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Loganville team brings home state title
Published March 21, 2008
SNELLVILLE — The Loganville Red Devils in line roller hockey team finally got the big prize they have been after for three years.
The Devils defeated the Chattahoochee Cougars 7-6 in the championship game last Sunday to take home the hardware and were crowned state champions in the AAA Division of the Georgia Roller Hockey Association.
The final game went down to the wire with Andrew Smith getting what turned out to be the winning goal for Loganville on a feed from Andrew Fussell with just 1 minute, 34 seconds to go in the third period. That goal put the Red Devils up 7-5, sealing the victory and the title for the Red Devils.
Loganville started the game the way they finished when Fussell set up Smith just 1:01 into the game while Chattahoochee’s Albert Park was serving a penalty for hooking.
Just 4:30 later, defenseman Tyler Douglas moved in from the point and buried an Andrew Smith pass for a 2-0 lead. The lead lasted only two minutes when Loganville’s Zach Debroka was called for hooking and the Cougars scored their first goal of the game to cut the lead in half.
The second period belonged to the Red Devils. Loganville appeared to be in trouble as Smith was called for a hooking penalty just :07 into the period. The Cougars’ power play was second in the league, but Loganville's Fussell had other ideas and took the ensuing face off while working his way through the Cougar defense.
Skating in alone, Fussell lifted a back-hander over the Chattahoochee goalie.
The short-handed goal put the Red Devils up 3-1 and changed the momentum back to Loganville.
Just three minutes later, senior Preston Underwood found a loose rebound from another shot by Fussell and stuffed it, giving the Devils a comfortable 4-1 lead.
Both teams settled in to a good defensive pattern the rest of the second period and no one could have imagined what would happen next.
The third period exploded into a wide open game as both teams wanted the championship. Loganville opened up a 5-1 lead when Fussell scored his second goal of the game just :16 into the period.
Chattahoochee answered with three quick goals to cut the deficit to 5-4.
With just 1:58 remaining, Fussell — the team’s leading scorer — skated up the the right side of the rink and ripped a slapshot from the center red line that found the top corner of the net, restoring the Red Devils ‘lead at 6-4.
Chattahoochee answered again with a shorthanded goal, pulling the Cougars within one goal. Loganville was not going to be rattled by the sudden turn of events and the Devils stepped up, getting the goal right back when Smith notched his second goal of the game for the 7-5 lead and the championship.
The Devils then ran out the clock giving up a meaningless goal to the Cougars with just :05 remaining in the game.
Loganville goalie Kendrick Van Duesen stopped 21 shots in the game, notching his fifth straight win.
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