After suffering back-to-back defeats that included a lopsided loss to Slippery Rock on Tuesday, the Bradford Owls were just looking to get back in the win column Thursday evening.
A balanced scoring attack and strong defending helped the Owls reach that goal in dominating fashion with a 5-1 victory over visiting Franklin at Parkway Field
Bradford began the game with a new-look starting lineup, but wasted no time controlling the pace of play from the opening whistle. The Owls peppered Franklin goaltender Samuel Pfohl with 14 shots in the first half and set the tone for a long night on that end of the field for the Knights.
“Overall I was pleased with how we played today,” Bradford coach Wes Lohrman said. “It’s a big field that we play on and we want to make sure that we are working to use all of the space that is available to us. We didn’t always do that today but for the most part we did what we needed to do to win. Everybody had good energy and our stamina was good.”
Franklin had posted shutouts in its previous two contests, and Thursday’s game remained scoreless until Bradford’s Colton Swanson buried an opportunity with 14 minutes remaining in the first half. That goal off a solid pass from Ryan Miller began a memorable game for the junior forward.
Swanson added another goal before halftime and then finished on a close-angle opportunity with six minutes remaining in the game to finish with a hat trick.
“He tends to be the heartbeat of how we move on the field,” Lohrman said. “When he is working, the people around him tend to pick up their pace and work hard as well. We moved him up to a higher position on the field of late and I was happy today that he was able to put the ball in the back of the net.”
In between Swanson’s two first half tallies, Ryan Miller added a goal for the Owls after getting open in the box and sending a header past a diving Pfohl.
Despite being held scoreless for the first 26 minutes of the first half, Bradford found itself up 3-0 after 40 minutes.
Lohrman credited a couple of his midfielders for the success controlling the pace of the game.
“I was very pleased with how Matt Franz and Jake Maley played at our four and five in the center back positions today. I thought it got them some good confidence and they played off of each other really well.”
Starting Bradford goalie Gavin Piscitelli picked up the victory in net, notching four saves. Franklin’s goal game early in the second half when Josiah Montgomery used his speed to rush past defenders before burying a shot behind Piscitelli.
“He did a nice job in net today,” Lohrman said. “Kept us in the game and made the saves that he needed to make. When he did get the ball, his distribution out of that position was good.”
Gavin McGee blasted Bradford’s final tally into the net with less than three minutes remaining to put the finishing touches on the game against Franklin (3-4).
Not only did Bradford end its two-game losing streak with the victory, but it also sends them into a grueling part of the season with more confidence.
The Owls (7-4) play five of their next six games on the road, including tough trips to Warren and Slippery Rock.
“We are in the midterm of our season and not necessarily that we are tired, but I think it’s a good wake-up call at this point to say, ‘Hey, we’re not the best. There are people that are just as good, if not better than us’ Lohrman said.
The Owls will take the weekend off for Homecoming festivities before travelling to Oil City on Monday. When the team gets back to work, Lohrman is expecting a hungry bunch of guys who begin gearing up for a postseason run.
“We need to show up everyday to play,” he added. “I think we have all the motivation we need heading into our playoffs. I obviously don’t know who we will be facing –though I have a good idea of who it might be — and I think these guys are starting to really get this hunger in the form of the postseason. This was a good change of direction game for us, and we will continue to work and get ready for what comes later in October.”
Bradford’s JV squad also notched a solid victory over Franklin with an 8-0 decision over the Knights. Jerid Wilmoth and Cameron Austin led the Owls with two goals each. Andrew Kane, Drage Waterman, John Komidar and Ethan Little each had a goal.
Hugh Kennedy made one save to record the shutout in net.
