By Kyle Wannen
For DigitalSports.com


With just over a minute remaining in a one-goal playoff game against Good Counsel Thursday, St. Mary's Ryken goalie Mason Cook made a spectacular save on a shot from Falcons' attackman Patrick Durkin but the rebound bounced right to the stick of Falcons' midfielder Luke Poulus for what appeared to be a game-tying goal.

Cook quickly recovered and threw himself across the goal mouth, leading with his goalie stick, and somehow dove in front of Poulos' shot to keep the Knights (11-3-1) ahead by one goal and preserve the 10-9 victory over the Falcons in the semifinals of the WCAC playoffs. After the game Cook said that he had practiced a similar maneuver before each game during warmups.

"One of the drills we do is pipe-to-pipe and that really showed at the end, like practice makes perfect," Cook said. "I led with my stick and he just shot right into it and it was perfect."

"I think Mason probably played his best game of the season today," Knights coach John Sothoron said. "I mean those last two saves, there in the last minute, were exceptional. That's what saved it for us."

Cook finished with seven saves for the game but a couple were from the fourth quarter when Good Counsel (10-8) made a furious comeback to almost erase a three-goal deficit. St. Mary's Ryken has had difficulty putting teams away this season.

"We've been doing this all year," Sothoron said. "I can't explain it. These are the cardiac kids. You definitely get your money's worth if you come watch us play. You don't know what we're going to do. I don't know what we're going to do."

The Knights were able to build a three-goal lead in the third quarter thanks to midfielder William Fejes. Fejes scored three goals, all in the third quarter, and assisted on the Knights fourth goal of the period by attackman Connor Cook, who also finished the game with three goals. Fejes has stepped up at the midfield position after some injuries earlier this season.

"I was thinking I wanted to get to the championship," Fejes said. "I knew we couldn't sit on that sixth goal. So I started up strong and put it in the back of the net."

"Will had a phenomenal second half," Sothoron said. "Other guys step up. When some guy gets hurt, we've been doing this all year."

In a rematch of last season semifinal matchup in which Good Counsel defeated the Knights, St. Mary's Ryken got some revenge thanks to a 3-1 scoring advantage in the second quarter to help them take a 6-4 lead into halftime. The Knights also got first-half goals from Matthew Boutin, Patrick Brennan, Brian Frank and Austin Spaulding.

"This is tremendous," Cook said. "They came back in the fourth quarter. Even this season they beat us in overtime. This was really redemption for us."

The Falcons were led by two goals by Poulos and two goals by attackman Brendan Durkin but could not tie the game late despite a flurry of shots and opportunities. Goalie Patrick McEnerney made nine saves to keep the game close for Good Counsel.