Mangan's OT goal gives Wantagh a 10-9 boys lacrosse win over Garden City
He would later score the winning goal but here Wantagh's Brandan Mangan tries to get near net in Wantagh's double OT 10-9 win over Garden City. (April 23, 2010) Credit: Photo by Patrick E. McCarthy
As the clock ticked toward all zeros at the end of the third quarter, Wantagh's Brandon Mangan, the leading scorer on Long Island, needed something special to use as he went one-on-one against Garden City's Steve Jahelka, one of the Island's best defenders. So he reached into his bag of tricks and came up with what he called "a question mark dodge," a maneuver in which he contorts his body one way then switches hands and shoots the other way.
The move worked, as Mangan scored with 5.3 seconds left to cut the Warriors' deficit to one goal. Midway through the second overtime of Friday's Nassau Conference B-II thriller at Garden City, the two were matched up again. This time, Mangan provided an exclamation point.
He scored unassisted 1:53 into the second extra period to punctuate a sterling performance that gave Wantagh (10-1 overall, 4-0 in league play) a 10-9 victory over host Garden City. Mangan scored four goals and an assist and now has 64 points and 35 goals.
"It was a straight dodge," Mangan said of his journey that began from the end line behind the goal. "I came strong from around the net and tried not to let him lift my arm. He's a great defenseman. I shot low - bottom corner. I've been working on that shot for years. I just wanted the game to be over."
It might have been over a lot sooner if Wantagh goalie Jake Gambitsky hadn't put on a glittering performance of his own. Gambitsky made 23 saves and stood especially tall in the fourth quarter and overtime. During one sequence midway through the final period of regulation, Gambitsky robbed Tom Gordon, who had scored the first three goals of the game, high on a shot headed for the righthanded corner. "I jumped up and the ball got a piece of my head," Gambitsky said.
On the same possession, he stopped Devin Dwyer from the high slot. Those saves prevented Garden City (6-2, 2-1) from adding to its 9-8 lead at the time and set the stage for Mangan to tie the game with 2:07 left on yet another solo dodge.
"It was a matter of keeping my composure after they scored those early goals," Gambitsky said. "We are a very coolheaded team."
Both teams were pretty composed as the tension heightened down the stretch. Trojans goalie Dan Marino made some late saves in regulation and, in the first overtime, he robbed Ryan Walsh from in close.
Gambitsky answered with tough saves on Patric Berkery and Gordon, again.
"I got more comfortable in overtime," said Gambitsky, a junior. "I knew I had to dig deep to get us the win. This is the first varsity overtime game I've ever played in."
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
