Goalie Spence steps up his game for Springfield

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MIDDLETOWN >> James Spence is a difference-maker for Springfield in the crease, as any team in the Central League can attest.

The junior isn’t one to often maraud beyond it, but when Spence was presented the opportunity to extend his influence Tuesday night, he took the chance to help his Cougars secure a monumental win.

In addition to 12 saves in a steady outing between the posts, Spence extinguished pressure on a clear with his feet, lofting a pass to Mike Vent for the goal that helped seal Springfield’s 8-5 win over Strath Haven in the PIAA semifinal at Penncrest Tuesday night.

The win advances Springfield (19-7) to Saturday’s PIAA final against La Salle, which drubbed Manheim Township, 10-2, in the other semi. That game is at West Chester East at 2:30 p.m. Strath Haven (19-7) sees its program-best season end.

Vent had just set up Nick Martin for the goal that put Springfield ahead for good at 8:25 of the fourth quarter. Four minutes later, as Strath Haven pushed frantically for an equalizer, chaos reigned. Springfield’s Kyle Long rang a shot off the crossbar, and the rebound trickled to the other end of the field, leaving a trail of scrums in its wake.

Eventually, Spence came ambling out of the crease to pocket the groundball, then turned upfield. He got near midfield on the near sideline and feathered a pass over a leaping defender to Vent.

The midfielder gobbled up open real estate and slotted home a leaping shot past goalie Will Brake while sliding parallel to the goal line, contorting his body in midair to stay out of the crease and make it 7-5 with four minutes left.

“I always try to be as much of an asset to my team as I can, inside the cage and outside the cage,” Spence said. “… No one was open, so I had to kind of beat me guy. I kept on looking up, found Mike Vent, so I pushed to him, and it turned out he made a great play and Mike Vent had a great goal.”

“I’m just looking to get up and maybe get a pass from him,” Vent said. “We’re just trying to get the ball out safely. We’re not trying to rush or anything. He got the pass to me, and I was just open, and I saw it and I took the shot and luckily it went in.”

Nine seconds later, Mike Gerzabek added his second goal of the game off a rare clean win by Andrew Pickett at the X, the Cougars’ fifth straight goal to finish a 4-0 margin in the final quarter.

The third matchup of the season between Central League rivals was expectedly tight. Springfield appeared to take the early initiative with a 3-1 lead in the latter stages of the second quarter thanks to Long’s feed to Joe DeBernardi.

But Strath Haven answered with two goals in lightning-quick succession — Jake Ross on a rebound with 27 seconds left in the half, then Noah Frantz with a long-pole goal nine seconds later.

Add in Hunter Mazur’s rip 12 seconds into the third quarter, and it was three goals in 39 seconds to give the Panthers a 4-3 edge.

“I think we felt like we had the momentum at the point,” Frantz said. “… Those last five minutes, we got two transition goals and I think we felt good going into the half. We brought it out and got a quick goal after the faceoff. We were feeling good, but we weren’t able to possess the ball, control the game and score six-on-six.”

Will Huestis made it 5-3, completing a 4-0 run midway through the third. But in goal, Spence leaned on the tried and true “game-of-runs” mantra, knowing that Springfield’s surge would arrive eventually.

It started somewhat awkwardly, with a pass from Long intended for Martin on the crease bouncing off his helmet and in. Springfield pulled even in the fourth when, following a Spence denial of Tyler Fink, freshman Jack Spence rolled out from behind the cage and buried a shot.

The Cougars went ahead when Vent fed Martin near the crease, flexing the depth the Cougars have ridden this deep into the tournament.

“Mike dodged up the hash,” Martin said. “I’m there in the crease to stuff it up, finish the ball. It’s a huge goal.”

Underpinning the charge was James Spence, the Lehigh commit who was typically brilliant in goal. He made six saves in the first half, then three in the final three minutes as Strath Haven flung desperate shots his way that he claimed with ease.

Now he’s got the chance to do that one more time this season and add a PIAA title to the District One championship the Cougars won last year.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Spence said. “It’s just another game. I just want to win this game. We’ve been working all season, all high school, just to get to this game. It’s exciting. It’s the first time we’ve ever been here.

“The district championship was awesome, but I want to win a state championship real bad.”

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Matthew De George

Matthew De George
Matthew De George is the Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times.

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