Rome Free Academy goaltender Mike Endres remembered what it was like to be pulled from the net the first time he faced the New Hartford Spartans.
The senior showed on Friday night that RFA coach Greg Cuthbertson would not have to drag him out of net this time around.
Endres stopped 50 of the Spartans 54 shots, but the Black Knights’ offense struggled to find the back of the net themselves as they suffered a hard-fought 4-2 loss in a physical Section III Division II East rivalry on Senior Night at Kennedy Arena.
Clayton Whittemore recorded a three-goal hat trick, while Alex Fukes had a goal and two assists and brothers Jason and Eric Fitzgerald each added two assists as the Spartans clinched the Division II East title while they improved to 11-0-1 in the league and 14-2-1 overall.
Rome, meanwhile, dropped to 9-3-1 in the league and 11-6-2 overall. The Black Knights will join New Hartford in the playoffs and are still in the running to host a first-round game. The Black Knights will travel to Hamilton on Thursday for a 6:15 p.m. puck drop.
"It was definitely a physical game," Endres said after Friday’s defeat. "I think we could have done better in the defensive zone and not given up so many shots. It’s tough. It’s really tough," he added.
Endres, who was pulled early in Rome’s second meeting against the Spartans in New Hartford after allowing eight goals off 23 shots in a 10-4 loss, came back with a vengeance against the crosstown rivals on RFA’s home ice.
The senior — one of only two on Rome’s club — played inspired hockey, finding an answer on defense for every tough shot that the Spartans put on net. Endres was saving shots left, making blocks right and really seemed like a brick wall covering the net.
"You just have to stay focused, don’t worry about the shots or the score and remain zoned in in the net," said Endres about keeping his cool in between the pipes. "I did as much as I could to keep us in the game. We had some open looks, but we just couldn’t get a few goals in," added Endres, who has made 256 saves on 284 shots faced this season.
The high-octane Spartans’ offense began their night with a quick deflected shot into the back of the net coming off the stick of Whittemore, who is the team’s leading scorer with 31 goals and 17 assists for 48 points. Nick DeCrisci and Eric Fitzgerald had assists on the visitors’ first shot on net just 1:12 into the game.
Endres then went the next 27 minutes without allowing the Spartans to light up the scoring lamp while tallying 38 straight saves.
Whittemore finally peppered in the rebound goal to give the defending state champions a 2-0 lead with 1:49 left in the second period.
Spartans coach John Cunningham said that it was that goal that changed the game for both teams.
"We had good shots, but we got back up a little bit and we knew that the second goal was going to be the key for us," Cunningham said.
"I’m sure we were hanging our heads a little bit when we didn’t get the goals in the first period, but we didn’t want them to tie it and get some energy at that moment and it picked us right back up," he added.
Endres, who stopped 20 shots in the first period and 21 in the second, said that the game would have shifted in RFA’s favor if the hosts had scored their first goal before the Spartans got their second one. "It would have been huge, it would have changed the whole game. If we would have scored in the second period, we might have come out on top," he said.
To make matters worse for the Romans, soon after the two-goal deficit, Max Bartell was called for a high-stick penalty, and at the same time TJ Reilley was given a 7 1/2-minute misconduct penalty for what was said to be him arguing with the officials.
With the top two Rome scorers, who have accounted for 80 percent of the Black Knights’ offense this season, riding the bench, Whittemore completed his hat trick 20 seconds into the third period as he ricochetted in a shot off a skate for a power-play goal and a 3-0 lead.
RFA coach Greg Cuthbertson was not one to point out any one instance about the loss after the game, but had to key in on the costly penalties for the team at that crucial moment in the game.
"We can’t control what the refs do, and I told the kids that. We just had to keep playing hockey. I really can’t explain it, other than it is what it is," Cuthbertson said.
"We were doubled up in penalties. There were some questionable calls, I’ll say. I bet half those 54 shots were power play shots and you can’t let a team like that have those opportunities," he added.
Rome was called for five penalties in the second period alone, compared to New Hartford’s three penalties.
RFA broke its scoring drought at the 11:17 mark in the final period with a power-play goal of its own off the stick of sophomore defenseman Eric Joyce, with helpers from junior defenseman Kyle Williams and senior defenseman Matt DeMatteo.
DeMatteo then got more into the giving mood as he and Garrett Reilley guided a returned from the bench TJ Reilley to a hard slap shot from the blue line to beat keeper Spencer Landry for the goal and move the score to 3-2 with 3:41 left. Landry then stayed tough in net over the final few minutes while Fukes beat Endres with a one-timer from Jason Fitzgerald in front of the net with 2:31 left to go to seal the win. Landry finished with 33 saves.
Afterwards, Cunningham admired the fight in the spirit from the Rome players after the physical game when they chipped the score to a one goal lead.
"There was no quit in those guys. I’m sure they are disappointed, but they played a great game and I’m sure we’ll probably see them down the road," he said.
