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The Wolves' bid for the playoffs endedFriday against the same Hershey club but with the Wildcats vying for the Northern Conference title it was a playoff atmosphere.
The Wolves did all they could but Hershey would not be denied as they clinched the Northern Conference title with a 3-1 victory at Veterans Memorial Stadium in New Britain.
"This game was all about pride. More important than any trophy is pride," Wolves coach Dan Gaspar said after the game.
Down 2-0 in the second half and a man down, the Wolves did not quit. The Wolves pressed forward and in the 74th minute Winston Griffiths found himself alone on a breakaway. Griffiths blasted the ball off Wildcats goalie Jon Bush then gathered the deflection and easily chipped it into the net for a 2-1 game.
Needing a win to clinch the conference title Hershey desperately tried to fend off the Wolves. Wolves striker Mark Manganello had a shot from 20-yards out sail wide in the 80th minute as Connecticut refused to go down.
The Wildcats finally exhaled in extra time when Doug Miller beat two Wolves defenders with a spin move in the box and put it in the back of the net sending the Hershey sideline into a cele
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bration.
"Playing that long down a man and out of the playoffs showed unbelievable character," Hershey coach Bob Lilly said. "In the four games we played against them was as tough as any of the games against Rochester."
The Wolves played very physical early on and wanted to press Hershey. The Wolves got a little too physical, for the officials anyways, and in the span of five minutes midway through the first half were flagged with three yellow cards. Fabio Zuniga was the unfortunate recipient of the next card from an annoyed official. After a hard foul the official had seen enough and gave the Cali, Columbia native a red card ejecting him from the game.It is a scenario that has played itself out many times this season, a questionable officials call that changed the scope of the game.
"We have to have more composure than that. We are the youngest team in the league and we led it in cards," Gaspar said. "It shows (youth) in the heat of battle."
Playing down a man the Wolves had trouble mustering any scoring chances on the Wildcats. The Wildcats, one of the most disciplined teams in the A-league, were able to pick apart the Wolves defense and in the 29th minute broke through.
The Wolves ended the season with only one win in their last 11 games but are right on track according to Gaspar.
"We have to build upon what we have here. I immediately start tomorrow in the hunt for the best players," Gaspar said.
