Marauders go on "Auto-Pilat", Beat Crusaders

A few weeks after taking down the Canisius Crusaders, the St. Joe’s Marauders have done it again – this time by a 6-4 score after a Friday evening tilt at the Northtown Center.

It was the epitome of hard work and following a well-thought out plan, according to coach Jon Christiano.

“I felt we were zoned in pretty good. We were focused, and we followed the game plan,” Christiano said. “Our guys were sharp. They moved the puck, they shared the puck –  the things that we talked about doing, they achieved and performed, and I was really proud of them. It was a really good team effort for all three periods.”

Sophomore Ronald Pilat, who came through with a hat trick and an assist, was happy with his and his teammates’ effort.

“When I woke up this morning, I was convinced we were going to get the win,” Pilat said. “Everybody played amazing – we got great play in net, we were getting pucks deep, working their defensemen and getting shots on net.”

Right from the opening puck drop, it became apparent that it was going to be a game in which whoever was more prolific on special teams would win the contest. Jacob Gordon put St. Joe’s on the scoreboard first with a power play goal midway through the first period via a wrist shot that beat Crusaders goalie Alex Tallides. 

A few minutes later Canisius answered back with a man-advantage goal of their own from Luke Borysak to tie the game at one. Pilat got his first of the night shortly after on a harmless-looking shot from short side to make it 2-1 and then Canisius collected another power play goal from Jackson Deet to make it 2-2 to end the first period. 

The score didn’t stay tied for long, as Danny Ball cashed in on a rebound to give the Crusaders a one-goal lead a few minutes into the second period but Salvatore Ragusa connected for another Marauders’ power play goal to tie the score again.

“We kind of changed up our power play a little bit going into today with the personnel and the format, and today it worked,” Christiano said. “We were getting pucks to the net and getting big bodies in front and kept trying to jam home rebounds.”

On the flip side, Canisius coach Sam Belsito bemoaned the opportunities his team gave to the Marauders.

“I thought we started ok, but we took some undisciplined penalties and it kind of gave them some momentum,” Belsito said. “We got behind there, and then all of a sudden guys started pressing a little too hard or doing some things that aren't characteristic of them. Next thing you know, we’re down a couple of goals.

“This is a good wake up call for us. We know what we have to work on and be better at, it just comes down to our execution and fixing some things.”

St. Joe’s reclaimed the lead when Pilat lit the lamp for his second of the game late in the second stanza of play and he completed the hat trick on a shot from the slot with 9:24 left in the third. Pilat, who had come into the game with just one goal on the season, was praised for his versatility and intelligence by Christiano.

“That's great for him because he's been an important piece for our team,” Christiano said. “We slide him into a lot of different roles. He could be on the fourth line or be on the first line in any game. He's always ready to do whatever’s asked of him and he’s a pretty smart player.”

The third of Pilat’s tallies prompted a goaltending change, as Tallides was lifted in favor of Jack Grillo to try and spark the Crusaders. Canisius responded at first when David Barczak cut the lead down to one to make it 5-4, but St. Joe’s sealed the outcome when Dillon McMahon found a lose puck in front of the opposition’s net and buried it home to give his team a 6-4 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

While the loss was Canisius’ second of the season – and second to St. Joe’s – the win for the Marauders could do wonders not just for this year, but for years to come. Coming into the outing a couple of games under .500 and with 11 sophomores on their roster, defeating their longtime rival will be a confidence booster for St. Joe’s.

“The season’s been a little up and down for us, but we probably have the best schedule of anybody in the Fed,” Christiano said. “All of our nonleague games have been against really good teams, whether it's Clarence, Orchard Park and Niagara Wheatfield, and we play Grand Island next week. We’ve got a home and home series with McQuaid from Rochester, we went out to Cleveland and played their top teams and we went to New York City and played Iona Prep and Chaminade. 

“We've had a hard schedule but for the kids it's baptism by fire. Every game, they're getting an education, and that's kind of what the game plan was this year – let's do as best we can and let's see what happens. But we're putting a lot of guys in situations they have never been in before, playing against guys a lot older and that could pay dividends down the road.”