PILLA'S HAT-TRICK AND LIONS RUIN CAL'S HOMECOMING 7-3

Thursday, October 22, 2015

FOR THE SECOND GAME IN A ROW, MIKE PILLA HAS SCORED A HAT-TRICK, AND THE LASTEST VICTIM WAS CALFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PA, ON THEIR HOMECOMING NIGHT.  THE LIONS WOULD TAKE THE LEAD AT THE 11:09 MARK OF THE FIRST PERIOD AND NEVER LOOK BACK.  SOPHOMORE DOMINIC BOVA WOULD HAVE AN AMAZING OUTLET PASS TO MIKE PILLA, WHO THEN FED NICO GRICCO FOR HIS FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON.  PILLA WOULD THEN SCORE HIS FIRST OF THE NIGHT SHORTHANDED ON A SET UP FROM FRESHMAN MIKE LASSIK.  CAL WOULD THEN BE AWARDED A 5 MINUTE MAJOR PENALTY AGAINST FRESHMEN DEFENSEMAN NICK DANESE.  THE LIONS WOULD ONLY SURRENDER ONE POWER PLAY GOAL ON A SOLID KILL AND LEAD THE VULCANS 2-1 AT THE END OF THE FIRST PERIOD.  SHOTS FOR THE PERIOD 6-5 LIONS.  THE LIONS WOULD PICK UP THE TEMPO EARLY IN THE SECOND PERIOD.  CAPTAIN MIKE LUDWIG WOULD SEND A BLISTERING SHOT ON THE POWER PLAY, PAST VULCANS GOALTENDER TALLEN STROMAN (ASSISTS GRICCO AND RUPPRECHT.  JUST OVER A MINUTE LATER MITCH RUPPRECHT WOULD SCORE THE LIONS SECON SHORTHANDED GOAL (FROM GRICCO).  THE VULCANS WOULD SCORE ON AN OPEN NET WHEN LIONS GOALTENDER STEVE GILCHRIST MISPLAYED THE PUCK.  PILLA WOULD RESPOND WITH HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT ASSISTED BY LASSIK.  PSUA WOULD OUT SHOOT CAL 16-4 IN THE SECOND PERIOD AND LEAD 5-2.  CAL WOULD COME OUT FIRING IN THE THIRD PERIOD DOMINATING THE LIONS IN THEIR END.  SIX MINUTES INTO THE THIRD PERIOD, AFTER AN ICING CALL, COACH LANT CALLED A TIME OUT, AND DEMANDED HIS TEAM MATCH CAL'S INTENSITY.  SEVEN SECOND LATER PSU RESPONDED AS RUPPRECHT WOULD NET HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE GAME FROM GRICCO AND TAMBURI.  NINE SECONDS LATER PILLA WOULD FINISH THE HAT TRICK FROM BOVA.  THE LIONS WOULD SURRENDER A LATE GOAL, BUT IT WOULD HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE FINAL AS PSU DEAFEATED CAL 7-3.  FRESHMAN STEVE GILCHIRST WOULD WIN HIS FIRST COLLEGE START, TURNING AWAY 19 OF 22 SHOTS.  LANTZ SAID THIS ABOUT HIS TEAM.  "I AM VERY PROUD OF HOW THIS TEAM RESPONDED WHEN CALLED UPON.  THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS TEAM."  DOMINIC BOVA WOULD EARN THE TEAMS MVP BELT FOR AN OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE GAME.  THE LIONS NEXT TRAVEL TO PEGULA ARENA TO FACE OFF AGAINST THE PSU D2 TEAM FRIDAY NIGHT AT 10:15 PM.