Salem goalie Brandon Price watches Plymouth forward Nick Schultz's goal sail just wide of the mark. (Ed Wright photo)

Salem, Plymouth icers put on
entertaining end-to-end show

  The kid with the eye-catching name made the game-changing play in Friday night's action-packed cross-campus clash between Salem and Plymouth.

  Salem's Austin Sartorius, whose name would fit in just fine as the lead in a Hollywood thriller, scooped up a loose puck near mid-ice with 9:17 left in the third period and skated to the blue line uncontested before zapping a rising clothes-line shot that hummed over the left shoulder of Plymouth goalie Mike Justus and into the top shelf of the net.

  The goal proved to be the game-winner in the Rocks' hard-earned 3-2 triumph in a game played at the Plymouth Cultural Center.

  Salem improved to 4-2 with the win while Plymouth slipped to 2-2-3.

  The victory kept the Rocks alive in the battle for  the 2010-11 Lash Cup, which goes to the P-CEP team which compiles the best record against the other two Park teams. Canton is 1-0-1 in the Lash standings; Salem is 1-1 and Plymouth is 0-1-1.

  The Sartorius goal capped a wild 98-second span that was jam-packed with three goals.

  With the game deadlocked at 1-1 and Salem 3:35 into killing a five-minute penalty, Rock forward Connor Berlin broke free and flipped home a short-handed goal with 10:55 left. He was assisted by Max Corral.

  The 'Cats answered 47 seconds later when Chase Zebari continued his lights-out play by chipping in a shot from in front to re-tie the game at 2-2. Matt Goertz assisted.

  Fifty-one seconds later, Sartorius broke the tie once and for all.

  Plymouth couldn't capitalize on a 24-second 5-on-3 opportunity with just under three minutes to play.

  The Wildcats pulled Justus with 26 seconds left, but they couldn't mount a legitimate scoring chance.

  Salem broke the scoring ice with 41.7 seconds left in the first period when Mark McGee banged home a rebound off a Sartorius shot.

  Plymouth's first goal came with 4:31 remaining in the second period when Mitch Claggett deposited a rebound off a shot from Zach Gambrell.

  Salem goalie Brandon Price was a brick wall most of the night, repelling 32 Plymouth shots.

  Justus was equally stellar most of the night, too, stopping 39 Rock shots.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.

Friday's game provided fans with 51 minutes of non-stop action. (Ed Wright photo)

Plymouth's Matt Goertz (left) and Salem's Alek Zultowski face off during the second period. (Ed Wright photo)

Salem's Garrett Paquette is defended by Plymouth's Sean Smiatacz. (Ed Wright photo)

Plymouth's Mitch Claggett scored one of the Wildcats' two goals. (Ed Wright photo)

Chase Zebari scored one of the Wildcats' two goals. (ed Wright photo)