High School Ice Hockey:
Township Has Little Trouble With Triton

Friday, December 11, 1998

By Mike Costantino
SJSports Staff Writer

Playing without five regulars on Friday night, Washington Township skated to an 8-3 victory over visiting Triton as Bobby Strauss and Derek Poletis each had a hat trick. Township scored their first goal with less than two minutes into the game as Mike Murro scored with Mike Fabrizio getting the assist. Both teams had trouble generating any offense, with Triton putting only six shots on goal for the period. But they got the tying goal on the power play as Caporale scored with the assist going to Chranowski, and the period ended tied at 1-1.

Triton opened the scoring in the second period, as Dandurmond scored with Caporale getting the assist and Township now trailed 2-1. Less than two minutes later, Poletis scored his first of three to tie the score at 2-2, with an assist going to Chris Harrington. Triton responded on the power play as Caporale scored his second of the night. Triton had their last lead and, as it turned out, their last goal of the night. Bobby Strauss then scored the next two goals for Township. The first one was at the six minute mark of the second period to tie the score at 3-3. Then on a two on one break, Strauss gave Washington Township the lead for good with Manny Suriel setting him up with a great pass and a 4-3 lead. Triton had trouble generating any offense the rest of the period and finished with only four shots on goal. With under two minutes left Nick Brown scored with Mike Murro and Joseph Pell getting the assists and Township led 5-3.

Coach Harrington said after the game, "...missing a lot of regulars, I decided to rotate Poletis from defense to forward and he really stepped up tonight along with Strauss, Murro and Suriel; at times it was ugly but we won." The third period was all Township and Bobby Strauss scored his third goal on a breakaway with the assists going to Manny Suriel and Brian Davis, with just under ten minutes left it was 6-3. It seemed that Triton spent most of the time chasing Poletis as he controlled the puck every time he was on the ice. Now with eight minutes left, he scored to make it 7-3 with the assist to Mike Murro. Four minutes later Poletis scored his third of the night with assists to Mike Murro and Nick Brown to make the score 8-3.

The two teams will meet again on Monday night at the Coliseum and I expect we will see a better effort from Triton.