When the overtime period of the Capital Scholastic Hockey League final went scoreless, Alexandria City was prepared for the ensuing shootout. Not because the Titans practice for it (they don’t practice at all) but because they had advanced in the league’s semifinals in a shootout two days earlier.
Alexandria City (@ACTITANSHOCKEY wins the Capital Scholastic Hockey League final on shootouts. pic.twitter.com/B51uyt7ODa
— Sam Jane (@sam_jane230) March 2, 2024
Alexandria City’s hockey team is not school funded, so the Titans don’t have money for ice time. They held tryouts this winter and then went straight into their schedule. They saved their most dramatic triumphs for last.
The Titans’ previous two playoff games, including a shootout win over undefeated Colgan on Wednesday, were one-goal contests. That served as a prelude to Friday’s back-and-forth affair. While Bishop scored the deciding goal in the shootout, an unheralded defenseman’s two-goal night was the difference.
Washington-Liberty (9-3-1) killed almost the entire portion of a power play near the end of regulation. The Generals seemed poised to win the championship with just a minute remaining. But when Alexandria City’s Patrick McNally felt a defenseman creeping behind him, he flung a desperation shot all the way from the blue line. The puck fluttered through the air and past the goalie to tie the game at 3.
McNally entered the game with 10 points, tied for sixth on the team. He had scored only four goals before the title game. Even he was surprised by his two-goal performance.
“Their goalie is really good, so I didn’t think I was going to get any [goals], but sometimes bounces go your way,” McNally said.
Though his second goal tied the game, his first tally seemed equally crucial, given the moment. The Generals held a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period. Minutes into the second, McNally scored on a power play.
Alexandria City (9-3-1) started the third period with an aggressive push. Captain Brett Townsend tied the game 29 seconds into the period. The Generals then regained the lead on a goal from Black before McNally sent it to overtime.
“We expected Black to score much earlier. He is a shooter,” Titans Coach Kelly Townsend said. “I was surprised it took him that long to score but it was like we knew he was going to score, so we just had to come back.”
Defense had been an issue for the Titans all season. They had allowed more than four goals a game entering Friday’s showdown. But Nolan, a four-year starter, had his starring moment when he stopped three straight shots to cap the improbable title run.
