STOCKTON EDGED BY KEAN 8-7

Robert Krais

Boxscore /  Video Highlights

With playoff seedings on the line, Richard Stockton (7-8, 3-3 Skyline) failed to hold a two-goal lead late and fell to Kean University (11-5, 5-1 Skyline) 8-7. 

The Ospreys opened the scoring as Wade Veselka (Chesterfield/Northern Burlington) and Vinny Gencarelli (Rockaway/Morris Hills) hit the net for a 2-0 lead after one period of play.

Nick Agrisani scored for the Cougars to cut the lead to 2-1 but Robert Krais (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) answered to give Stockton the two- goal margin back.

Sean Bobal made it 3-2, before Brian Santoleri (Berwyn, PA/Archbishop Carroll) gave the Ospreys a 4-2 lead at the break.

The Cougars forged the first tie of the contest with two straight goals by Richard Cheifitz and Ryan Buerkle to knot the game at four apiece. Bobal scored again to give Kean its first lead of the game at 5-4 before Adam Harran (Neptune/Neptune) tallied an unassisted score to tie it again 5-5 after three quarters.

Man-up goals by Drew Wright (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven) and Matt Bologno (Glen Gardner/Voorhees) gave Stockton a two-goal advantage again at 7-5 with 10:45 remaining.

The Cougars would not be denied as they hit the net twice in a space of 46 seconds on goals by Cheifitz and Dylan Conte for a 7-7 tie. Cheifitz put his third marker on the board with 2:58 left to play that proved to be the game-winner.

Seven different Ospreys had goals on the day, with Krais adding two assists to his tally while Bologno and Santoleri recorded one goal and one assist apiece. For Kean, Cheifitz scored three times and had one assist while Bobal scored twice. Agrisani finished with one goal and two assists for the Cougars.

Noah Morris (Brick/Brick Twp.) made 14 saves in taking the loss for Stockton. Dino Vitale picked up the win in relief of Lane Zierten as the Kean goalies combined for four saves.

Stockton seniors Bologno, Harran, Santoleri, Veselka, Morris, Andrew Todd (Mississauga, ONT/ Freehold), Anthony Aponte (Freehold/Freehold Twp.) and Dave Soule (Kinnelon/Kinnelon) were honored before the game as they played their last regular season home game.