When the Guilderland hockey team tested Shaker/Colonie goaltender Jim Lanne, the junior came up big.
Lanne stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced to help the Jets pull out a 3-1 victory over the Dutchmen in last Friday’s Section II, Division I semifinal at the Albany County Hockey Facility in Colonie.
We couldn’t put it past him. That was the key, said Guilderland coach John DeRubertis.
Lanne’s only blemish was a Dan Dickinson goal with 1.3 seconds left in the first period that cut Shaker/Colonie’s lead to 2-1, but he stood tall against sporadic Guilderland offensive pressure over the final two periods to guide the top-seeded Jets (18-4-1) into Thursday’s Sectional final against Niskayuna/Schenectady at Union College.
`That’s the toughest game for a goalie ` when you’re getting random shots, that’s a lot harder to deal with than when you’re getting consistent pressure,` said Shaker/Colonie coach Steve Hudak.
Lanne received plenty of support from Shaker/Colonie’s top line of Corey Brustle, Matt Vetrone and Ryan Phillips. Brustle scored two goals, Vetrone contributed a goal and two assists and Phillips added an assist.
`We went in with a game plan, and we stuck with it,` said Hudak. `The orange line (Brustle, Vetrone and Phillips) did the scoring, and the others filled their roles perfectly.`
Brustle got Shaker/Colonie on the scoreboard 4:09 into the first period by being in the right place at the right time. Vetrone skated behind the Guilderland goal to pick up a loose puck and passed it to a waiting Brustle, who stuffed it past Dutchmen goaltender Mike Alsante.
Vetrone took care of business for Shaker/Colonie’s next goal. The senior forward picked up a loose puck along the sideboards deep in Guilderland territory, skated untouched to the front of the Dutchmen goal and rifled a shot past Alsante with 5:31 left in the first period.
`He did a great job on that (goal),` said Hudak. `He had Corey (Brustle) on the back door, and he led a (Guilderland) defenseman by keeping his eyes on Corey the whole way.`
`We had a couple of players get trapped along the wall and he walked into space,` said DeRubertis.
Guilderland (11-11-1) thought it had gained some momentum when Dickinson slammed home a rebound off Collin Burg’s original shot in the final second of the first period, but Brustle’s second goal of the game 5:31 into the second period and Lanne’s strong play in goal ended any hopes of a Dutchmen comeback.
`It looked good for us getting that goal with one second left in the first period to get us back in the game, but they played great defense the rest of the game,` said DeRubertis.
Alsante kept Guilderland within striking distance with several nice saves including one on a breakaway by Brustle in the third period. Alsante finished with 20 saves on 23 shots.
`He’s coming around,` said DeRubertis of his sophomore netminder. `He stayed calm, and I don’t really fault him for any of the goals he gave up tonight.`
Shaker/Colonie now looks ahead to trying to lock down its second Sectional title in the program’s history Thursday. The Jets won the 2002 title and lost to Shenendehowa in the 2006 finals.
`Last year, we were second to last (in the Capital District High School Hockey League). This year, to finish first in the regular season and get to the finals we still have to finish the job, but it’s great to get there,` said Hudak.“