thanks to Dan O’Hara for the pictures As I’ve said before, I could watch this matchup three times a year.  While that won’t happen, a second matchup in Jupiter is possible.  A festive crowd on a Saturday that was almost idyllic for Florida weather.  And a game that was a joy to watch.  While the statistics might have shown a number of turnovers they weren’t the deciding factor at all.  That came down to two things. Saint Andrew’s converted their opportunities off turnovers better than Benjamin did . . . And Gable Braun is a faceoff savant . . . 23 of 24. As an EIGHTH GRADER. It will be a long four and a half years for competing FOGOS. The game was like watching a talented heavyweight boxer who doesn’t go for the knockout but keeps pounding the body.  It might not make for ESPN Top 10 highlight material but it was very effective and the result ends up with a clear decision or a late TKO.  This felt a like a late TKO . . . Benjamin hanging in there but just not able to keep their hands up at the end.  23 of 24 means giving a highly efficient SA offense 22 more possessions.  When you do the numbers . . . 14 more attempted shots at goal by SA . . . shooting percentage for the game of 13 goals on 35 shots is 37% . . . 37% of 22 possessions is about 8 . . . and the margin of victory was 6. Ball game.  And it didn’t really start to show until midway through the 3rd quarter.  But it was inexorable. There were certainly good signs for Benjamin too.  They played without 4 starters and some of the issues can be worked on.  Goalie Austin Michels stepped up nicely and the defense looks much better this year.  But we all saw two years ago what happens when a FOGO gets on a roll in playoff season and the damage it causes, so finding a way to chip into 23 of 24 is the most important item to fix. For SA, another polished performance, yet with room for improvement.  22 turnovers.  A solid goalie performance sometimes masked Benjamin’s ability to get inside.  SA went man to man pretty much the whole time after springing a zone defense on Benjamin last year that completely shut the Bucs down.  Eight assisted goals as their offense continued to get everyone involved.  Lots of depth but a little less of it on defense where a key injury or two could hurt down the line. But certainly the #1 team in the state now.  And for the foreseeable future . . .     Benjamin took the lead 38 seconds into the game after taking advantage of a turnover to score on a fast break as Matt Kaneb took Andrew Packer’s left wing feed on the low left and his shot found the upper right hand corner.  One minute later Peter Dykas found Nick Diamond off the crease from the middle of the field and the high finish tied it at 1.  SA took the lead at 7:56 as N. Diamond took Nick Iznaga’s left wing pass up top and his step down found the top left corner.  With 27 seconds left in the quarter Griffin Bowie took a Will Nicklaus skip pass from left GLE on the right crease and hit the open net but Davis Diamond responded with 10 seconds left on a solo effort down the middle and it ended at 3-2 SA after one. A back and forth effort ran through most of the second period.  Benjamin tied it at 3 at 10:46 as Colin O’Hare floated in from up top on EMO and his 15-yard rip found the low left corner but just 5 seconds later Braun popped one forward and bounce shot kicked up to the top left for 4-3.  Again Benjamin tied it, at 8:46, as Nicklaus’ left alley dodge was followed by a top right corner bullet.  Brian Fox regained the lead at 7:06 for SA as he beat his defender from the right wing to the middle, hitting the high short side.  Benjamin then evened at 5 at 5:37 as Bowie and Packer teamed up as Packer fed him from right GLE in front and Bowie went top far side. Hard to see at the time but that was the last tie score of the game. SA scored three times in the last 5 minutes of the second to take the 8-5 lead at the half.  Owen Bezick put SA ahead on EMO as D. Diamond found his alone in front from right GLE off a defensive lapse.  At 2:47 Iznaga took advantage of a late slide to move in from left GLE to the front and at 1:34 a turnover off a clear led to Bezick finding Iznaga with an open net in the middle.     The first 7 minutes of the third showed Michels keeping Benjamin in the game as SA had much of the possession time and Benjamin did not convert on a couple of good looks and SA was able to pull out in front further with three goals in a 2:04 span late.  At 5:00 Dykas dodged down the right alley and hit the low left corner.  That was followed on EMO by N. Diamond’s third as Iznaga found him in the middle from up top and Diamond was able to turn and find the low left corner at 3:35 and at 2:56 it was suddenly a six-goal lead D. Diamond found Fox on a back door cut from the left side for 11-5.  The teams traded last minute goals in the period with Packer finishing off a fast series of passes with a low left wing rip into the far corner, with Bowie on the assist and N. Diamond answered off Matt Adams’ behind the net feed to make it 12-6. The fourth quarter was pretty quiet on the scoring as SA’s Tito Thompson and Benjamin’s Bowie swapped tallies, while SA spent time looking for longer possessions and Benjamin eventually not being able to put enough pressure on and the game ended at 13-7. Once again, thanks kids for giving us a game to enjoy and a Final Four rematch certainly could be in the cards . . . And remember local, and not so local fans, both these teams are playing in the LNN Florida Classic next weekend!  Find a friend who has never seen a game and bring them with you!   SA is back in action on Tuesday, hosting Stoneman Douglas while Benjamin hosts Wellington on Monday   Team Statistics Faceoffs:  SA  23-1 Shots:  SA  35-21 Shots on Goal:  SA  24-15 Turnovers:  SA  22-16 Penalties:  4 each   Individual Statistics   SA Nick Diamond  4G Nick Iznaga  2G/2A Brian Fox  2G Davis Diamond  1G/2A Peter Dykas and Owen Bezick  1G/1A each Gable Braun and Tito Thompson  1G each Matt Adams  2A Nick Ferraro and Andrew Buzel combined for 8 saves   Benjamin Griffin Bowie  3G/1A Andrew Packer  1G/2A Will Nicklaus  1G/1A Colin O’Hare and Matt Kaneb  1G each Austin Michels with 11 saves   Thanks to Coach Seaman and Coach Rye for talking to me before and after the game