NEW HARTFORD — The Black Knights wanted them, and on Wednesday night, they got them again.
Playing for the fourth time against their arch rivals this season, the Rome Free Academy hockey team wanted a piece of the defending Section III Division II and state champion New Hartford Spartans.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they came up empty again in a season-ending 7-3 loss.
After they had defeated host Corcoran High of Syracuse in the Division II quarterfinals, the Romans were calling out to want to again play the Spartans, who had downed Rome by the scores of 6-5 in overtime, 10-4 at New Hartford and 4-2 on RFA’s senior night on Feb. 5.
Aside from the three losses, this time seemed to have a different feeling heading into it for the Romans as they played their first sectional semifinal game in three seasons.
In front of a packed crowd at the New Hartford Recreation Center, the Black Knights came out fast and furious and took a 1-1 tie into the second period before the Spartans’ offense settled in and exploded for four goals in the second period to come away with the victory and advance to the Section III Division II finals.
"We did have some opportunities tonight, but it just came down to that we just didn’t finish," said RFA coach Greg Cuthbertson.
The leading points scorer for the Spartans on the season, senior Clayton Whittemore, finished with two goals and two assists, while senior defender Chris Luker scored two goals and senior Jason Fitzgerald netted a goal and added three assists.
The Spartans, which moved to 17-4-1 overall this season, will take on Cazenovia, which defeated Skaneateles in their semifinal matchup on Wednesday night 2-0, on Sunday at the Utica Memorial Auditorium starting with a 1 o’clock puck drop.
The Black Knights tied the game at 1-1 with a goal from sophomore Robbie Waller off a scorcher shot on net that ricochetted off a Spartan defender’s stick and past keeper Spencer Landry, 20 seconds after Whittemore put the hosts on the board with 4:58 remaining in the first period.
Rome’s leading scorer this season, junior forward TJ Reilley, then ripped a shot on the net that Landry turned away with a glove save with 2:24 remaining and then starting goaltender Mike Endres kept the score knotted as he made four saves inside the final minute in the first frame going into the locker room.
The Spartans then regrouped and scored two quick goals inside the first minute and a half of play — two coming 20 seconds from each other — with scores from Dan Sheets and another from Alex Fukes with an assist from Tom Nitti.
Luker then added a power-play goal off a slap shot from the blue line that retired Endres in net for the Romans followed by Whittemore’s second goal of the game as the hosts’ offensive barrage took off in the second period.
Endres, who had a 50 save night against the Spartans in the two teams’ last game, was pulled after saving seven of 11 shots between the pipes. He was replaced by Anthony D’Urso, who finished with 25 saves on 28 shots faced.
"For us, we were nervous in the first period," said New Hartford head coach John Cunningham. "We got the first goal and that started to settle us a little bit and then we came into the locker room after the first period, we sort of took a deep breath, regrouped and started doing the things that we had been doing all year," he added.
Waller, who had been battling an illness before the start of the game, assisted the Romans’ second goal with a feed to defenseman Eric Joyce before the end of the second period.
"I’ve been sick but I just had to step it up tonight," said Waller, who finished with seven goals and eight assists this season.
"I think in the first period we came out strong, when we scored we all got our heads up, then when they scored a couple quick goals we got down and after that it was just enough," Waller added. "Honestly, they were just doing what they have done all year. The first period we had it, but we let it go. They really hurt us in the second period," Waller said of the Spartans’ offense.
Junior defender Jeff Holtzberger scored the other RFA goal near the end of regulation with a slap shot from the blue line with assists coming from TJ and Garrett Reilley. Landry stopped 30 of Rome’s 33 shots on net.
The Black Knights ended their season at 12-8-2, but Coach Cuthbertson is looking towards the future.
"We said it over and over, games like this aren’t won here, they are won in the offseason and it was evident tonight. Their top guys just won battles against us. Their top people were better than ours tonight," he said.
"That comes next is, what are we doing to get better? I don’t think we are there yet," he added.
"Don’t get me wrong, these kids have come a long way from last year. We are in a better place than we were last year, but is there room to grow? Of course, and we know that," Cuthbertson said.
Playing with eight juniors, eight sophomores, six freshmen, and two eighth graders, the Black Knights will lose only starting defensive captain Matt DeMatteo and keeper Endres next season.
The youthful Romans were playing in the one of the biggest hockey games for Rome in the last 10 years and their tightness showed at times.
Rome went 0-for-4 in power-play opportunities, while the Spartans’ capitalized on two power-play goals in three chances. RFA also only took two shots on net during those extra skater opportunities as the hosts held their rivals without a shot on net at the 6:33 and 4:52 marks in the second period, while trailing 4-1.
Landry was able to shine against the sparse Black Knights’ shots on net. The keeper shut out the Romans for over 13 minutes straight and made 15 saves in the final period to seal the victory.
With a majority of the team coming back next season, the Black Knights were left with the feeling of wait until next year left in their heads when they left the ice.
"We will remember this night," the sophomore Waller said. "Next year when we play them, it will be a different story."
