Geochronic wins two championships
Team wins two divisions in floor hockey tournament
On Sunday, intramural floor hockey teams faced off in the season’s final tournament. Geochronic justified its top ranking with a victory in both the co-recreational division and men’s division final.
Joe Preiner
Monday, November 19th, 2007
The championship weekend began Sunday afternoon at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center for members of intramural floor hockey teams. After a month of games, only two teams remained in each of the tournament’s divisions: men’s Greek, men’s and co-recreational.
The games began when Geochronic, the top-ranked team, and Air Force ROTC faced off in the co-recreational final. The game’s intensity level was high from the moment the referee dropped the ball at middle court, but neither team could score early on. With 45 seconds remaining in the first period, Celina Suarez, San Antonio graduate student, put Geochronic up 1-0 when he slapped the ball past Air Force ROTC’s goalie during a frantic scramble in front of the net.
Both teams battled for possession throughout the second period, and Geochronic notched three more goals to go ahead 4-0. Just before the second period ended, Air Force ROTC finally found the back of the net when a lob pass evaded goalie Paul Kenward, Ottawa graduate student.
Air Force ROTC scored early in the third period, but Geochronic still led 4-2 as the game neared its end. Despite taking numerous shots and maintaining possession for a good part of the final eight minutes, Air Force ROTC could not knock off the top-ranked team.
Geochronic, which fields a team in both the co-recreational and men’s divisions, remained focused even after the game.
“Don’t forget we have a game after this,” Kenward said. “So don’t tire yourselves out.”
His team took his words to heart as it went to work against A.K.Psi just minutes later in the men’s division final.
Chris Kavanaugh, Wichita senior, said he wasn’t sure his team was worthy of playing in the championship game against Geochronic.
“We were supposed to play the actual KU Club Hockey team before this,” Kavanaugh said. “But they had to forfeit because they had an actual game. So that’s probably the only reason we are here.”
Geochronic affirmed Kavanaugh’s uneasiness and out-worked A.K.Psi in the first period, completely dominating the time of possession. But A.K.Psi kept the score tied at 0-0 until the end of the first period, thanks to several great saves by its goalie, Chris Saule, Overland Park senior.
“If we didn’t have him, we’d be losing by a lot,” Kavanaugh said after Saule made a kick save on a breakaway just before the first buzzer.
The second and third periods played out differently. Ezra Kulczycki, Toronto graduate student and member of Geochronic, showcased his talents both offensively and defensively. He scored a goal in each of the last two periods and secured the team’s second championship victory of the day. Kenward, who was not tested much throughout the game, thanked Kulczycki after the second goal.
“I was going to ask for another goal,” Kenward said. “But I didn’t want to push it.”
A.K.Psi tried valiantly to get back in the game but weren’t able to break through to Geochronic’s defense. Kulczycki’s teammates joked with him about his M.V.P. performance as the team received another championship shirt.
The final game took place minutes later. Beta A1 and Pi Kappa Alpha took over the action in the men’s Greek division final.
Both teams had difficulty maintaining control of the ball, and neither team could create much offensively in the first period. Beta A1’s Lake Wooten, Mission Hills senior, scored a goal with just 25 seconds left in the period.
The players’ intensity increased in the second period. Each team scored a goal, and Beta A1 ended the period ahead 2-1.
The last period was destined to be a battle, with neither team wanting to go quietly into the rest of its Sunday night. Moments after the third period started, Pi Kappa Alpha notched a goal, sneaking the ball by the opposing goalie’s right leg. Just 30 seconds later, Pi Kappa Alpha took a 3-2 lead when a near-miraculous turnaround shot found its way into the net.
Beta A1 then tied the game at 3-3 during a mad scramble in front of Pi Kappa Alpha’s net with four minutes remaining. Overtime seemed very likely as the teams remained tied with only a few minutes left.
Then, with just more than two minutes left, Wooten scored his second goal of the game, finding a space between the goalie’s leg and the near post. The go-ahead goal energized the team, and Beta A1 held off Pi Kappa Alpha players for the victory.
The winning teams walked away with their championship prize and intramural bragging rights.
—Edited by Chris Beattie
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