Following an impressive performance at the Spurrier Tournament last weekend, the men’s hockey team had another strong showing on its home ice this weekend. The Cardinals took down league opponent UMass Boston on Saturday 4-1 following a disappointing Friday night loss to Babson College. This was the final pair of games the Cardinals will play in December, and the team heads into break with a 2-4-0 record.
On Friday, the Cardinals took on the Babson Beavers (4-2-1), who had played a slew of impressive games recently, including a win against Colby and a tie against Williams. The Cardinals, however, were not fazed, and the team came out strong. Brett Bandazian ’12 scored the first blow with a goal 3:55 into the first off a pass from co-captain Sam Robinson ’10, giving the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. Babson was quick to respond, tying the score at 1-1 with a goal at the 6:43 mark in the first. The Cards took the lead again at the 11:30 mark with an impressive short-handed goal by Tom Salah ’12 off a pass from Geoff Mucha ’12. Despite the first period lead Babson had been controlling the puck for the majority of the game, and had tallied 12 shots to Wesleyan’s five in the first. This disparity continued into the second period, and Wesleyan’s luck soon ran out, with Babson capitalizing on a power play at the 4:16 mark of the second. The third period did not go the Cards’ way, and Babson scored three goals in the frame, including the go-ahead goal just 31 seconds into the third. The Beavers’ fifth goal was shot at an empty net after the Cards pulled goalie Matt Hadge ’13 for an extra skater at the 17:59 mark in the third.
On Saturday, the Cards faced off against league opponent UMass Boston, which entered the game on a 4-0-1 tear. The Cards had a very strong showing in the match, and after falling behind 1-0 in the first, the squad pulled together to score four consecutive goals to secure a 4-1 victory. Nick Craven ’13 tied up the match 1-1 in the second, and the rest of the game was all Wesleyan. In the third there were three terrific performances by the team’s underclassmen. Salah netted a pair of power-play goals in the period, including an unassisted goal he created for himself off a spectacular move. Mucha had two assists in the period, and John Guay ’13 tallied a goal and an assist. The match also marked the return of goaltender Tim Archibald ‘10, who stopped 26 Beacon shots for his first win of 2009-10.
The Cardinals return to action Jan. 2 when the team travels to Massachusetts to take part in the Nichols College Tournament. Wesleyan will face Lebanon Valley College in its first-round game.
Leave a Reply