Western began this game a dominant force, winning the first two face-offs and controlling the ball in the offensive area of the field.
  
Cade Norris opened the scoring with a straight drive to the goal to a one-on-one drive. Western then won the second face-off and kept control in their offensive end of the field. After a couple of backed up missed shots, Western’s Jeff Tundo came straight down and placed a bounce shot that went over the shoulder of the HV goalie. Hudson Valley didn’t have their first serious offensive possession until 4:30 remaining in the first quarter. They had two more offensive possessions before they were able to get a shot off. With 1:17 remaining Western scored their third goal with a feed from behind the net by Casey Rich to Matt Pierotti. At 0:45, Hudson Valley took a hard shot that hit the outside of the net. The first quarter ended with Western leading 3-0.
  
Just 0:12 into the second quarter, Hudson Valley won the face-off and quickly moved their way down to the cage. After a number of quick passes Scott Morell scored with a cross-crease pass from Matt King. After the next face off, Mitch Keefer picked up his own ground ball and found Casey Rich cutting to the goal.
  
At 7:17 remaining in the half Hudson Valley called a time out with Western leading 4-1. Rocky Bonitatibus took the ball at the midfield line and ran straight to the crease and found the back of the net. Hudson Valley won the next face-off and worked the ball around the goal a couple times. After a save by Western’s Jonathon Lawless, the ball continued to move back and forth between the two teams offensive ends of the field.
  
Hudson Valley had another fast-break situation WITH 1:53 remaining in the half WHEN James Garry ran down the field and passed across the restraining ling to Shane Ferguson who threw a rising shot into the upper right off-stick corner. The shot sailed passed Lawless and brought Hudson Valley to within one goal.
  
With 0:16 remaining Hudson Valley picked up a loose ball and after stepping over the midfield line called a time-out. Hudson Valley ran a trick play where all six players converged and then each ran at the cage. After a weak outside shot the ball didn’t even make it to the cage. A quick ground ball by Western’s Marshall Johnson and a quick pass to Pierotti almost resulted in fast- break Western goal, but time expired just before he got the shots off. The score at the end of the half was 4-3 Western.
  
Early in the third quarter an interesting Hudson Valley shot resulted in a goal. The ball, shot by Bonitatibus, was saved by Lawless. The ball bounced out into the field of play, but Lawless put out his stick vertically to catch the ball, the ball then bounced off the stick and into the goal. There were numerous man-up opportunities for both teams, but neither team could capitalize.
  
Western scored with 0:19 remaining when Resetarits received a feed from behind the net and beat a double on the crease for a one-on-zero goal. Western took a 5-4 lead into the final quarter.
    
Both teams showed the intensity that was missing in prior games. Both squads were running hard and playing like they had something to prove.
  
Kevin Lalley looked to the inside to find a cutting Kyle VanThof at 8:19 to put Western up by two. With 3:49 remaining in the game, Western took possession on their offensive side of the field and called a time out. Over the next four minutes, Western took time off the clock, with sporadic offensive opportunities by Hudson Valley, none of which resulted in a goal. Every time Western got the ball down in their offensive end of the field they methodically kept the ball away and inside the box, fighting off doubles and the goalie coming out of the cage.
  
Western’s goalie Jonathon Lawless finished the game facing 9 shots and recording 5 saves (55%). Hudson Valley goalie Chris Latino played the entire game facing 15 shots and recording 9 saves (60%).
  
Hudson Valley’s Tyler Granelli was 9/12 (75%) at the face-off and was a key component in keeping Hudson Valley in the game.
  
Both Western and Hudson Valley played extremely hard during the game, fighting for every ground ball and demonstrating why the Empire State Games bring about the best of the best from the state. The effort on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field were a hard fought. The game could have gone either way up into the final minutes of the game.
  

For more information check out the Statistics Main Page