With 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, Chrome was looking for answers. They had surrendered seven of the previous eight goals to that point, with one of the scores being a 2-pointer from Ryan Brown.

Tim Soudan’s squad had gone from a 10-6 advantage to trailing 14-11 in short order. But Chrome didn’t panic. With the clock playing against them, they rattled off six straight of their own to stay undefeated on the 2022 campaign with a 17-14 victory in Long Island on Friday night. 

Chrome was able to control the stripe for the majority of the night, but despite Connor Farrell dictating possessions against Zac Tucci, the Waterdogs were able to keep the game close, trailing by just a single goal after both the first and second quarter. 

The offensive output for Chrome was widespread, with Brendan Nichtern having his best night as a pro to date. The Army product finished with four goals and six points. His first-quarter tally was a back-breaker for the Waterdogs, as the rookie capitalized on a broken play with just six seconds remaining in what was a tie game. 

He added a pair as insurance to open the second half before getting his final goal of the night to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. 

“He’s really talented, he sees the game, and his IQ is great,” Soudan said of Nichtern post game. “What I saw tonight is when it’s time to take over a game, he’s able to do it. Without hesitation, he’s able to get a step on his guy as he comes around and he’s a great finisher. When he was sitting there at nine (in the draft) we had to (take him).”

Farrell opened the fourth-quarter run for the Chrome, getting a quick face-off win, finding his way into the middle, and burying a shot past Matt DeLuca. 

“I had to give a little spark to the Chrome there in the fourth,” Farrell said of his goal. “I was aiming top left and it went bottom left, so I guess if I don’t know where the ball is going then the goalie doesn’t.”

Once the team had hopped back into the lead, the defense and Sean Sconone were able to lock things down at the back to secure the team’s third win of the season. 

Chrome will have an opportunity to win their fourth consecutive game to open the year in Baltimore when the square off with the Cannons on June 25. The Waterdogs will be chasing their first victory of 2022 when they take on Chaos on June 24.