ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (May 16, 2024) -- Rocky River coasted to a 9-2 triumph over the Bay Rockets in a second-round game of the Region 5 Tournament as part of the Buckeye State DII playoffs Thursday.
Double-R defenders squelched the Rockets at nearly every turn and in every possession as the Pirates won their third consecutive game. The Pirates pilfered pellets and shouldered away would-be Bay shooters while holding the visitors to sparse entries on the Rocky River Stadium scoreboard. The Sons of Blackbeard filed a double-digit caused-turnover total (11) for an eighth time this season, and River finished the home playoff game as a plus-10 in turnover margin (8-18).
On offense, the Pirates took good care of the ball in working their way to a 36-17 advantage in shots. Rocky River's eight
turnovers marked the program's lowest single-game total since May 20, 2022 (8 TO vs. Wooster). The Buccaneers scored 58 seconds into the game (Michael Bebie's 27th goal of the season), had a 4-0 lead through one quarter and then an 8-0 cushion by the time the Rockets (11-7) got on the board with nine seconds remaining in the third period.
The River offense was paced by Rowan McDougal (three goals), Andrew Lang (2G), and Dominic Ricketti (1G, two assists). All nine goals were even-strength in a game devoid of penalty flags.
The Pirates' last goal of the night came late in the fourth and was authored by McDougal. The final nail in the Rocket coffin marked the 100th in the career of the senior attackman who has scored 38 goals this spring.
The No. 2 seed in Region 5 got standout performances from Cohen Blair (five ground balls, three caused turnovers), Trent Delventhal (6 GB, 1 CT), and Griffin Sawyer (1G, 4 GB). Goalkeeper Gordon Hudson was sharp if not busy. He made four saves, including two of the 10-bell variety.
With the Pirates (13-5) dispatching Bay, the No. 18-seed in Region 5, they now move on to a Wednesday regional quarterfinal against No. 8 Walsh, which downed No. 9 Cuyahoga Valley 14-10 Thursday. Rocky River will host Walsh Wednesday at 6 p.m.
CANNON FIRE ...
ROWIN' THE BOAT TO THE CENTURY MARK: Rowan McDougal has scored a team-high 38 goals on 146 shots (26%) this season. McDougal, who has also collected 43 ground balls this season and has 119 for his career, filed 23G in each of his first two seasons for River. He tallied 16G as a junior in 2023. In his career, the talented attackman has ledgered 100G and 42A.
BANG-BANG: With his twin goals against Bay Thursday, senior captain Andrew Lang has now netted 8G over River's last three games. Lang, who also tallied 3G and 1A against Bay in the March 19 season opener, ranks second on the team in scoring with 36G. He has 70G, 23A, and 88 GB in his career.
BAY DAZED: River's win Thursday marked its second this season over the Rockets. The Pirates beat Bay 9-4 March 19. The River Raiders and Rockets have now met 20 times in an all-time series that dates back to 2006. And the rivalry has become much like a tussle between hammer and nail: the Pirates are 20-0 in the series. ... Since 2021, River and Bay have met six times. The Pirates have won five of those games by five goals or more.
by Skip Snow
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