Gerrato Scores Game Winner in Double OT, Top Hewlett 8-7

A groin injury, inclement weather, a stout goalie and a triple team on defense couldn’t stop senior Bryan Gerrato from delivering South Side's first victory of the season on Friday afternoon against Hewlett.

Gerrato, slightly hobbled and only playing on offensive possessions, took the ball in the second overtime with 16 seconds left. The team cleared out to give Gerrato enough space to make a play, and the senior captain delivered.

Driving around the net, Gerrato was triple teamed with his back to the goal. He somehow slipped through the defense, got in front of the net and bounced one passed Hewlett goalie Mike Fine, securing an 8-7 Cyclones victory.

South Side coach Steve DiPietro said he didn’t draw up a specific play, but wanted his best player to have the ball.

“Bryan has the most experience, and he stepped up when it mattered most,” he said. “We were either going to win with him or we weren’t going to win at all.  They doubled him, then they tripled him and he still got it in.”

After scoring, Gerrato – who finished with four goals and his third straight hat trick  — sprinted towards the stands and celebrated. He was joined by his teammates, who mobbed their captain and piled on Gerrato in jubilation.

“He earned the right to have the ball in his stick with the game on the line,” DiPietro said. “Even with a pulled groin he could use his speed to get open. It’s amazing.”

The win was hard fought against a tough Bulldogs team who jumped ahead to a quick 4-0 lead. Josh Rivlin had three goals and an assist for Hewlett and Chris Loria added one of his own before the Cyclones got on the scoreboard. Things looked bleak for South Side until Gerrato drilled an eight-yard strike passed Fine’s right leg. That goal sparked a run of five unanswered goals for South Side over the next 20:56.

“I’m proud of the way we fought back today,” DiPietro said. “It’s easy to put your head down when you fall behind big early. We just kept gaining confidence with each quarter that we were able to win.”

Mike Gray had two goals for Hewlett, and Fine finished with eight saves for the Bulldogs. South Side got offensive contributions from Zach Scaduto (two goals) Peter Clark and Eric Gennari, but none matched the offensive output from Gerrato, who carried the team from a potential 0-4 record to 1-3, giving them hope and momentum moving forward.

“We had to fight, but we always believed in our team all season,” DiPietro said. “Hewlett was well coached [by Chris Passuello] and we needed those extra minutes today, but we never gave up hope. We’ve always been able, and we’ve battled like this every game, it’s just nice to see some positive results from it."