Rome Free Academy senior defenseman Matt DeMatteo knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Black Knights’ offense would wake up.
He just didn’t think it would be this good when it happened.
Trailing for virtually all of the first two periods, the hosts exploded for five goals in the final period to cruise to a 6-3 Section III Division II East victory over Cazenovia at Kennedy Arena on Tuesday night in front of a packed house.
DeMatteo scored two of the five goals, including the go-ahead score to give the Romans their first lead of the game to sink the Lakers.
"I think we were shocked so much by the first two periods that we came out in the third period with a passion and we knew it was just fly or die," said DeMatteo. "They couldn’t touch us."
Rome, which improved to 4-0 in the league and 5-1 overall, went almost the first 30 minutes of the game with only one goal and 11 shots on net but then peppered the back of Cazenovia’s net for four goals in less than five minutes in the third period on 12 shots.
DeMatteo’s go-ahead score put the Black Knights up 4-3 at the 10:36 mark off an assist from Robbie Waller.
Rome then poured in two more goals in the period to finish off the Lakers and picked up their fourth win in a row after a 6-5 overtime setback to the defending Division II state champions New Hartford for their only loss on the season.
"We came together at the end of the game, we really did," DeMatteo said. "I can’t explain what just happened, I really can’t. Five goals in one period, it doesn’t happen a lot," he added.
The stunned Lakers dropped to 1-1 in the league and 2-1 overall.
Junior forward TJ Reilley got the hosts on the scoreboard with five seconds left in the second period off a rebound shot from his younger brother Garrett and an assist from Max Bartell to bring the score to 3-1.
Rome then used their newly found momentum against a speedy, relentless Lakers’ defense early in the third as DeMatteo worked along the boards, took a hard wrister in on the Lakers keeper Mason Powell, then tapped in his own rebound to give the Black Knights life with only three minutes away in the period.
Powell finished with 18 saves.
Waller then assisted with goals to Nic Tardugno and DeMatteo’s second score to quickly give the Romans their first lead of the game. Waller said that it was the intensity boost that he saw from the team that really got him going in the final frame.
"We started off slow and not ready, but we really stepped it up on both sides in that last period," said Waller.
"We changed the lines, then just got used to each other for a bit and then we really got comfortable with each other and things started working for us," he said. "As soon as we scored a goal, they just start rolling in for us. When we got the momentum it’s going to be hard to stop us," he added.
Tardugno and TJ Reilley finished with two goals apiece, Mike Pekarski also had an assist and Garrett Reilley had two assists to move his points total to 17 this season.
"As soon as one player gets going, the whole team really starts going after it. I hope we can do that more often," said DeMatteo.
Rome sophomore goaltender Anthony D’Urso made 29 saves and stopped 11 key shots in the second period to limit the Lakers from breaking the game wide open.
RFA coach Greg Cuthbertson was equally proud of his netminder as well as the rest of his bunch from their collective efforts.
"We have a very nice problem here on this team with Anthony and Mike Endres. We have been rotating them in the net and it was Anthony’s turn tonight, and he gave us a chance to win by keeping us in it," Cuthbertson said. "He really did his job tonight."
"I thought the kids showed a lot of character, a lot of heart in that final period. They played probably the worst hockey that we played all year in those first two periods and then followed by probably our best hockey in that third period," Cuthbertson added.
"I don’t know what it is when we want to play hockey, we play hockey," he added.
The Black Knights will face Queensbury on Friday night at 6 o’clock in the first round of the RFA Holiday Classic Hockey Tournament at Kennedy Arena before Rye plays Williamsville East in the second game at 8.
