Neither team generated any type of offensive rhythm. Groundballs became the theme of the day, as the teams traded turnovers on both ends of the field. Clarence seemed to get complacent for several minutes and Nichols made them pay. At the 3:42 mark, Bo Gurney put the Big Green on the board with a quick shot from the crease area. The game was tied up at one.

Clarence seemed to snap out of their slumber shortly after that. Just twelve seconds later LSM Caleb Higgins (2g) would pick up his first of two goals on the afternoon. Known for his defensive play, Higgins has added some real offense to his game this year, scoring four on the season. The play developed directly off the faceoff. Ryan Connolly was able to direct the ball to Higgins who then legged it across the midfield and into Nichols territory. Attracting no defense to speak of, Higgins closed in towards the goal and let it fly. The ten yard shot slammed to the back of the net to make it 2-1 Red Devils.

Clarence scored their third and final goal of the quarter with just 26 seconds remaining. Dan Barron (2g, 2a) continued his hot hand by firing a shot past the Nichols goalie Jordan Berninger. The play was created on a nice play by Zaprowski who picked off a clearing pass towards the top of the box. Zap quickly tranferred the ball up to Barron who was left one on one with the goalie. Barron buried it to make it 3-1 after the first.

Clarence would benefit from an illegal stick penalty to start the second. The Red Devils would score two goals during the three minute, unreleasable penalty. The first goal came just over a minute in. Jordan Collins-Hartwig made a quick dodge down the alley and fired the shot in from the right slot. 4-1 Red Devils.

Clarence added a second tally 27 seconds later. The play was set up off a nice skip pass by Collins-Hartwig through the Nichols defense. Dan Salvatore caught the feed and quickly ripped a 15 yard bouncer to the back of the net and the Devils were up by four.

The next Clarence goal came five minutes later. It was again scored by Caleb Higgins who picked up a groundball at midfield and rushed deep into the Nichols zone. Facing little resistance, the Clarence captain once again fired a hard shot past Berninger to make it 6-1 in favor of the visitors.

Just about a half minute later, Dan Barron used his speed to beat his defender. Working behind the net, Barron used a quick series of dodges and then simple ran towards the front of the net. Curling quickly, Barron rifled a nice fast shot into the goal to increase the lead to 7-1.

With 2:40 left before halftime, Tom Owen picked up a goal. Barron crafted the play, as he drew the defense to him, leaving Owen in front with plenty of space to operate. Barron quickly dropped the pass back to Owen for the quick stick score. Barron has done a great job setting others up in recent games. Many of the goals scored in the past couple games have come from plays created by both Barron and Jordan Zaprowski. The half ended with the Red Devils leading 8-1.

Many of the Red Devil reserves saw plenty of action in the second half. The underclassman have really contributed in the last couple of games, finding their role, and creating scoring opportunities. Beyond Owen and Tayler Swanson, Alex Maglio has made the most of his opportunities. Senior defensemen Zack Metzger and Dave Gallegos have really performed well this past week, and look to hopefully contribute down the last stretch of the season. Mark Lopian has been one of the more hardworking midfielders, doing some of the little things that have helped the team enjoy its success.

The third quarter saw only one goal. However, it may have been the prettiest of the afternoon. . Jordan Collins-Hartwig was the finish man. It was a great example of how quick passing can beat a defense. Barron started it with a quick feed to Owen. Seeing Collins-Hartwig open, Owen quickly dished the ball over to his stick. Jordan then finished the play before the defense had time to react to the original pass. As time expired on the third quarter, the Red Devils led 9-1.

Clarence controlled play for most of the fourth quarter. It wasn't until five minutes elapsed before Clarence would register their tenth goal of the afternoon.Tayler Swanson was the recipient of another nice assist by Dan Barron. As in previous cases, Barron drew the special attention ofthe Nichols defense. Barron pulled them out, giving Swanson some "breathing room", and then quickly dropped the ball back. Swanson has been finishing very well as of late, and this one was no different, beating the goaltender for a 10-1 Clarence advantage.

Junior midfielder Alex Maglio showed he could create some offense of his own. Picking up his second goal in as many games, Maglio dodged from the top of the box and infiltrated the Nichols defense. However, his path was not an easy one, as several Dpoles converged on him as he penetrated. Fighting through a couple poles, Maglio found himself ten yards from the goal. With little working room, Maglio let go a nice sidearm shot that quickly found its way past Berninger. Clarence now had ripped off 10 unanswered goals against the Big Green.

Finally, Nichols would get their second goal. The Clarence defense was caught unsettled in their own zone. Nichols attackman Austin Berger beat goalie Ryan Duff (6 saves) on a quick shot just outside the crease. The play came off a nice assist by Dan Franz. The score was now 11-2 in favor of Clarence.

The final two scores came from the Red Devils. Both were players scoring their first of the season. With 2:23 remaining, attackman Dillon Fitzgerald scored off a great setup by Tayler Swanson. With added confidence, Fitzgerald has competed very hard as of late. The goal was well deserved.

Mark Lopian finished off the scoring with just 14 seconds remaining. The ball was loose in front and Owen seemed to be able to kick the ball free towards Lopian. Mark picked up the ball and quickly fired it in to make it a 13-2 final. The goal was especially sweet for Lopian. Not only had the Red Devils won a convincing victory over Nichols, but goal would mean that he no longer had to endure the constant badgering of teammate Ryan Duff. He was indeed a happy man!

The journey down to Pleasantville was a productive one for the Red Devils. They were never really challenged, and have seen rapid improvement by many of their younger players. This much needed depth will be extremely important as Clarence navigates itself through the last two weeks of the regular season. While the competition was not very strong this past week, the Red Devils seemed to meet the necessary challenges that arise in those type of games. Two more away games and then the Clarence varsity finishes off the schedule with four straight at home. Next, the big drive down to Jamestown to face the Red Raiders. Whose up for a road trip? Only "real fans" need apply.