Lancers are ‘Cinderella Men’

In the locker room after the game, the St. Mary’s of Lancaster hockey had Eminem’s “Cinderella Man” blasting from the speakers.

The song couldn’t be more fitting.

Two years ago, St. Mary’s of Lancaster didn’t even have a hockey team. Last year they were playing club hockey.

This year they were playing in Division 3 of the Fed and ended up the last seed in the Monsignor Martin playoffs.

Monday night the Lancers completed their fairytale they as defeated perennial power and two-time defending Catholic State champs the St. Joe’s Marauders 3-2 in the Niagara Cup final at the KeyBank Center.

“They are great hockey players and nobody gave them credit,” St. Mary’s coach Mark Dantonio said. “One of our parents said ‘we’re a small little school with a small little story’ and look what we’re doing. It’s Hoosierest-like.”

Down 2-1 in the third period, it appeared that St. Mary’s had may have run out of magic as the Marauders began to take control of the game. On top of that, the already thin Lancers were down one of their top players in Dan Plfazer.

“We were rotating through whatever we had. We were telling the guys just play whatever position,” Dantonio said. “We told them ‘just go and play’ and to their credit they did it.”

So St. Mary’s listened to their coaches and just went out and played.

Junior Brendan Krawcyzk made the second biggest play of the night when he got around the St. Joe’s defender and shot it top shelf to tie it up with seven minutes left.

A minute later it appeared the Marauders were going to take the game back when Jimmy Grable knocked the puck in. However, the official waved it off immediately as the puck went off of Grable’s chest into the net.

The biggest play of the night came from St. Mary’s goalie Kyle Karoleski who made a point-blank stop on a two-on-one rush with two minutes left.

The save gave the Lancers momentum and they took the lead soon after as John Galvin took a shot from along the boards that was tipped in by Joe Henry for the game-winning goal with 1:35 left.

St. Joe’s coach Rich Crozier took a timeout after the goal for one final push, but St. Mary’s held on for the win.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” said Lucas Prince, about the last 1:35 of the game. “I was going through the motions and looking up at the clock; alright 30 seconds, 29 seconds. I was counting in my head the whole time. This is an unbelievable feeling.”

St. Mary’s got on the board first when Plfazer found Prince who shot the puck in with eight and half minutes left in the first period.

A little over a minute and a half later, St. Joe’s responded as Spencer Frome pushed the puck onto the netminder’s pad and over the goal line to tie the game heading into the break.

Krawcyzk put his put his team on the disadvantage with a slashing penalty late in the second period.

The Marauders took advantage as the puck found its way to the front of the net and David Matthew poked it in giving his team the one-goal lead with four minutes left in the period.

“It’s tough,” Crozier said. “These young men have done everything we’ve asked them. It’s a tough way to end the season. St. Mary’s played a great game and it’s a great story.”

Not only does the win capture the Lancer’s Cinderella story, but the program’s first-ever Niagara Cup too.

“It means a lot,” Pfalzer said. “I changed schools to come here and play hockey. To do this is unbelievable. I never expected this to happen.”