Monday, the Sir bills received scoring from eight players as they romped to an 18-4 Wasaren League victory over Lansingburgh on a cold, rainy day at Knox Field.
“We knew they were going to work a zone so we worked a little on being patient, sharing the ball and being disciplined,” Johnstown coach Scott Petrie said. “That is what we were trying to accomplish today. It seemed like we had the upper hand today so it was nice to see the ball movement going around. Our shooting and slides can still be better so we still have a lot to work on.”
Johnstown moved forward on the attack early in the opening quarter and found the back of the net early as Ben Poitras scored on a long shot 2:13 into the match.
The Sir Bills kept the pressure on only to be denied by Lansingburgh goalkeeper Prince Wadjas.
Johnstown kept the pressure on and picked up its second goal of the quarter with 2:20 left when Garrett Way finished a pass from Kerry Blackwood and 21 seconds later Zack Serpa finished a pass from Way for a 3-0 lead. The Sir bills closed out their first-quarter scoring with seven seconds left when Blackwood finished off a pass from Serpa for a 4-0 advantage.
The Knights registered their first goal of the game at the 19-second mark of the second quarter when Jacob Elliott finished off a long run with a goal.
The Sir Bills recovered and answered with a pair of goals apiece from Josh Hoyt and Andy Sitterly, to go with scores from Blackwood and Way to take a 10-1 lead into halftime.
Lansingburgh opened the second half strong and were rewarded with a goal from John Bessette just under two minutes into the period.
The Sir Bills again recovered quickly with a goal from Sitterly and two more from Way before Ryan Crooker and Blackwood closed out the quarter with scores to build a 15-2 advantage heading into the final stanza.
Bessette put a pair of goals on the board early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 15-4 before M.J. Heroth, Crooker and Serpa connected to close out the 18-4 league victory.
Bessette finished with three goals for the Knights to go with a goal from Elliott and Wadjas connected 19 saves in goal.
Way finished with four goals and three assists for Johnstown (3-1 overall, 2-1 Wasaren). Blackwood had three goals and two assists, while Sitterly also had three goals. Crooker, Serpa and Hoyt finished with two goals apiece, while Heroth and Poitras had one apiece and Trevor Murphy recorded four assists in the match.
“They are doing a great job,” Petrie said. “They have been doing everything we have been asking them to do and gaining confidence.”
The Sir Bills will take to the road to face Maple Hill on Wednesday before returning to play Voorheesville under the lights at Knox Field on Friday.
“They have been doing a good job so far,” Petrie said. “We have a lot ahead of us and need to keep going. Voorheesville will be a big game for us on Friday and, of course, Maple Hill on Wednesday.”
