Newtown vs. Pinewoods and Tonawanda Makeup Game

On Saturday night the Golden Eagles met the Pinewoods smoke on the Gil Lay Turf for their fourth matchup of the season dating back to the Kevin White Memorial.  The records go out the window as these longtime rivals always play a clean and hard fought game.

Donald Stevens (3,1) opened the scoring with a lefty goal from a tight angle.  Bobby DeFreze (2,2) followed closely with an unassisted goal off a bouncing loose ball in the middle of the offensive zone.  After a break in the scoring Tyler Strassburg (1,1) scored his goal towards the end of the first, closey followed by a goal from newcomer Josh Becker (3,1) and Donald Stevens again.  The period would end 5-0 as Cory Henry and the defense held fast.

Linden Stevens (1,4) opened the scoring for the NGE in the second period.  Kori Halftown (1,3) found the net to make it 7-1.  Leading scorer Preston Lay (2,5) added both of his goals back-to-back at the end of the second and the period would end 9-3.

Butch Jimerson Returns to the Lineup

Jake Davis (1,0) and Josh Kacprzak (0,1) ran a 2-on-1 break to perfection and Davis buried the shot to break the score into double digits for Newtown. Rudi George (1,1) added a goal a hard overhand shot. Becker and Stevens would go on to cap off their hat-tricks and DeFreze added his second of the game. Rookie LeRoy Halftown (1,1) topped off the scoring for the NGE with a low-to-high rip, making it 16-5 and sealing a well earned victory for the Golden Eagles.

Game Notes:  Cory Henry and the defense held the Smoke to just 5 goals, adding to their league leading Goals Against Average. Roy Isaac, Trace White, Levi Thomas, and Craig Stevens all contributed to another game under 6 goals.  Justin and Jonathan Gill each contributed one assist each.  Butch Jimerson played in his first game since the Kevin White Memorial after recovering from a broken hand. The team had 11 minutes in penalties.

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In a rare Wednesday night game under the lights of Logan Field, the Golden Eagles met the Tonawanda Braves on the turf to makeup a game cancelled earlier in the season.  With 29 players suited up for warmups, the NGE gave nine men the night off with a few pivotal games and playoffs right around the corner.  Clint Jones got the start but played limited minutes as Newtown opted to give their starter a rest and Cory Henry some more in-game experience.

Goals would be hard to come by this contest and the Golden Eagles did not break the ice until 10 minutes into the period.  Josh Becker (2,5) opened it up with an outside shot to make it 1-0.  Tracy White (1,2) found himself on powerplay duty for the night and capitalized with an outside shot of his own to make it 2-0 Newtown at the end of the first.

The Man-Down and Powerplay units would get their work in for both teams as penalties were called frequently, from both teams playing hard, not cheap.  Linden Stevens (3,1) added a powerplay goal off a rebound from the post.  Preston Lay (1,2) buried inside in traffic, faking and scoring while absorbing a check.  The period would end 4-1 in favor of Newtown.

The offense found the net five more times in the third to keep the Braves at bay.  Linden Stevens capped his hat-trick, Josh Becker put in one more and Tyler Strassburg (2,0) added two to make the final score 9-5 Newtown.

Game Notes:  The defense held a team to 5 goals for the second game in a row, bolstering their league leading Goals Against Average.  The Man-Down unit overcame 28 minutes in penalties.  Drew Stevens and Josh Kacprzak each added an assist. The goaltenders were excellent for both teams.