Troutfitter beats JWB 3-1 in exciting town league action

Eldo suffers first loss

First things first: The Bacchanale handed the Eldo its first loss of the season on Tuesday, January 22.

While waiting to cover the second town league game of the night between the Troutfitter and John Williams Builders, I decided to catch the first game of the evening, between the Bacchanale and the Eldo.
All season long, the Eldo has destroyed its opponents, causing a stir among town league players that the Eldo was somehow stacked more than the rest of the league.
Tuesday night silenced the complaints, as the Bacchanale proved that anyone can win at any time.
The two teams played tight hockey for all three periods and were tied 2-2 with a minute left.
An Eldo penalty gave the Bacchanale a power play for the remainder of the game and they assaulted the Eldo net with shots.
After hitting the post twice, the Bacchanale found the back of the net with six seconds left in regulation. Paul Tillger pushed a loose puck through during a mad scramble in front of the Eldo goal for the game winner.
The energy of the first game carried over to the second game, as the Troutfitter and JWB played three periods of wide-open hockey.
JWB blonde bombers Rachael Baskfield-Miller and Hillary Buscovick tore up the neutral zone at the start of the first period with ferocious fore-checking and stirred up the game on offense, but JWB struggled to finish with shots on net.
The Troutfitter scored first as Paul Moscatelli took the puck coast-to-coast and scored, ringing the inside of the post.
JWB player Willy Miller returned the favor 10 seconds later in similar style, going coast-to-coast to ping the post on his goal, tying the game 1-1.
The Troutfitter took the lead back with a minute left in the period as Moscatelli found Dom Eymere alone on the weak side with a pass through the JWB defense. Eymere settled the pass and drove the puck with a snappy wrist shot and a 2-1 Troutfitter lead.
JWB turned up the heat in the second period, looking for the game-tying goal, but the Troutfitter defense hustled after every puck to break up the play.
Eymere struck again with four minutes left in the second period, stuffing the puck top-shelf from the slot, as the Troutfitter took a 3-1 lead into the third period.
The Troutfitter defense remained tough in the third period, holding off a furious attack by JWB led by the blonde bombers. Buscovick and Baskfield-Miller were on a tear all over the ice looking to carry the team on their shoulders, with Miller anchoring the defense.
A couple of back-to-back penalties sent the blonde bombers to the penalty box, firing up the fans but neutralizing the JWB attack, and the Troutfitter closed the game with a stout defensive stand for the 3-1 win.