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NEW LOOK BLACK KNIGHTS KNOCK OFF CLINTON 6-2
11/28/09
ROMANS REACH UC HS TOURNEY FINALS AGAINST NEW HARTFORD-GAME ON WIBX
JEFF PEXTON/PHOTOS JEFF PEXTON
 In recent years the Rome Free Academy Black Knights hockey teams have had the talent. What they have lacked has been the discipline and ability to avoid unnecessary penalties. This afternoon at the Utica Aud, the Black Knights were matched up with the rival Clinton Warriors in the second game of the Dunkin Donuts High School Hockey Classic hosted by Utica College.
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The Warriors and second year head coach John Sonderman were looking to improve on a 2008-09 campaign that saw Clinton miss the playoffs for the first time ever. With the likes of Devin Grabski, Jake Hilton, Ben Hobaica and Steven Abdoo returning, the Warriors appear ready for battle.
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 For the Romans, goalie Mike Endres and defenseman Matt DeMatteo are the team's only seniors, but experienced juniors T.J. Reilley, Max Bartell and Nick Tardugno round out a relatively young, yet potent Black Knights team that is looking for better things this season.
The first period of this one went back and forth for the first seven minutes, but the Knights hit the jackpot when Garrett Reilley fed brother T.J. in the slot and #22 launched a nifty wrist shot into the top right corner of the Clinton net, putting RFA up 1-0 with 12:11 remaining in the opening stanza.
(Clinton's Jake Hilton (33) comes up big during third period play.)
With 5:46 to go in the first, brothers Reilley struck again on a pretty power play goal when T.J. returned the favor to Garrett, who beat a sprawling Dylan Grabski to put RFA up 2-0, which is the way we'd go to the first intermission.
The first period featured a well disciplined RFA team that was unwilling to take the cheap penalty, instead passing and skating themselves into a solid lead.
Clinton regrouped after the first period and skated with the Black Knights stride for stride for the first half of the second period. Then, at the 7:43 mark of the second, T.J. Reilley notched his second goal of the game to put RFA up 3-0.
(RFA center TJ Reilley (22) starts a rush over the center line in 1st period action.)
Less than one minute later, Max Bartell joined the mix, taking a crisp pass from Mike Pekarski and beat Grabski for Rome's fourth goal, with 6:50 to go in the period, giving the Black Knights a commanding 4-0 lead.
 Coach John Sonderman elected to replace Dylan Grabski in goal with Jake Hilton at this point and the score remained the same for the remainder of the second period. The teams headed to the intermission with RFA out shooting Clinton 16-11.
Clinton got on the scoreboard with 11:41 remaining in the third period on a beautiful slap shot by Eddie Maxam from just onside the blue line, which beat Mike Endres high to the glove side, drawing Clinton within 4-1.
(Clinton's Luke Lauchert (4) puts a shot on RFA's Mike Endres (31) in first period action. Endres made the save.)
RFA got another score off the power play with 4:44 remaining when Bartell tallied again, with assists from Garrett Reilley and Eric Joyce, to increase the Knights lead to 5-1.
The teams would trade goals in the final three minutes, Steven Abdoo for Clinton and Matt DeMatteo for RFA and when the final horn sounded on this one, the Black Knights got a solid 6-2 win over a very good Clinton team.
Mike Endres stopped 15 of 17 shots he faced while Dylan Grabski and Jake Hilton combined for 22 saves on the evening.
The new look Black Knights played a brand of hockey that lends itself to giving New Hartford a great Championship Game tomorrow afternoon at the Aud.
(Typical RFA and Clinton right? Black Knights Matt DeMatteo (2) and Warriors Dan Melie (30) rough it up in front of the Warriors goal.)
ROME FREE ACADEMY 6 CLINTON 2
Box Score 1 2 3 Total RFA 2 2 2 6 Clinton 0 0 2 2
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