ASTON >> If you watched only the first 1:17 of Monday’s Central League hockey game between Ridley and Strath Haven, you might have confused which team was considered a legitimate championship contender. The Panthers, 5-14-0 a season ago, scored twice in that short span to take a shocking two-goal lead on the Green Raiders. Ridley, though, responded like a top team should. Michael Giampapa and Colin McCann each had three points as the Raiders fired in six unanswered goals in a 6-2 win at IceWorks. The defeat is Strath Haven’s first this season after a 3-0 start.
“We knew what they had coming in,” said Ridley captain Nate Dunning, who assisted on Giampapa’s goal. “We knew we had to bring it.”
And yet the Raiders started sluggishly in uncharacteristic fashion. Ryan Lowe, with nine goals in the young season, picked Ridley’s pocket behind the net mere seconds into the game. When Brendahn Brawley kicked out a rebound, Mike Irey was there to bury it and spot Haven a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, another Raiders’ turnover led to Connor Demo’s marker.
It was as **** a start as Dunning could have imagined. Through four minutes, Ridley conceded twice, iced the puck two times and registered a single shot on goal. Still, the bench was calm.
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