It was a fight to the finish, but the Clarkston hockey team hung on to beat Troy last Saturday night, 4-2.
It was an entertaining one-goal game until Chris Degen sealed the victory with an empty netter with 16 seconds left.
Troy scored first on a power play, as a shot from the point was redirected in front and slipped in off the glove of Aaron Catanese. But the lead was short lived, as Adam Peters tied the game on the next shift, scoring on a bang-bang pass play from Degan and Trevor Johns.
With a minute left in the first period, Steve Morin made it 2-1 as he took a pass from Kyle Buzzo, skated between the circles and hesitated just long enough to get the open shot.
In the second period, the Blackhawks tied the game 2-2 when Catanese never saw a blast from the point.
After killing a minor penalty, Peters scored his second goal of the night, the game winner. He looked like Brett Hull as he skated to the familiar left circle and cocked is stick high in the air. Johns then threaded a cross-ice pass that Peters one-timed top shelf.
The third period was all Wolves, as they outshot their opponents 15-3. Troy goaltender, Scott Tasker, made several big saves to keep the game close.
With Tasker on the bench, Degen hit the empty net at the 14:44 mark on passes from Mike Fogg and Johns. The Wolves had 25 shots on goal while Catenese faced 21.
‘There was no flow to the game – a lot of whistles,? Clarkston coach Bryan Krygier said. ‘They pressured us all game and forced turnovers. We sat back and let them dictate the play. We didn’t play to our potential, but we got the win. I think both teams worked hard and in the end, our team was more skilled and in better shape.?