High School Ice Hockey:
Becker And Cianfrani Lead Eastern Past Lenape

Monday, October 25, 1999

By Mike Costantino
SJSports Staff Writer

Mike Becker scored two goals and Mike Cianfrani had a goal and an assist to lead Eastern over Lenape 5-2 in an SJHSIHL game played at the Trop on Monday night. The game marked the first meeting between the two teams since last year's final that was won by the Vikings in three games. Early on the story was the goaltending. Sean Sheehan for Lenape was strong all game as Eastern pumped twenty shots in the period and forty-seven for the game.

John Schellenhammer finally solved Sheehan as he scored a power-play goal with just less than four minutes left in the period. The Vikings worked the puck around the zone, and on a feed from Dave Warrington blasted a low slap shot and the period ended with Eastern up 1-0. Both teams came out and had some chances to score. At the nine minute mark, Cianfrani skated out of his own end and blew by the defense for a breakaway and beat Sheehan to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead. Back came the Indians as Eric Schiller scored on the power play with Bob Reed assisting and it was 2-1.

Although Lenape graduated some of their core players and have a young team, because of solid goaltending, discipline and good coaching they will continue to grow. And that discipline led to a two-man advantage in the last two minutes of the period, and Reed tied the score at 2-2 with Jon Bianco and Ken McClure assisting. But with just four seconds left in the period and Lenape still on the power play, Cianfrani sent Becker in and he scored a back breaking goal and Eastern lead 3-2. Still a man down to start the period, Becker went end-to-end and scored a highlight goal as he leaped over a sliding defenseman and scored another short-handed goal to make it 4-2. Joe Jurkofsky scored on a breakaway to put the game out of reach as Warrington sent him in and Eastern won 5-2.

Photos by Art Redd