Owen Hill (6g-2a), Keenan Ninham (2g), Kaleb Delaney (1g-1a), Nelson Logan (1g-1a). Goaltending: Symon Jonathan 10s/9ga = 53%
Akron Advances over Penn Yan in Overtime
2017-06-03 - Section Six representative Akron defeated Section Five representative Penn Yan 10-9 in the Western Regional Championship. The game was tied after regulation and the Tigers scored the game winning goal in the second overtime period. Akron was the only Section Six team to defeat a Section Five team in either Girls or Boys Western Regionals. Owen Hill scored the four final goals to force overtime and then assisted the game winning goal to Nelson Logan. Hill finished the game with 6g-2a and did not participate in only 2 goals for the Tigers. The Tigers scored five of the last six goals in their win.
Penn Yan scored the first three goals of the game. The Mustangs’ Conner Fingar scored the game opener off a feed from behind the cage by Ben Emerson. Three minutes later, Penn Yan scored back to back fast-break goals. Dylan Stape scored the first with a dodge straight down the middle. Just over 30 seconds later, Fingar assisted Austin Blumbergs on the second fast-break goal. Akron called a timeout to slow down the pace. Less than one minute after the timeout, Akron got on the board. Kaleb Delany scored right on the crease after an inside dodge from the left side. Penn Yan led 3-1 after the first 12 minutes.
Akron outscored Penn Yan 3-2 in the second quarter to pull within one. Penn Yan scored the first two goals. Blumbergs and Fingar hooked up again for the first goal of the quarter. On the ensuring face-off Fingar picked up his own loose ball directly off the draw and drove straight down the middle of the field to the goal. He scored eight seconds after Blumbergs goal. The Mustangs were held scoreless for the remainder of the half. Akron scored the last three goals of the second quarter. Keenan Ninham scored the first of the set off a feed from the top by Hill. Ninham was on the left crease and shot low past Jeff Kinyoun. Kinyoun played the first half and recorded 4 saves. The second Tiger goal was only 0:38 later with an outside shot by Hill as he fell to the turf. The game continued on for another four minutes before Ninham scored his second. Delany fed the ball into Ninham down the on left side (similar to his first goal). Penn Yan held the 5-4 lead at the half.
Akron came out in the third quarter and tied the game for the first time. The Tigers’ Hill scored his second of the game off a feed from Logan on the outside. Penn Yan responded with the next three goals to take an 8-5 lead going into the final quarter. Blumbergs scored off a shot from the right side close to goal line extended. Five minutes later, Fingar scored off a feed from Blumbergs from the right to left and low to high. Fingar scored again on the crease with 0:09 remaining off a feed from the top by Will Rogers. Kyle Welker played between the pipes for the Mustangs in the third quarter and recorded 1 save.
Akron dominated the final 12 minutes and outscored the Mustangs 4-1 to force overtime. The Tigers scored the first two goals with single player dodges from Hill. The first was off a straight dodge down the middle and the second was a fast-break off the face-off. Penn Yan scored their ninth goal with a feed from behind by Emerson to Fingar on the crease. The Tigers third goal was scored with 3:33 remaining. Hill picked up the loose ball on the goal side of a scrum. He drove in to the goal line extended and cut back to the crease for the shot. The game tying goal was also an unassisted goal from Hill. After starting with a dead ball with 0:05.8 remaining on the clock, Hill drove into the crease and scored from the right flat to force the overtime.
During the first overtime period, both teams had offensive chances at the cage. Akron took an early shot that was stopped by Kinyoun. The Mustangs had a chance at the cage late in the first overtime period, but did not get a shot on cage. In the second overtime period, Penn Yan won the opening draw and had the first opportunity at the goal. The Mustangs got 1 shot on cage and goalie, Symon Jonathan made the stop. Jonathan finished the game with 10 saves for the Tigers. Akron grabbed a loose ball with 1:02 remaining and got a timeout. Hill began with the ball and cleared the ball up the field. Around the restraining line, he fed upfield to Logan for the game winning goal with 0:50 remaining on the clock. Akron moves on to play Christina Brothers Academy on Wednesday at CNS at 6:30.