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The Spartans of DePaul didn't wait until the final period to play their best hockey in the Passaic County tournament final. After striking early, the Spartans maintained control of the game to beat Lakeland High School 3-0 and bring home their first county ice hockey title in school history.
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After his team started poorly in the semifinal match against Clifton, coach Frank Krause wanted to get his troops going early. Justin Santillo's goal eight seconds into the game made those wishes come true. As a result, the Spartans had the early momentum, and the first Lakeland shot came seven minutes after the game started. The Lancers eventually managed to get into the game and looked more competitive to end the first period.
In a physical second period, the Spartans were awarded a power play and capitalized to go up 2-0. George Mead put one past the Lakeland goalie off a rebound giving his team a commanding lead early in the second period. Later in the period Lakeland had a 5-on-3 power play and couldn’t convert to reduce the 2-0 deficit.
The Spartans came out skating very well and just like in the first two periods, they scored early. Two minutes into the third period, Justin Santillo scored his second goal on a wrap around. Despite the 3-0 deficit, the Lancers showed no signs of giving up but were unable to cut into the lead. The Spartans were the better team overall and they never allowed the Lancers to get any momentum.
The Spartans’ Matt Fantuzzi’s performance was superb, posting the shutout on a 20-save night. Coach Krause praised Fantuzzi's effort in goal which gave his team much confidence. The Spartans earned their first Passaic County hockey title with a strong team effort. -- Emir Liguori for Jersey Sports Now
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