South Jersey Ice Hockey:
Late Goals Lift Penn State Over Rutgers

Saturday, February 5, 2000

By Mike Costantino
SJSports Staff Writer

Paul Cassielo scored with less than six minutes left in the game, and Pat Cleary added an insurance goal in the final minute, as Penn State defeated Rutgers 7-5 in a game played at the Coliseum. The game was scoreless until the six-minute mark of the first period when State's Matt McCann scored to put the Nittany Lions up 1-0. With just under two minutes remaining in the period, Travis Ramsey tied the game at 1-1 scoring on a breakaway. Rutgers took the lead at the end of the period, scoring on the power play as Jason Montagna converted a pass from Tony Fennen, and it was 2-1 heading into the second period.

State tied the game at 2-2 late in the period, as Rutgers had two players in the penalty box and Derrick Rieck beat goalie Bill Douglass through a screen. Nick Katz gave Rutgers the lead at 3-2, scoring on the power play with George Bailey assisting. However, State again would tie the game at 3-3 scoring another power play goal in the last fifteen seconds, this one by Jim Grieg. Bailey gave Rutgers the 4-3 lead early in the third period, but it would last less than two minutes as State would score their third power play goal of the game, as Grieg scored his second of the game to tie it at 4-4.

Rob McLeod gave State the lead at 5-4 at the ten minute mark, but again Rutgers tied it thirty seconds later as Ramsey scored his second of the game and it was 5-5. It stayed that way until Cassielo and Cleary performed their heroics. Although Rutgers suffered another defeat, the team has shown considerable improvement since the beginning of the year, and with the addition of Ramsey and an influx of some local talent the future looks promising.