Max Siebald sealed the deal in Thursday night’s thriller as the Boston Cannons clinched their post-season appearance with a 9-8 overtime win over the Chesapeake Bayhawks in Maryland.
Almost eight thousand fans shuffled into Navy-Marine Corp Stadium in Annapolis, MD, for the second to last Bayhawks home game of the season, but one they desperately needed to win.
The game started off very sluggish, the first goal of the game wasn’t buried until Will Manny scored over 10 minutes into the second quarter.
With credit to the defense and goalies, the first quarter wasn’t completely action-less, Tyler Fiorito made an impressive 8 saves for Chesapeake in the opening 15 minutes. Fiorito was hot on Thursday, finishing the game with 31 saves, almost double what Boston’s Jordan Burke (16) blocked in the game. If the Bayhawk shooters only drank what Fiorito was pounding pre-game, the season would still be alive.
Scoring was ultimately pretty low, neither team had a player crack three goals in the game. Ben Rubeor and Matt Abbott had a pair for the Hawks while Boston’s Will Manny and Davey Emala also earned a couple each.
When it counted the most, Max Siebald put the team on his shoulder and after a couple back and forth possessions, Max took a dodge from up top, sped past Abbott, got to inside and sunk the finalizer to send the Cannons to the post-season.
We wish a speedy recovery to face-off athlete Eric O’Brien, whose first game in the Bayhawks jersey turned into his last of the season as he left the game with what appeared to be a pretty serious arm injury.
Chesapeake will host the Charlotte Hounds, who are also knocked out of contention, on Saturday while the Boston Cannons will head to #2 ranked Ohio for the regular season finale. Both games will be played at 7 p.m. ET and can be streamed live on the Watch
Photo Gallery
Community Links
- Cannons Win OT Thriller to Clinch Playoff Spot
- Bayhawks eliminated from playoffs after 9-8 overtime loss to Boston
Photo Credit: Jeff Melnik
