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Bruins in control from start to finish

By Brian Hunsicker

Published: May 15, 2008

Forest Park had been building to this moment. Coach Bud Sichler, now in his third year, and his philosophy have gained traction. The 14 seniors on the Bruins squad provide leadership and smarts; Sichler is happy to point out that all 14 are headed to four-year colleges of some kind; sev-eral of them have 4.0 grade-point averages.
It’s a peak year for the Bruins, as Sichler said after Thursday’s 17-2 win over Woodbridge in the Cardinal District final. Now, the plan is to keep it going as the postseason rolls around.
“In the playoffs, every game could be the last game,” Sichler said. “So it’s always important that you step up. And teams all play well in the playoffs.”
Sichler added that he expects to face either Colonial Forge or Brooke Point when the Northwest Region tournament begins.
On Thursday, the Bruins (13-1) were in control from the beginning. Their first goal came less than three minutes into the game: Tyler McCullough spun around and fired a shot, beating Viking goalie Aaron Bradley for the game’s first goal.
In the next 90 or so seconds, Landon Jones, Corey Ferguson and McCullough all added goals; the Bruins were well on their way.
By the end of the first quarter, Forest Park had an 11-0 lead and the Bruins’ defense had pre-vented any shots on goal from Woodbridge (7-7).
“We just executed what we’ve been practicing,” Jones said. “And we got the job done.”
That offense is predicated on quick passes and getting the ball in close for higher-percentage shots, using slides near the crease. Though the goal count was high, McCullough said each was a challenge.
“Out of all the teams in the district, they’re easily the best defense,” he said. “We really had to work to put the ball in the net. And we were getting it in the net, it just took some time to get it there. They were playing really good.”
T.C. O’Leary led the Bruins with four goals, followed by McCullough (three goals), Ferguson (three), Jones (two), David Costa (two) and Matt Fessenden (two).