RECAP >> Senior Sam Conway and junior Michael Leschinsky combined for seven goals, including two key scores in the all-important fourth quarter, as Emmaus opened its season by going on the road and defeating Hershey 9-7 in a non-league contest on a cold and blustery afternoon on Friday.
Conway matched his career-high with four goals in the win, while Leschinsky added a hat trick as the Hornets (1-0) beat the Trojans for the third consecutive season and for the second time in last three years at Hershey.
Both players came up big in the fourth quarter after Hershey rallied with a pair of goals in the third quarter to tie the game at 7-7.
Leschinsky notched his third goal of the game less than three minutes into the final quarter for the game-winner off a beautiful assist from senior Bailey O’Connor, and then just four minutes later, Conway added an insurance goal, his fourth of the game, to close out the scoring.
O’Connor scored a goal and an assist in the win, while classmate Devon Boyko also scored his first goal of the season right before the half to give the Hornets a 7-5 lead heading into the break.
Boyko, Emmaus’ outstanding LSM, did a tremendous defensive job in shutting down Hershey’s leading scorer from a year ago, Division I recruit senior Mark Sickler holding him to just one goal, while teammate junior Reece Wieder had an equally impressive effort on the Trojans second-leading goal scorer, junior Colin Kondracki, allowing just a single score.
Hershey, 11-7 season a year ago, had seven different players score goals in the loss.
The Hornets were outshot 36-27 in the contest, with juniors Cole Scott and Jackson Peterson combining to win 50 percent at the faceoff-X (8 of 16). In goal, sophomore Ben Franco was credited with nine saves and gave up just a pair of third-period goals in the second half to earn the win.
Emmaus senior midfielder Liam Gilley was injured in the second quarter of the game after colliding with a Hershey defender and didn’t return to action.
The Hornets will be back in action on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when the host Pleasant Valley in their home opener at Memorial Field.
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Emmaus – 3-4-0-2 – 9
Hershey – 3-2-2-0 – 7
Em goals – Sam Conway 4, Michael Leschinsky 3, Bailey O’Connor, Devon Boyko
Em assists – Leschinsky, O’Connor, Evan Bhagat, Conway
Em saves – Ben Franco 9
Her goals – Justin Hoover, Tanner Nelson, Adam Paymer, Joshua Rodriguez, Mark Sickler, Elijak Duck, Colin Kondracki
Her assists – Kondracki, Rodriguez
Photo gallery courtesy of Tim Conway:
