Golden Tornado improve postseason chances with section win
A decisive loss to Central Catholic last year lingered in Butler’s mind.
Facing two opponents Wednesday night — the Vikings and the biting cold — the Golden Tornado got their retribution late by overtaking the visitors, 13-10, in theatrical fashion.
“I’m freezing,” said Butler coach Trevor Monteleone after the come-from-behind victory.
Standing in the crisp air was well worth his while.
Following a sluggish first frame, the Golden Tornado’s defense stiffened after allowing Central’s Victor Rossi his second marker of the contest. The goal, which came with 7:34 left in the second quarter, staked the Vikings to a 6-3 advantage.
This after Butler’s Ayden Davis twisted and turned out of a throng of Viking bodies before midfield and was smacked in the leg by a Central Catholic (6-4, 2-3) stick. He galloped for a few yards before passing the ball off and crumpling on the turf.
He was helped off the playing surface, but came back minutes later.
“That would’ve been a huge loss if Ayden was out the whole game,” Monteleone said. “But, we were able to come back and I just can’t say enough to the leadership of this team right now.”
In effect, that surge began less than half a minute after Rossi’s tally, when Davis scored with an impressive backhanded sweeping motion.
The Golden Tornado (5-4, 3-2) out-shot Central, 13-3 in the second period, in large part because the Vikings couldn’t manage a shot in the last half of it.
“We just kept saying, ‘Win this quarter, win this quarter,’” Monteleone said. “And we did. It was our leaders that really came out.”
With 13 saves in goal and 15 draw controls, respectively, seniors Julius Collins and Jared Chantz had their say in the recovery. Chantz also registered Butler’s opening goal.
“I made a little bad pass in the beginning, but I turned it around,” Collins said. “I stepped my game up and the defense started talking more. I made a couple of good saves, dished it off, and came out of the net a lot. I passed it off and made something happen out of it.”
Central came out with energy in the third quarter, but it didn’t last. Golden Tornado freshman Emmet McClaine had his hand in two scores little over a minute apart — netting the first and assisting on Grant Terwilliger’s second of the night — to pull the teams even at six.
“They were hot on our heels,” Vikings coach Anthony Abbondanza said. “We slipped for a second and Butler was right back on us. Another bad shot, bad possession by the offense and Butler was right back in it.
“They had more threats than we kind of anticipated and we just couldn’t put them away.”
With the guests focusing in on Davis and Chantz, Terwilliger and junior Landon Dubyak broke through.
It was Terwilliger who tied it up at eight, seconds before the third quarter expired. Collins fought off three would-be go-ahead tries in the fourth, then Dubyak joined the scoring with 6:08 to go.
The Vikings leveled the scoreboard once more before Dubyak netted another with 3:34 left, putting his team up for good. He participated in Butler’s track and field dual meet with Seneca Valley Tuesday, but had to ask out of the 400-meter relay because his back was bothering him.
That didn’t matter against Central.
“I was just being patient,” said Dubyak. “I kept shooting and I was missing.
“But, when it counts, I put it in.”
He and Davis both finished off hat tricks with tallies in the last 1:26. Terwilliger paced the team with four goals.
The Golden Tornado plays Pine-Richland Thursday.
