Undermanned, Undisciplined Crusaders Fall 5-3 to St. Peter's

HACKENSACK— Bergen Catholic entered the game severely undermanned and they ended the game undisciplined to boot in a 5-3 loss to St. Peter's Prep.

Unable to keep their composure, the Crusaders took a pair of unsportsmanlike penalties at the end of the second period and entered the final period down two skaters.

Sure enough, St. Peters made it count with a pair of backbreaking power play tallies.

St. Peter's center Rob Butko scored both power play goals in a 35 second span. The goals pushed the lead to 5-2 that ended all hopes of a Crusader comeback.

"Those two goals were big and our lack of discipline did us in," said Crusader head coach Tim Clifton.

The lack of discipline resulted in three 10-minute game misconducts and over 40 minutes worth of time spent in the sin bin.

"We have to address our penalty issues, but we were also very shorthanded today," said Clifton. "Some players were sick and others had club team obligations."

The Crusader skeleton crew consisted of 12 players that made up only two lines and left some players out there to double and in some cases the extreme triple shift. Compared to the full compliment of fresh bodies on the St. Peter's bench it was a matter of time before they imposed their will.

St. Peter's also spent plenty of time in the penalty box and seemed to lack discipline. Following their two goal burst in the third period, the Marauders found themselves getting into after the whistle scraps. But their depth allowed them to survive them. Bergen Catholic was decimated by them.

Crusader goaltender David Gerity did his best to keep the game competitive while St. Peter's peppered him with 43 shots on goal, but many more that came close. Forward Jonathan Baron did his best to spark the offense with three assists and, unlike many of his teammates, was able to stay out of the penalty box.

"It was only made harder to have fresh players on the ice with all the penalties," said Clifton. "We're going to have a long talk about playing smarter."

 The Crusaders will next take to the ice against the Bishop Eustace Crusaders on Sunday, Dec. 20, 3pm at the Ice House.