Sometimes, a tie can be as good as a win — or as bad as a loss.
Such was the case Friday, as Bethlehem rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie Christian Brothers Academy 3-3 in a Capital District High School Hockey League game at the Bethlehem Area YMCA.
RJ Diego re-directed Andrew Carroll’s shot past goaltender Kyle Stockman with one minute left in the third period to tie the game for Bethlehem (5-3-3 league, 8-7-3 overall). Bethlehem netminder Kevin Cooley then made a pair of key saves in overtime to prevent the Brothers (8-2-3, 9-5-4) from leaving the rink with more than one standings point.
`There was not one point in the third period — even down 3-1 — when I was not confident in my team,` said Bethlehem coach Andre Rodrigue.
Afterwards, CBA coach Blaine Drescher couldn’t hide his disappointment.
`We got a little complacent after we got the two-goal lead,` said Drescher. `We’re better than that, and we know it.`
The Brothers took their 3-1 lead early in the third period when John Bassett ripped a shot from the blue line that Cooley couldn’t see as the puck traveled through traffic in front of the net.
Bethlehem turned up the pressure on Stockman after that, and Stockman was up to the challenge. The junior made several key saves, including one where he deflected a point-blank shot from Caswell.
`We played very well,` said Rodrigue. `We controlled the puck and controlled the play. They just ran into a hot goaltender.`
A CBA mistake gave Bethlehem new life later in the third period. Nicholas Brenier intercepted an errant pass and sent the puck behind the net to Carroll, who quickly came around and stuffed a shot inside the right post to make the score 3-2.
Mistakes continued to mount for CBA after Carroll’s goal. Another errant clearing pass allowed Carroll to skate in alone on Stockman less than 40 seconds later. This time, Stockman made the save to keep the Brothers in front.
A CBA penalty for too many men on the ice with 2:18 left put Bethlehem on the power play — one which ended with Diego getting his stick on Carroll’s shot from the point and deflecting the puck past Stockman for the tying goal.
`When you throw the puck at the net, it doesn’t need to be pretty,` said Rodrigue. `They all count as one (point).`
`Kyle (Stockman) did a good job,` said Drescher. `They had some very good chances in the third period. Playing on a smaller rink, their pressure got to us.`
Diego’s goal woke up CBA’s offense, which had managed only 15 shots on goal in regulation. The Brothers generated a pair of quality scoring chances in overtime. On the first chance, Chase Crawford had a breakaway on Cooley, but the Bethlehem netminder blocked the shot with his chest. A short time later, Cooley snared Nick Makarowsky’s attempt to keep the score tied.
`Kevin played well. He stands tall back there,` said Rodrigue.
CBA survived one more defensive turnover to leave the rink with a tie. Carroll picked up a loose puck following a failed clearing attempt with less than 10 seconds left in overtime and skated in on Stockman. However, Carroll’s shot sailed wide of the right post.
Stockman finished with 31 saves, 23 of which came in the second and third periods. Cooley stopped 15 shots for Bethlehem.
The tie gave CBA and Bethlehem one standings point as they close in on the end of the regular season. CBA sits in fourth place with 14.5 points, 1.5 points behind third-place Shaker/Colonie, while Bethlehem is in fifth place with 11.5 points. Both teams have two CDHSHL games left, which Rodrigue said could lead to a rematch between them in the Section II Division I playoffs.
`I have a feeling we’ll be seeing those guys again,` said Rodrigue.
Bethlehem travels to Niskayuna/Schenectady Saturday, while CBA hosts Shenenendehowa at the Albany County Hockey Facility.
`This is a tough (tie), but I can promise you these guys will be ready to go tomorrow,` said Drescher.
Scoring
First period
CBA — Robby West 5:49
Bethlehem — Zach Flagler 1:50
Second period
CBA — Zach Swanteck 8:00
Third period
CBA — John Bassett 13:56
Bethlehem — Andrew Carroll 5:38
Bethlehem — RJ Diego 1:00