Falcon Skaters Post Upset Win Over Tri-Town

Nearing the end of a rather dismal season, the hockey team found itself in quick trouble in its game against Tri-Town Thursday.

Midway through the first period, a pair of Mike Hanna goals had given Tri-Town a 2-0 lead, a deficit the young Falcons have had trouble trying to erase all year.

Rather than fold, however, Fermi became more determined than ever, tying the game with a pair of goals late in the period. The Falcons took the lead with two more goals in the second period and never looked back, posting a 6-4 win at the Enfield Twin Rinks.

Joey Rush led the way with three goals and two assists, while linemate Ryan Guhne contributed a goal and three assists.

"They were really exceptional, with and without the puck," Fermi head coach Frank Genovese said. "They did a lot of good things and made their chances count."

After Hanna's tallies gave Tri-Town the early lead, Guhne cut the deficit in half by firing a wrist shot from the left wing past goaltender Aaron Lickwar. Less than two minutes later, Rush scored on a backhander to tie the game at the first intermission.

Dan Haber scored from a tough angle at the side of the net 6:42 into the second period to give Fermi a lead it would not relinquish. Moments later, Haber was injured when he was boarded by Tri-Town's Justin Locke, for which Locke received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. Haber was helped from the ice and taken to a medical facility for observation.

Rush quickly capitalized on the man advantage, snapping home a wrister from the top of the right circle, assisted by A.J. Latulippe and Ryan Sayers. At the other end of the ice, Fermi goalie Brandon Carey made a fine sliding save to rob Ian Leiching.

Just after the five-minute penalty ended, Tri-Town got back within one when Luke Cormier scored, assisted by Leiching, with 53 seconds left in the period.

Mitch Diresta replaced Lickwar in the Tri-Town net to start the third period, but was greeted rudely by Latulippe, who poked home a rebound just 34 seconds into the session.

Both goaltenders made sensational stops in the third period. Diresta denied Rush on a clean breakaway, then Carey robbed Zack Palmer in close.

Cullen Roberts trimmed the lead to 5-4 with 4:15 to play, assisted by Hanna, but Rush completed his hat trick with an unassisted score less than two minutes later.

Tri-Town outshot the Falcons, 29-23, but wound up suffering its fourth loss in the last five games, after opening the season 9-1.

"We're in a slump and we can't find out way out of it," Tri-Town head coach Paul Dowe said. "We didn't show up to play."

The Falcons (5-11-1), who won their second straight outing after five straight losses, face crosstown rival Enfield Saturday at 2:40 p.m. Tri-Town (10-5) travels to the Northford Ice Pavilion Sunday to take on Daniel Hand at 6:15 p.m.