Rochester United skates past Clarkston
BY DAVID BOIKE
CORRESPONDENT
FARMINGTON HILLS — Tournament time always poses an opportunity for upsets. The OAA Red Division hockey tournament was such an opportunity.
Rochester United and Clarkston met to determine the fifth place winner at the OAA Red Division playoffs at the Farmington Hills Ice Arena on Saturday afternoon, and this time it was fifth-seeded Rochester skating to a 4-1 victory over Clarkston, which shared the regular season crown with Farmington, at the Farmington Hills Ice Arena.
Both teams came into the contest with 1-1 records in the league playoffs having lost their opening round games and rebounding with wins against their consolation round opponents.
In the case of Rochester United, it lost to the eventual OAA postseason champion Lake Orion 4-1 in Round I, and it defeated Troy Athens 7-2. Clarkston was upset by the eventual OAA tournament finalist Rochester Stoney Creek 4-3 in overtime in the first round, and responded in Round II with a 4-2 victory over Birmingham Unified.
Going into Saturday’s contest, both teams were looking for a well played game to set the tone going into next week’s MHSAA pre-regional competition.
Rochester United senior forward Lee Teasley scored on a highlight reel play to give United a decisive 3-1 cushion-at the10 minute mark of the third period.
Teasley, who was forced to sit out much of his senior season with a broken wrist and only returning to the line up a week ago, took a neutral zone pass from defenseman Gannon Pacioni in full stride, split the Clarkston defense, and broke in alone on goal. He was able to pull the Clarkston goalie out of position with a swift back-hand move, and he tucked the puck into the open corner of the net.
Teasley also was credited with scoring United’s fourth goal at 1:09 in the third period. Clarkston had pulled their goalie for an extra attacker when Teasley intercepted a pass at mid-ice and began streaking down the wing to shoot at the empty net. Before he was able to release his shot, Teasley was pulled down from behind by the Clarkston pursuing defense where he was then awarded a penalty shot.
According to MHSAA rules, a penalty shot with no goaltender in net results in a goal.
“In all the years that I have played and coached hockey, I have never seen a play like that,” said Rochester United coach Dave Underdale.
The first period belonged to Clarkston even though Rochester United was able to establish a 1-0 lead. The Wolves outshot United 10-4 for the period and maintained overall puck control with Rochester goalie Ian Mercer barring the door with several point-blank saves.
United scored its lone goal in the first period on the power play when defenseman Dan Ryan fired a slap shot past Clarkston goalie Jack Viazanko who was screened on the play. Gannon Pacioni was credited with an assist on the goal — he had three assists for the game.
Clarkston came back to tie the game at the 11 minute mark of the second period on a goal from Brad Pizzey from Adam Larkin. At that time it looked like Clarkston, the No.2-seeded team in the OAA Red Division going into the tournament, would break through and take over the game.
But Rochester United regained the lead to go up 2-1 at the three minute mark on a power play goal by Michael Potoniec from Dan Ryan and Pacioni. United then withstood consistent pressure from Clarkston, including a split-save by Mercer on the dangerous Pizzey, who beat the United defense on the outside to go in all alone on net, and a 5-on-3 power play kill to end the period with a one goal lead.
For Rochester United the next game will be next Wednesday, March 2 at 6:30pm at the Onyx where it will play the winner of the Lake Orion in a Division 1 regional semifinal.
Category: Clarkston, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams
