Time and time again, Charlottesville’s Lucas Levine or Wynter Warren came up with faceoff win after faceoff win and it changed everything for the Black Knights.
The junior tandem’s efforts on the faceoff kickstarted Charlottesville in the second half, helped erase a one-goal halftime deficit and catalyzed a 14-11 victory for the Black Knights.
“I was just trying to stay on top of it,” Levine said. “I’ve been practicing all season and it’s finally coming together.”
The Black Knights won 11 of the 15 faceoffs after the break, limiting Monticello to just four wins, a drastic change from the two teams’ first meeting. While Charlottesville won that first clash, they won just 20 percent of the faceoffs in that installment.
“Coming in that was our focus—if we could win the ball and possess the ball we’d (increase) our chances of winning,” said Charlottesville coach Drew Craft. “.”
Levine handled most of the battles at the X, with Warren spelling him or making big plays on ground balls from the wing (with help from opposite wing Joey Wright) when Levine was battling it out.
“I’m just trying to use all my strength to go after it and get it,” Warren said. “Every faceoff and ground ball counts so I’m putting in all my effort.”
Those victories on faceoffs set the table for a pair of hat tricks by Charlottesville’s Casey Devine and Jack McCarthy on the night. The Black Knights scored six-straight goals to start the third quarter before Michael Darby ended the run with a goal for the Mustangs. By then the Black Knights were in control, up 11-7.
Charlottesville’s Willis Bocock finished with a pair of goals along with teammate William Stevens. Bocock has emerged this year as a legitimate offensive threat for the Black Knights.
“A lot of teams prepare to cover Jack (McCarthy) and I think Willis is the biggest beneficiary of that,” Craft said. “He doesn’t draw their top defenseman or the quick slide like Jack does. I think that’s going to change in a hurry so we’re going to enjoy it while it lasts.”
Monticello took its second straight loss in a row where the Mustangs surrendered a multi-goal lead. Last Friday they fell to Western on another huge third quarter run by the Warriors.
“There were a lot of things we could look at and (faceoffs) are one of the facets of the game we need to rep more in practice and I’m going to put some of that on me as a coach,” said Monticello coach Matt Hicks. “That’s obviously an area I need to spend more time emphasizing in practice.”
Chase Phillips had a monster game for the Mustangs offensively, pouring in three goals and dishing out four assists on the night. Brodie Phillips and Darby also notched hat tricks while Drew Gaffney chipped in two goals.
Charlottesville will host Fluvanna County Friday night while Monticello will try and avenge the loss to the Warriors last week in a Saturday night game that was moved up from May 15.
