Hockey: Spartans settle for a tie with Matignon

It was a frustrating result for coach Mark Lee and his St. Mary’s boys’ hockey team in their 3-3 tie against Matignon on Wednesday. After outscoring the Warriors, 2-1, in the first period and outshooting them, 37-17, for the game, the Spartans were forced to settle for the tie, bringing their record to 0-2-2.
While Lee felt like his team should have picked up its first win of the season, he did not take anything away from Matignon.
?You have to hand it to (Matignon),” Lee said. “They worked hard, and they were tenacious.”
After Steve Tettoni netted the first goal of the game for the Spartans, Matignon scored just over 20 seconds later. Shawn McBurnie put the Spartans up to end the first, but the second period was where Matignon showcased that aforementioned tenacity. The Warriors scored twice in the period, with St. Mary’s Eric Pedro netting one, evening the game at three, where it would stay.
Dante Maribito was a key playmaker for the Spartans, assisting on two goals, while Brady McLaughlin, Michael Desmond and Mark Zampanti each had an assist.
It was in the third period when St. Mary’s felt like it had the rug pulled out from underneath. During a sequence in that period, Lee thought his team grabbed a 4-3 lead, but after a confusing series of events, the referees disallowed the goal, ensuring the tie. The puck was underneath several players and, according to Lee, the puck crossed the goal line in favor of the Spartans. But the referee disagreed, a result Lee classified as frustrating for a team searching for its first victory.St. Mary’s next plays Saturday against Austin Prep as part of the Serino Tournament.