There have been no shortage of comeback efforts so far in the West Central Division, and both Monticello and Charlottesville know what it’s like to be on either side. The second meeting between these two didn’t look or end up all that different than the first with the Black Knights dominating the middle portion of the game, but once again the Mustangs making things interesting in the fourth. Thanks to a pair of faceoff wins and goals to match in the final seconds, Charlottesville earned a regular season sweep of Monticello with a 15-11 victory.
“We knew we had to control the pace of the game,” said Black Knights coach Drew Craft. “So when we got (the ball) down there, we told our stick handlers to have the discipline to slow it down and make the defense come out and play us. It’s no secret that that’s what we try and do.”
The first quarter was a back-and-forth of scoring with the two squads heading into the second frame tied at 4-4. But just like the first go around three weeks ago, the second and third quarters belonged to Charlottesville. Behind a 7-1 run, the Black Knights rolled to an 11-5 advantage and leading by as much as 13-6 early in the fourth.
“We found the passing lanes in their defense,” said Black Knights attackman Willis Bocock, who had a huge night scoring. “They’d all go to one side and then there was a channel to go inside. Casey Devine and Will Stevens did a great job of finding those lanes.”
But Chase Phillips and the Monticello offense got out of their funk down the stretch. The Mustangs attackmen scored five of his game high seven goals in the fourth and with help from Michael Darby, was able to make it a 2-goal contest with 47 seconds left on the clock.
“We started playing the kind of ball that we know we’re capable of playing, but we started playing it a little too late,” said Monticello coach Matt Hicks. “I’ve seen it in practice and against other opponents, but when you don’t have it until the end, it makes things tough.”
But a win by Charlottesville on the ensuing faceoff allowed the Black Knights to calm things down, and also tack on a pair of last second goals to wrap up the victory.
Bocock Devine and Stevens each had six point efforts. Bocock netted six goals, Devine put up five goals and an assist while Stevens had five helpers and a goal.
“Those three on attack present matchup difficulties for everyone we face because typically you won’t have three quality defensemen that can keep up,” Craft said.
Also helping out offensively for Craft’s squad was Wynter Warren who had a goal and an assist.
For Monticello, Chase Phillips finished with seven goals. Darby had a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Brodie Phillips chipped in a goal and three assists. Tyler Wagner had a team best five ground balls. George Van Dyke had eight saves in net.
