The Gladiators Midget Blue team finished their season with a tough 4-3 playoff loss to Martha’s Vineyard. Tyler Lovendale opened up the scoring for the Gladiators, less than two minutes into the game. He took a pass from Quirino doCanto and Zack Lovendale, skated in and beat the goalie over his shoulder. The Mariners then took control, scoring the next two goals of the period and ending it with a 2-1 lead. The Gladiators started the second period on a power play, and doCanto took advantage, 20 seconds into the period, scoring on a one-timer in the slot, after a nice pass from T. Lovendale. With the score tied at two, the Mariners scored again, taking another lead. It didn’t last long, as doCanto blocked a shot, skated in on a breakaway, and beat the goalie, who had no chance, with some quick moves. The two teams battled hard for the remainder of the period, and the game went into overtime. With both teams tired, late in the overtime period, a Mariners defenseman snuck in and got off a hard wrist shot that beat Ethan Allegrini in net, with 17 seconds left. Allegrini still made 50 saves on the day, including two breakaways, during overtime.
The Gladiators finished with a respectable 9 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie on the season. Some of the statistics on the season: doCanto – 20G, 23A; Z. Lovendale – 10G, 15A; T. Lovendale – 10G, 11A; Gallagher – 5G, 3A; and Allegrini – 92 Save Percentage & 2.00 GA.