TROY, MICHIGAN – Two goals scored and 40 saves by goalie Jacob Kaczynski were not enough last night as the Massachusetts runner-up Barnstable U18 team fell in the Toyota-USA Hockey National Championship Tournament at the Troy Sports Center.
Pennsylvania state champion – the Mid-State Mustangs from Altoona – took away an early 1-0 lead by the Barnstable team and never looked back, scoring four unanswered goals before the eventual 5-2 finale.
Barnstable’s Matt Kaski netted his team’s first score at 3:18 of the first period but just nine seconds later Mid-State’s Conor Landrigan tied it up at 1-1. Cody Pasic assisted on Kaski’s goal (previous USA Hockey reports erroneously stated Pasic scored the team’s first goal).
Mid-State’s Anthony Oppenheimer gave his team a 2-1 lead less than a minute following the tying goal. That go-ahead score was followed by Landrigan’s second goal at 7:54 and teammate Brandon Ritchey’s goal at 16:36 that made it 4-1, Mid-State. Landrigan assisted on Ritchey’s goal.
With just four seconds left in the first period, Barattini narrowed the Mustang’s lead to 4-2 – assisted by his brother Alex Barattini – but Mid-State iced the contest at 12:29 of the second frame with an empty netter by Jason Edsall that made it 5-2.
Both teams were penalized three times in the affair and all of the goals were at even strength.
Barnstable faces the Chicago Bruins (Illinois) today at 1:00 pm and faces elimination from the championship tournament if they fall.
Barnstable goalie Jacob Kaczynski gave a superlative effort in net with 40 saves. Mid-State’s Garet Ciaramella had 17 saves in net.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm.