Aimee
BAYONNE – Twenty days ago, the Colonia and Bayonne ice hockey teams battled it out in a neck-and-neck affair at the Richard Korpi Ice Rink in Bayonne. The Bees’ last shot on goal in the final seconds was no good, and they settled for a tie.
But yesterday, they would not be denied again as Bayonne cruised to a 6-2 victory over the Patriots at the same venue in the championship game of the Bayonne Holiday Tournament.
“It was a 1-1 tie so we knew where we had to improve, we had to be aggressive attacking their goalie, getting as many shots as we could and get in front of them. It paid off today,” Bayonne head coach Dave McKenna said. “We made them watch the game (against Colonia) last night, so they (Bayonne) didn’t have any surprises.”
McKenna was happy to see his players lift the championship trophy after last season’s disappointing tournament run.
“This is huge, this is huge for us. Last year we didn’t even play in the championship game, we came in fourth,” the first-year head coach and former Bayonne star said. “So to be able to come in here and win our tournament again is something special for these kids, they deserve it.”
Both teams had a similar number of opportunities to score, with Bayonne recording 35 shots on goal compared to Colonia’s 33. The difference was the play of Bayonne senior goaltender Mark Orlowski, who made several critical one-on-one saves.
