It was David vs. Goliath in the Mules’ first playoff game.  Unfortunately David doesn’t always win.  Bedford faced defending Division 2 champion Trenton two days after the Trojans dismantled the Airport Unified team by a 14-1 count.  The Bedford staff attended that game to see how Trenton functioned, and it was well worth the trip.  The Trojans were big, fast, passed efficiently, and worked the slot to make life miserable for the Airport goalkeeper.  That set the tone for Wednesday practice.

Trenton won the game decisively by a 5-0 count, but it was a heroic effort by Mule goalkeeper Jacob Smalley that kept Bedford’s hopes alive.  The shots were 53-11 for the game.  It took Trenton almost 10 minutes to score their first goal, and the second one came with three minutes left in the first period.  They found out that the Mules were not about to roll over and call it quits.

An early second period power play goal made it 3-0, then the Trojans put the game out of reach with a mid-period goal.  Trenton smelled another mercy game (8-goal differential), but Bedford kept driving.  The third period was scoreless until the Trojans scored their fifth goal in the last minute of play.

In spite of the loss, it was a good learning experience for Bedford.  The players got to see a perennial powerhouse in action, and they got a chance to show their own skills against a champion.  Many were expecting a mercy ending, and it didn’t happen.  Hopefully it was a building block for the future.