The Cabrini roller hockey team came in to Sunday’s PCRHL Championship Series looking to bring the hardware back to Cabrini and came out victorious as the team defeated the Drexel Blue Dragons, two games to none.
Game 1 ended in an 8-3 win, followed by another 8-3 win in Game 2, ending the series in one weekend.
The win marks the end of four seniors collegiate careers. Seniors Anthony Sestito, Zach Banfield, Nick Giusti and Mark Bieber helped the program capture two titles during their time as Cavaliers.
Game 1:
Cabrini got on the board first in Game 1 as freshman Clay Anders netted his first of the night. The rest of the period remained back and forth until Giusti found the twine for his first to end the first period, 2-0.
In the second period, the Blue and White broke out with three goals compared to Drexel’s one. Two of the goals included back-to-back- breakaway goals off the face off by Banfield. At the end of three, Cabrini remained in the lead by a score of 5-1.
The Cavs continued to keep the pressure on in the third pouring on three more goals. Drexel attempted a comeback with two of their own, but Anders went on to put the game out of reach with an empty netter to end the first game 8-3.
Anders led the way in Game 1 with 3 points (2G, 1A) while Cabrini’s goaltender stopped 19 out of the 22 put on net to post a save percentage of .864.
Game 2:
Cabrini got a brief break and then went on to hit the rink again for Game 2. With an urge to take the series in two, Cabrini revved up so that vision could turn into reality.
The Blue and White kept their composure in the second game as they did not break out immediately, but ultimately managed to keep the Dragons off the board until the third period.
Anders opened up the scoring for Cabrini and ended the first with a 1-0 lead.
In the second the Cavs scored three more to end the second with a 4-0 lead. Despite the Dragon’s three goals in the third, Cabrini put four more onto the scoresheet to end the game 8-3.
Giusti led the way in Game 2 with 5 points (4G, 1A) while Treat continued to hold it down between the pipes, stopping 23 out of 26.
At the end of three, the team jumped the bench to celebrate, dumping their gear along the way. The two teams concluded the game with the ceremonial handshakes and shortly after Cabrini was presented with the championship trophy. The trophy will go on to have the team member’s names engraved in it, forever leaving them a part of Cabrini history.
Despite starting the season 0-4, the Cavaliers ended the season with an overall record of 11-8-1.
The team is now shifting into their offseason approach to rest up and prepare for the 2015-16 season. For those interested in getting involved with the team, Cavs Hockey will be at the college’s annual Involvement Fair in the fall. Be sure to practice over the summer, as tryouts will come soon after the fair.
