Box Score
Grantham, PA – Despite an early weather delay for lightning and incessant rain throughout the contest, the Messiah College Falcons honored their seniors Saturday night, downing the visiting Alvernia University Crusaders by a score of 16-2.
With the help of
Heath Kupecky's four goals, the Falcons put an end to their three game losing streak and kept the postseason hopes alive.
Eight different Falcons scored on the evening, including freshman
Jordan Smith, who saw his first extended action of the year due to injuries to
Matt Emerson and
Kyle Sproles. Smith went 15-22 from the faceoff X and created numerous opportunities for his teammates.
“Jordan stepped up in a big way tonight,” Falcon head coach Geof Weisenborn said. “I was looking for some of our young guys to step up tonight due to our injuries, and Jordan came to play. That is what you want to see when guys get opportunities- to show you what they can do.”
Sophomore
Josh Kerr netted three goals on the evening, and leading scorer
Kevan Schellenberg added two goals and assist of his own. Senior
Greg Morrissey found the net twice bringing his season total to three.
Despite the onslaught of scoring for the Falcons, Alvernia scored first. The Crusader's leading scorer Brian Ray (2g) netted his first of the night on a low angle shot that beat senior goalie
Steve Kozuhowski at the 10:15 mark.
Messiah answered the tally with a run of five straight goals to end the first taking a 5-1 lead into the second quarter.
“I thought we played well in the first quarter, but we needed to step it up,” Weisenborn said. “We needed to show what we can do and that we are ready to make the playoffs.”
The Falcons responded the way Weisenborn was hoping in the second quarter.
The Falcons went 6-6 on clears in the period, most of which came after turnovers forced by sophomore
Drew Cortese and fellow defensemen
Matt Everhart and
Matt Danmyer. Smith went 8-9 at the faceoff X and the Falcon offense sent 18 shots towards the Crusader net that resulted in eight unanswered goals for the hosts.
The Falcons opened the frame with three goals in the first 1:03 of play. Junior
Zac Smith started the scoring just :25 seconds into the quarter and
Heath Kupecky added two separate goals of his own less than :40 seconds later.
The Falcon defense continued to cause turnovers that the offense would turn into goals leading to a 13-1 halftime lead.
A goalie change for the visitors midway through the second quarter proved to keep the Falcons offense at bay in the second half. With plenty of young players getting their opportunities to play in the second half for the Falcons, opposing goalie Brandon Weaver stepped up to make 10 saves and keep the Falcons from hitting the 20 goal mark for the third time this season.
The second half saw only five goals total, four from the Falcons and another from the Crusaders' Brian Ray. Notably, junior
Clayton Emory netted his first goal of the season on a strong dodge and shot down the right alley.
With the loss, their seventh in a row, the Crusaders drop to 5-9 on the season and 0-4 in Commonwealth play. The Crusaders have been all but eliminated from the conference playoffs.
The Falcons are now 7-6 overall and hold a 2-2 record in the Commonwealth going into the final week of the season. The Falcons will need a win again Wednesday to stay in the thick of the Conference playoff hunt. They will travel to Williamsport, PA Wednesday April 25 to take on the Lycoming Warriors. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
