Dragons Win 17th in a Row, Head to Playoffs

A Patrick Kearns hat trick was more than enough for the Dragons ice hockey team Thursday afternoon, as they cruised to a 7-1 win.

The Dragons proved extremely worthy of the top seed, dismantling the overmatched, eighth-seeded St. John Vianney Lancers.

Brick wasted no time coming out flying and nearly scored in the first five minutes as a Tyler Martin shot beat the Lancers' goalie five hole that was then was ruled to have hit the post. In staying sharp over sulking about the non-goal, Brenden Dowd dove across the net and pounced on a Matt Gumina rebound to give the Green Dragons the lead with 8:44 to play in the first.

Less than a minute later the lead was doubled as Kearns surprised the Lancers' goaltender with a quick snap shot that was already in the net by the time the goalie reacted.

After killing off a penalty, Kearns found the twine again as he was the last Dragon to touch a puck that double deflected off two different Lancers and into the net as the Dragons sat comfortably with a 3-0 lead after one period.

As the game grew longer, quite a few scrums broke out between the players on the ice, resulting in nothing major – mainly because of the Dragons holding each other accountable.

"They don't want to see each other lose their tempers and take penalties," said Dragons head coach Bob Auriemma. "Things happen after the whistle but they can't be shoving back."

One minute and fifteen seconds into the second period, Andrew Reiss came streaking down the left side of the ice carrying the puck. A slight deke allowed the junior to flip the puck into the whole upper half of the net to give the Dragons a 4-0 lead.

Just a minute later, Brian Murphy rifled home a point shot on the power play, extending the lead to five with roughly two periods to play.

Shortly after the Murphy goal, Brick was on the penalty, which was a perfect 3-3 on the night.

Despite the blowout win, Eddie Rafferty still had a busy night, stopping 19 of 20 shots. Normally when Brick wins big, the opponent's shot total hovers around 10, but Rafferty kept the Lancers shaking their heads all night – none moreso than during a glove save he made late in the second. Facing a two-on-one, Rafferty was tested with a shot in tight that was eyeing the top shelf. The lightning-quick glove was flashed as Rafferty froze play and slowed things down.

After the Lancers made it 5-1 in the third, Matt Gumina responded by burying a Tyler Martin pass from the half boards to set the advantage back at five. With three minutes remaining, Kearns completed the hat trick after passing up opportunity's where he could have shot, instead he set up teammates.

The Lancers came in physical, a prelude to playing Middletown South or Howell in the playoffs. The Howell squad would present the Dragons with the toughest test, since the Rebels gave Brick the biggest scare during their epic winning streak.

"If it is, indeed, Howell who we end up playing, we have to do a couple of things," said Auriemma. "One thing, for sure, is to get more pucks on net than last time."

With the top seed, the Dragons will be at home regardless of who they play, with the puck dropping Tuesday afternoon, at 4 p.m.