 High School Ice Hockey:
Sabol, Dragum Lead Cherokee into First
Monday, January 14, 2002
By Mike Costantino
SJSports Staff Writer
Chris Sabol stopped forty-four shots and Jason Dragum netted a hat trick as Cherokee defeated Clearview 6-5 on Monday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. With the win Cherokee moved into a first place tie with Clearview, but Clearview has a game in hand. With the game having a playoff atmosphere, Cherokee controlled the first period. Dragum scored his first goal less than a minute into the game as Pat Henderson, who assisted on all three Dragum goals, stole the puck in the corner and fed Dragum in the slot and Cherokee led 1-0. Anthony Diorio made it 2-0, putting home a rebound of a shot by Dave Walters.
 Clearview cut the lead in half capitalizing on a two-man advantage with just under a minute remaining in the period. Dave Gooch's slap shot was re-directed by Gunnar Fox to make it 2-1 after one. That goal seemed to spark Clearview and they carried the play into the second period. At the eleven minute mark Anthony DeSimone, after being stopped initially by Sabol, picked up his own rebound and lifted a shot just under the crossbar to tie the score at 2-2. Dragum and Henderson responded thirty seconds later converting on a 2-on-1 as Henderson drew the defenseman to him and slid the puck to Dragum. His goal gave Cherokee the lead once again at 3-2.
Once again with a two-man advantage, Clearview tied the game at 3-3. Wyatt Fox's shot from the point through a screen beat Sabol who faced twenty-four shots in the period and kept his team even through two. Clearview scored early in the third, again on the power play, as John Probe fed Gunnar Fox in the slot and his one-timer put Clearview up 4-3. Cherokee responded four minutes later when Brandon McCarty jumped into the play after serving a penalty and he fed Bill Connolly and his goal made it 4-4. You could sense the momentum shifting and at the eight-minute mark with Henderson hustling to keep the puck in the zone. Dragum deflected his pass to put Cherokee up 5-4. Sean Zhacewski put Cherokee up 6-4 with just over two minutes remaining as he circled around the net and scored. Jim Fritz scored a power play goal with thirty seconds left, but Clearview could get no closer.
Photos by Art Redd
       
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High School Ice Hockey:
