Game brief
Even when you are the home team, the sentimental choice, and the number one seed, it’s pretty difficult to alter the momentum in your favor when your opponent gets a sports highlight caliber clip off the heroics of a long stick defender’s behind the back goal. Unfortunately, for the 5,842 fans in attendance a Sunday prom with a flashy Baltimore date followed by a Stones chaser over by the Big Green Monster will have to wait for next year. Game MVP Berger led a hard-hitting crew with 6 points while Conor Gill posted up 6 points for the Canons. Lizards will go head-to-head on ESPN2 for the live telecasted final on Sunday at 13:00.

Game detail
A mostly native crowd of 5,842 strong anxiously awaited their home team to take center stage. Boston, the number one seed, had defeated Long Island last week 10-9 in a dramatic come from behind OT thriller. The anticipation of the second semifinal game between Long Island and Boston had texture, a particular smell, and many sounds – especially the sounds of titanium, alloy, and the short heated verbal exchanges among big, big men.

Minutes before the first whistle stadium ushers handed out sportsmanship pamphlets like they were donuts at an overeater’s anonymous meeting. The more relevant text read: Habit #2: Never Fight. Habit #7: Be Nice to the Other Team. And a players’ favorite, Habit #9: Respect the decisions of the referee or umpire – If you don’t agree with the ref, what should you do? Irony aside, the second semi did not lack any of the action and color of a Bruckheimer film.

A hard-hitting Long Island defense of McCabe, Polanco, and Gagliardi matched up against Gill, Millon, and Leveille respectively. On the other end, Cannons defenders Curtis squared off against Massey, Passavia against Berger, and Staines against Goettelmann. Boston out shot Long Island 50-46 and came up with 23-37 at the face-off X. Jenkins and Inge split the face-off duties. The tie breaker also relied on the respective performances of Garrity and Cattrano who edged out Garrity with 18-14 saves. The game started aggressive and intensity picked up as the clock timed out.

Boston out shot and outscored Long Island in the first period 18-11 and 6-5 respectively. Boston controlled the first ball and Jarret Park stormed off the bench scoring within 30 second going low right. Conor Gill found the net nearly 30 seconds later with a goal from up top (2-0).

The Lizards answered with three consecutive goals. Goettelmann scored from X going past Garrity’s right hip (1-2). Berger rolled the crease and caught a pass from Jalbert going upper left (2-2). Goettlemann notched his second goal of the game off a fast break series (3-2). Boston and Long Island traded goals.

Boston scored two goals from Fiore and Battista briefly edging out Long Island 4-3. Long Island came back with two of their own from Berger (Massey) and Goettelmann. Leveille closed out the first period scoring. Gill passed from X to Leveille who rocked the screens going low passed Cattrano (5-5). Leveille gave Boston the one goal edge going into the second period with and beautiful sequence from Gill, Millon, and Leveille tacking the top right corner (6-5). Rotelli was called for game misconduct and unnecessary roughness.

The second period was even more tight with Long Island and Boston scoring 4-4 off of 11-18 shots and at times play was frantic. Long Island came out strong with two consecutive goals from Massey (Haugen) and long stick defender Gagliardi who snagged a loose ball rebound and shot behind the back (6-7).

Gill responded with his signature shot from X and posting up against his defender and turning and shooting (7-7). Miller took advantage of an out of position Garrity finding the mesh at 8:21 (8-7).

Boston answered with two pipe bangers from Rotelli and Leveille. Leveille unleashed an incredible side arm shooting around his defender (9-8). Jalbert scored for the Lizards and Gill wrapped up the scoring for the Cannons in the first half (10-9).

The aggressive hitting intensified on both team diluting any traces of finesse or fluid ball movement. Long Island dominated in the third out shooting and out scoring the Cannons 17-8 and 6-1. The Lizards silenced and suffocated Boston with four unanswered goals from Miller, Jalbert, and two from Berger giving Long Island a 13-10 lead. Miller scored the first goal of the period on an open lane to goal. Boston defenders left Garrity out to dry. Jalbert scored on and underarm riser on a power play at 6:17.

The start of the fourth period was bit scrappy and despite Boston many looks on net 13 shots on goal to Long Island’s 8, the Lizards outscored their hosts 4-3. Miller scored his fourth goal of the game off a spinning shovel shot on the crease (16-11). Boston’s John Christmas scored fresh off the bench nearly 30 seconds later going top left (12-16). Berger extended the lead yet again off an assist from Haugen at 3:58 (17-12).

Boston received their last spark and two goals from Chris Fiore who seems to demonstrate more fire when backed against a wall. Fiore drove straight in with a crazy side arm rip going top right at 6:19 (13-17). The Boston defense recognized they had committed an error doubling up on Goettlemann behind leaving Haugen alone on the crease who then converted for an easy goal at 7:30 (18-13). The body of the language of the Boston team spoke volumes and Fiore again sparked the offense with a definitive drive to goal straight off the face-off (14-18). Jay Jalbert closed the game out with an insane outside rip at 9:53 (19-14).

Final score Long Island 19 Boston 14. The Lizards advance to the finals where they will face the Baltimore Bayhawks this Sunday at 13:00 live on ESPN2.

Boston Cannons vs. Long Island Lizards

Boston Cannons

14

Scoring

Saves

Current Record
Boston Cannons	10-3

Long Island Lizards

19

Scoring

Saves

Current Record
Long Island Lizards	5-8