March 8, 2006

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's (0-5) mounted a furious second half comeback, tying the game twice during the game's final 6:10, but Drexel (3-1) scored the game-winning goal with 1:53 to play to thwart the Hawks, 7-6. SJU had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but the Dragons' made a save on Keegan Wilkinson with just less than 10 seconds left and after regaining possession, SJU's Steve Varga's long attempt from a tough angle hit the far post and bounded away.

The Dragons controlled the first half, building a 4-1 lead at intermission, but the Hawks started chipping away at the lead midway through the third period. Varga and Steve O'Brien each found the net to make it 4-3 with 5:57 left in the third. Drexel then scored late in the period as the Dragons held a 5-3 lead with 15 minutes to play.

After a back and forth first six minutes of the final quarter, the Hawks struck when Wilkinson scored his second goals of the game. Andrew Four scored just over two minutes later to tie the game at five.

Drexel got the lead back on a man-up situation with 3:16 to go, but the Hawks stormed right back and tied it when Varga scored with 2:33 left.

Saint Joseph's opened the scoring at the 10:29 mark of the first period when Wilkinson scored an unassisted goal. The Hawks' only lead of the game was short lived as the Dragons scored the first of four-straight goals for just 38 seconds later. DU led at halftime, 4-1.

Saint Joseph's Erik Hotaling each made 13 saves in the cage. Drexel outshot the Hawks for the game, 39-37, but Saint Joseph's outshot the Dragons in the fourth quarter, 12-6. Filippone won 10 of his 14 face-offs for Drexel, while Adam Crystal picked up nine ground balls. The All-America candidate has 19 ground balls in his last two games.