The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Hornets grab Senior Night win
Birko goal eight seconds into first period leads to 3-1 win
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 22, 2007
It took the Saline hockey team 20 games to find their first win. But it took them only two more to find their second.
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Jay Birko scored only eight seconds into the match and Saline defended its Arctic Coliseum home ice on Senior Night with a 3-1 victory over Dearborn Unified.
"We were finishing tonight," head coach Drew Denzin said after the victory. "We had some guys who were in the right spots at the right time and we were pursuing the puck a little harder tonight … Any time you get 34 shots on goal, you're doing something right."
Both of Saline's wins have come against Dearborn, who like the Hornets lost in the state championship finals in 2006 (DU in Division 1, Saline in Division 2). Senior assistant captain Kelly O'Sullivan said afterward that the confidence the Hornets can gain from the Dearborn wins can carry into more wins down the stretch.
"It's big for us. We've had a tough year so it's good to get another one," he said. "Now hopefully we can get a win against someone else."
Birko got Saline off to the brightest start possible, taking the opening faceoff and weaving his way through traffic into the right slot. His shot beat the Dearborn goalie to the far post and the Hornets led 1-0 before many fans had even reached their seats.
Saline continued to dominate the first period, denying Dearborn so much as a shot until 8:42 remained in the period. But despite several opportunities (including 54 seconds of 5-on-3 play late in the first) the breakthrough didn't come until the opening moments of the second period. Birko found sophomore Sean MacNeil for a goal that put Saline ahead 2-0, just 29 seconds into the second period.
Dearborn halved the lead with a power play goal at the 10:01 mark of the second. A high shot from just inside the blue line fluttered just over the shoulder of Saline goalie Chuck Schneider for what appeared to be something of a flukish goal.
"He lost it in the glass," Denzin said. "It happens."
Saline wasted little time responding. Cory Farrell found Patrick O'Donahue at the left point, whose shot across goal was deflected in by wide-open David Spallina in front of the net. The goal came just 27 seconds after Dearborn's and restored a two-goal advantage Saline would not relinquish.
Dearborn saw more of the puck in the third period, but strong work from Schenider and the Hornet defense meant that Saline came closer to adding a fourth than the visitors did to halving the lead again. Birko was stopped by the Dearborn goalie on consecutive breakaways late in the third, but it mattered little as the Hornets salted away the 3-1 win.
"We've got some momentum," said senior assistant captain Grant Phillips. "We're getting towards the time where it's one loss and your season's over, so we're bearing down and getting ready."
Phillips was one of six seniors honored between the second and third periods as part of senior night, along with Birko (the team captain), O'Sullivan, Schneider, Bobby Schilke, and Doug Nelson.
"That we were able to get a win tonight, it means everything," Denzin said. "(The seniors) have been through a lot this season. They've seen the full spectrum. I'm happy for them."
Perhaps even more happy than most was Birko, who was forced to sit out the first 18 games of his senior season due to injury.
"It was a nightmare," he said. "It's a big relief to actually be out there and actually supporting my teammates on the ice. Now we're about to get into the playoffs and it's a whole new season. Everyone starts over with a clean slate and it's great to get a couple of wins under our belt going in."
Dexter 3, Saline 0
The Hornets began their week with a frustrating 3-0 Wednesday night loss to Dexter.
The Hornets frequently carried the play, outshooting the visiting Drednaughts 30-13. In the second period alone, Saline held an 18-3 edge in shots but stellar goaltending by senior Dexter goalie Nick Ceccolini kept the Hornets off the scoreboard.
Dexter scored twice in the first and then again in the third to put the game away.
Afterward, assistant coach Mike Kremer said the Hornets needed to do a better job of keeping their focus after falling behind.
"We cannot take a shift off. When we give up a goal, we haven't shown the mentality to come back," he said. "We have to change that before the playoffs."
Denzin concurred.
"We cannot fold our tents when we are not rewarded for good play like we experienced in the second period," he said.
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