Monday January 7
Legacy edges rival Armadillos in shootout to claim third straight title
In an entertaining final featuring two of the top teams of the division, Legacy made that one single play that separated the two sides. It was Payam Assadi's last shootout attempt along with F.Baratta's three consecutive saves that provided the victory and ultimately the championship. The night began with a bang for Legacy dominating the first period with five goals thanks to a G.Pisanelli hat trick. By finding themselves in such a deep hole, the Armadillos had only game two to focus on. The response was definitely a heavy one, with the Armadillos completely dominating the ensuing match. P.Lapointe opened the scoring right before K.Koutsogiannopoulos blasted a rocket giving F.Baratta no chance. With that 2-0 lead after one period, the Armadillos felt confident enough that a game three was on the horizon. Still, the night was-from being over for the two clubs leaving all but a twelve minute game and possibly some change to decide a winner. And perhaps as expected by many, neither side was able to edge out one another during that span. The game ended in a 2-2 tie leaving all but a dreaded breakaway competition. In the shootout, F.Baratta was brilliant keeping Legacy alive until Payam Assadi put the series to rest with his famous back hand move. On behalf of HockeyBalle.com, congratulations go out to George Panagiotopoulos and Legacy for claiming their third straight title.
(3)Armadillos vs Legacy (6) Game 1
(1)Legacy vs Armadillos (4) Game 2
(2)Armadillos vs Legacy (3) S.O Game 3
The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Frank Baratta of Legacy. The net minder did not disappoint, taking game one rather easily but more importantly denying three straight shootout attempts that enabled his club to take the series.
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