Georgetown 5, NC State 4 (Overtime).

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, MD, the Georgetown Hoyas played one of their best and most exciting games of the season and defeated the Wolfpack of North Carolina State University 5-4 in overtime. It was a fast-paced, hard-fought and all-around great game for the Hoyas-- with a fantastic finish.

Georgetown started slow but ended with a flourish. The Hoyas trailed most of the game but kept fighting back. NC State had 2-goal leads in the first and second period and led at each intermission. It was a fast-paced, intense, and physical game. Every loose puck was fiercely contested. There was spirited forechecking, backchecking, and hip checking. Richie McGinniss hit for the cycle: roughing, holding, hooking, and interference. It was heads-up hockey or you paid the price.

In the first period, NC State started strong and scored 2 goals in the first 2 minutes of the game. In the middle of the first period, Brian Brauth (Grad-Hoboken, NJ) scored on a give-and-go to cut the Wolfpack’s lead to 2-1, with assists by Alex Yale-Loehr (Soph-Ithaca, NY) and Dan Lechner (Sr-Rockville, MD).

In the second period, NC State again struck first and fast, and scored in the first 10 seconds of the period, to take a 3-1 lead. Five minutes later, the Hoyas answered when Lou Aronne (Sr-Greenwich, CT) tipped in a shot, with assists by Charlie Walsh (Sr-Cheshire, CT) and Gus Thompson (Jr-New Canaan, CT). The score remained 3-2 in favor of the Wolfpack at the second intermission.

The third period began with NC State requesting a measurement of the pads of the Hoyas’ goaltender, Greg Graham (Sr-Downingtown, PA), who had saved 19 of 22 shots. The Hoyas responded by putting Clayton Kossl (Jr-Kinnelon, NJ) in goal and by putting the puck in the net. In the first 3 minutes of the third period, Dan Lechner scored on a rebound, with assists by Brian Brauth and Charlie Walsh, to tie the game at 3-3.

The remainder of the third period was a tough battle with each team skating fast and furious. With 8:17 remaining in the game, NC State scored to take a 4-3 lead. One minute later, while on a power play, Charlie Walsh scored on a slapshot from the right point, with assists by Alex Yale-Loehr and Dan Lechner. The score remained tied 4-4 at the end of regulation. Clayton Kossl did a superb job in goal by saving 15 of the 16 shots he faced in the third period.

In overtime (4-on-4, sudden death), the fired-up Hoyas produced the dramatic. About 2 minutes into OT, Dan Lechner slide-blocked a shot from the left circle, and the puck ricocheted off his facemask in the defensive zone, near the blue line. Charlie Walsh beat the Wolfpack defenders to the puck, kicked into high gear and raced down the right side. At the right circle in the offensive zone, Charlie delivered a perfect backhanded pass to the high-flying Peter Owen (Freshman-Westwood, MA). Pete one-timed the puck past the Wolfpack goaltender and into the back of the net for the game winner! The Hoyas’ bench erupted, stormed the ice, and celebrated a great overtime victory.