Box Score

The Fighting Owls (6-6, 0-2 MDJUCO) led by as many as three goals, 7-4, to start the third quarter, but three straight Dragon (4-5, 1-1) goals to start the fourth gave Howard a 10-9 lead.  Harford knotted the score with a little over five minutes left in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.  Neither team scored in the first two overtimes, though both did have significant chances, before Josh Greer tallied the game-winner for Howard with 3:39 left in the third overtime period.

Freshman Ben Wilson (Bel Air, Md./Fallston) led all scorers with five points on the day from two goals and three assists, while freshman Dane Grudzien (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) added three goals and an assist for Harford.  Greer and Josh Clark each tallied three goals for Howard, while Curtis Adams led the Dragons with four points (1g, 3a).

Howard notched the first goal of the game as Kyle Dove converted off Adams' pass at the 11:14 mark in the first quarter, but Grudzien would put Harford on the board with 6:43 left in the period as he took a feed from Wilson.  The teams finished the first 15:00 even on the scoreboard, 3-3, but after Clark's goal that gave Howard a 4-3 lead with 8:25 to go in the second, Harford scored three straight goals to take a 6-4 lead into the break.

The Owls completed a 4-0 run with 11:26 left in the third for the largest lead of the game, 7-4, but the Dragons battled back with three scores of their own to tie the game at seven goals each.

Harford made it a two-goal advantage before the third quarter expired, 9-7, only to see Howard score three straight to start the fourth and take a 10-9 lead with 6:25 left to play, their first advantage since halfway through the second quarter.

The Owls took just over a minute to knot the score as sophomore Branden Kenny (Edgewood, Md./Edgewood) took a pass from freshman Eli Connell (Edgewood, Md./Edgewood) with 5:12 left, but Harford would manage just four shots in the final 5:00 and squandered two extra-man opportunities as the game was sent to overtime.

Howard put one shot on goal in the first overtime and Harford had three chances in the second.  After making the his first save of the second OT, Howard keeper DJ Farr sprinted upfield and touched the ball into the box for a successful clear, but threw an errant pass after Connell got in his face. 

Freshman Eric Kluge corralled the ground ball and sprinted back down into Dragon territory, where a defenseman had hopped into goal for Howard.  Kluge dished the ball to Wilson who fired low, but his shot was just off its mark and ricocheted off the post.

After the Howard clear, Harford would successfully kill a 30-second holding penalty and even managed a shot on goal as the penalty expired, but the score would remain tied at 10 after 68:00 as the teams entered a third overtime period.

Harford won the face-off to start the period, but couldn't maintain possession as the Dragons quickly set up their offense and needed just 11 seconds for Pat Kirk to dish the ball to Greer for the game-winner, 11-10.

Harford outshot Howard, 51-37 and held a 70-58 advantage on ground balls, but were edged at the face-off X, 15-12.  Neither team was efficient on man-up chances, with Howard converting on just 1-of-5 and Harford going 0-for-4, but both cleared the ball extremely well.  Harford was a perfect 26-of-26 through the first overtime, until failing two of three chances in the second OT as they cleared 27-of-29 chances during the game, while Howard was 23-of-29.

Farr saved 19 shots to freshman Tim Kemena's (West Chester, Pa./West Chester Henderson) 13 in 68:24, but both goalies made spectacular saves when their teams need it the most.

The Fighting Owls return to action on Friday when they host CCBC-Catonsville for a 7:00 p.m. game at Harford Stadium.  Harford will also honor its sophomore players in a pre-game ceremony.