BY STEVE SINISKI
After limiting an undefeated Garden City team to just three goals in the Nassau County Championship, Lynbrook was on the verge of pulling off an even greater upset in the Long Island Class B Championship against a high-octane Wildcats offense that averaged 15 goals per game and had built up a 55-3 mark over the past three seasons.
Shoreham-Wading River took a 5-3 lead with two goals in the third quarter, but the Owls, who had already come back from a two-goal deficit to forge a 3-3 tie, were still very much alive. The real game-breaker, though, was a Shoreham-Wading River goal just 2:50 into the final quarter off of an Owls turnover at midfield. It was the biggest blow in a game where every offensive opportunity was of the utmost importance.
The goal forced the Owls to abandon their famed zone defense and gave Shoreham-Wading River's offense more room to operate. As a result, the Wildcats added three more goals in the final 6:46 that did little more than add some window dressing to what became a 9-3 victory.
"We're not built to come from behind," said Lynbrook coach Larry Glenz. "Once we got behind, they took us out of our zone defense and forced us to go man-to-man, and they're a very fast team."
"Larry Glenz is one of the most respected coaches on Long Island," said Shoreham-Wading River coach Tom Rotanz. "They have a great tradition, and their defense was the best we faced all year. It's a great honor to play a game like this against Lynbrook."
The word of the day was patience, for both the Owls defense and Wildcats offense, as Lynbrook was more than happy to let Shoreham-Wading River occupy itself with a friendly game of catch around the cage and then back up top. The longer the Wildcats worked for an open shot, the tighter the Lynbrook defense locked down and the slimmer the Wildcats' opportunity for a good look at Owls goaltender Tommy Skartsiaris.
"We just told our guys to overload and dump, overload and dump," said Rotanz. "We told them they had to be patient."
Lynbrook took the Wildcats' transition game out of the equation, quite a feat considering the huge role it normally plays for Shoreham-Wading River. And when the Owls tried to force the action and score a goal in transition, or create some looks of their own, the Wildcats defense, and All-County goaltender Matt DeMarco, were there to answer.
"They forced us to take it to the cage," said Glenz of the Wildcats defense. "And we didn't make plays when we had the opportunity."
