River Hill knew what it was in for against Mt. Hebron in the 3A/2A South region championship game on May 13.
The Vikings had won three overtime games in their last three games, including two straight in the playoffs where they came back in the late stages of the game.
But the Hawks, who lost seven one-goal games last season and an 8-7 game to Mt. Hebron on April 14, wasn't about to blow this one. Not the game it had prepared all season for.
River Hill dominated face-offs and possession, and took advantage of tired Mt. Hebron legs to win the region championship, 8-6, and its eighth straight game.
"I'm speechless pretty much. It's just an unreal feeling," said River Hill senior captain Jimmy McEneaney, who scored three goals. "This season has been a rollercoaster with the four losses we've had ... Now we've won eight straight and we're on a roll. I couldn't ask for anything more."
"I'm so happy for our guys, in particular our seniors. ... I'm ecstatic for them. It's a little bittersweet because I teach at Mt. Hebron and I know a lot of those guys," River Hill coach Keith Gonsouland said, "but it isn't that bittersweet. Five years ago we won the region, and that's the goal every year for us to win the region and make it to states. And here we are."
The Hawks (10-4) never trailed in the game as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from freshman Brendan McKenna and McEneaney.
Through the Vikings would answer to tie it before the end of the first quarter, River Hill took the lead for good with two goals from McEneaney and junior Danny Isaac 15 seconds apart early in the second quarter.
The Hawks won all seven face-offs in the stanza, Isaac added two more tallies before halftime, and the Hawks took a 6-4 lead into the break.
"They just kind of packed it in on defense, and they let us move the ball around and get settled," McEneaney said. "We kept poised and stayed patient, and Danny found me a couple times and I found him a couple times. The connection was there tonight."
The pace of the second half slowed, but the Vikings struck first when Scott Mackrell found Anders Nilsson, who cut the deficit to one.
River Hill, though, answered like they had done all game as McKenna scored his second of the night less than a minute later.
"We answered their runs. We knew they weren't going to die," Gonsouland said. "I've watched them play all year long – those kids are really resilient over there."
Isaac found McEneaney in front for a score with 3:52 remaining to make it 8-5, and the Hawks held off a late rally as goalie Darius Khademi made several big saves.
"I think our defense was great tonight. We got stops when we needed to," Gonsouland said. "I think Darius is very underrated."
Both coaches noted face-offs as a key to the game. Mt. Hebron had been struggling winning the draw late in the season, and River Hill won 13 of 18 to dominate possession.
"It came down to the face-off X," Gonsouland said. "We got more possessions than they did, and we just kept putting pressure on them."
McCarthy knew this would be a tough game for his team, especially after the highs of winning two playoff games in overtime and double-overtime, respectively.
"They played better than us tonight," McCarthy said. "They executed better. We turned the ball over a ton. ... We didn't finish. I thought the first half we didn't have our legs.
"We had to play our heart out. Two overtime games in the last five days, it took a toll on us. But ultimately, River Hill outplayed us tonight."
Still, the Vikings finished the season 15-2, the second-best record in the county behind Howard, and McCarthy said his team has a lot to be proud of.
"It was amazing. I'm really proud of these kids. They did an awesome job. We just came up a little bit short tonight," he said. "To finish 15-2, that's a great year and something to build off for next year."
River Hill will face Middletown, the west region champions, in a state semifinal on Friday or Saturday at Annapolis High School.
Other score:
Howard (17-0) cruises by Sherwood to set up a 2014 state-finals rematch against South River at Northeast (AA) High School on Friday or Saturday.
Howard 21, Sherwood 5 (4A/3A North region championship)
Goals: Ho – Cody Ford 6, Brad Zulick 4, Scott Bruner 3, Eric Schroeder 3, Nolan Dunnigan 2, Alex Stephanos 1, Tristan Kelehan 1, Peyton Smith 1; S – Chiogiosi 3, Dunwoody 1, Downs 1
Assists: Ho – Bruner 3, Stephanos 3, Dunnigan 1, Adam Friedman 1; S – Chiogiosi 2, Ericke 2, Cuvielle 1
Saves: Ho – Collin McClelland 8; S – Logan 10