Photo: Freeze Frame Photos
After opening up the 2023 Sault Ste Marie High School Hockey League City Championship best of five series with a 9 – 1 win over the Superior Heights Steelhawks, the St Mary’s Knights hit the ice at the John Rhodes Centre on Wednesday, February 22nd with a 1 – 0 lead in the series.
St Mary’s Nathan Palmer found the back of Superior Heights goaltender Tristan Tranberg at 9:20 of first to give the Knights a 1 – 0 lead. Adrian O’Dell drew the lone helper on Palmer’s goal. 16 seconds later, Daniel Guzzo gives the Knights a 2 – 0 lead at the 9:04 mark with Daniel Bumbaco and O’Dell adding the assists on Guzzo’s goal. At four minutes even, Steelhawk Ray Rumiel pulls Superior Heights within one with Owen Case notching the contributor on Rumiel’s goal. Owen Case finds the back of St Mary’s netminder Liam Dubois to tie the game 2 – 2 at 14:36 of the middle stanza. Dylan Murphy and Clark Palmer registering the assists. With the Steelhawks on a powerplay 6:25 into the second, Rumiel scores his second of the game to give Superior Heights a 3 – 2 lead. Connor Ouimette and Case setup Rumiel’s powerplay marker. Carmine Perna fires the tying goal for St Mary’s at 2:55 to even game two 3 – 3. Cole Masse and Jack McPherson contributed on Perna’s tying goal. Lucas Green gives the Knights a 4 – 3 lead at 11:24 of the third with Darion Perrault and Darion Pucci adding the helpers.
Knight forward Gabe Zimbaro sets up St Mary’s fifth goal of the game to bring the lead to 5 – 3 on Perna’s second of the game at 7:16. Registering his second point of the game to increase the Knights lead to 6 – 3 was St Mary’s Darion Perrault at 6:55 with Pucci adding the assist on Perrault’s goal. Carmine Perna finds the back of the Steelhawks for his second of the midweek contest at 5:12 on a St Mary’s powerplay. Zimbaro and Brayden Luzzi had the contributors on Perna’s powerplay goal. Dylan Murphy closes the gap to two for Superior Heights at 3:02 on a Steelhawk powerplay with Case drawing the assist on Murphy’s second point of the game. With 79 seconds remaining in game two of the city championships, defenseman Cole Masse scores St Mary’s eighth goal of the game to give the Knights a 8 – 4 lead. Zimbaro added the lone helper on Masse’s goal. Nathan Palmer brings the lead to 9 – 4 with 53 seconds left in the third with an unassisted St Mary’s goal. With their tenth goal of the game, Guzzo gives the Knights a 10 – 4 win with 43 seconds remaining in game two with O’Dell and Nathan Palmer setting up Guzzo’s second of the game.
Game three will take place on Thursday, February 23rd with the Knights leading the best of five series up 2 – 0 over the Steelhawks.
