With goalie Mark Hargrove out of the cage, defender Matt Hantzmon improvised, leaping into the crease to desperately try and prevent a St. Xavier goal. Hantzmon absorbed a shot from an Xavier attackman and registered an impromptu save for the Saints, and that’s how things went for STAB Tuesday evening — just about everything bounced their way in an 11-6 victory over St. Xavier out of Kentucky.
The Saints seized the momentum in the game with a pair of goals while man-down in the first half, deflating an Xavier squad that struggled at times to properly rotate defensively, particularly in the first half. The Saints’ spurt while shorthanded led to a 7-3 halftime lead for STAB.
Chapin Speidel led the way offensively with three goals and an assist while Michael Morris had two goals and an assist. Andrew Crockett, who also recently returned to the lineup, came up with a pair of goals as he continues to try and find his rhythm. Crockett, the Saints’ top finisher a year ago, should provide STAB with a spark as the Saints move into some challenging games in the second half of the season.
“We’ve been able to kind of ease him back into things, he’s come back at a time when we can afford to ease him back in, knowing we’re going to need him for the stretch run,” said STAB coach Bo Perriello. “He seems to be coming around pretty quickly.”
Owen Van Arsdale and Connor McCollough had a goal and an assist each. Lawrence Brayman and Tim Werner both also notched scored while Willy McClintic had an assist.
Hargrove played the entire second half for St. Anne’s, but Austin Geisler, STAB’s regular starter also got back in net at home for the first time after missing a couple of games for a minor injury. Geisler came up with four total saves. The senior had 14 saves in his return over the weekend against Springfield in a 10-3 STAB victory up at Boys Latin in Baltimore.
STAB owned a 50-28 advantage on ground balls and took 45 shots to Xavier’s 21.
