Matthew Cilbrith – Special to the Southern News
NEW HAVEN—The SCSU Ice Owls hockey team lost 5-3 in their first home game in over a month Friday night to their in state rivals the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors. Following a seven game road trip, the Owls tried to beat the undefeated Warriors (9-0-0) at home which the Owls haven’t been able to do this year as they have gotten all three of their wins on this past road trip. Coach Bob O’Brien said what the team did the past seven games in a wrap up of the road trip.
“The road trip games were good,” said O’Brien. “We started off the trip well, the last few games didn’t go the way we wanted but they were good. “When we played Stockton in New Jersey, remember the first game here we were behind chasing them all game, when we played them there we were up twice that game and they were chasing us. That shows me the improvements we have made from the first game to now.”
The game Friday was also the annual “Pink the Rink” game hosted by Colleges Against Cancer. All the proceeds raised at the game went straight to Relay For Life 2014, and then all of the proceeds from there go to the American Cancer Society, according to Jessica Weimann, president of the CAC.
“Pink games have been going on for the past three or four years now,” said Weimann. “The hockey games usually get a pretty good turnout and we teamed with ProCon this year and they made us the Friday Night Free For All so, last I checked there were 40 people signed up for that on top of the other people coming to the game so we are expecting a good turn out.”
Captain goaltender Shayne O’Brien helped coordinate the event with the CAC.
“We really just wanted to raise money for them and give them the opportunity to use hockey to do that,” said Shayne O’Brien. “The professional sport has the whole hockey fights cancer initiative going on and we just like being a part of it.”
The game started very fast, both teams skating up and down the ice exchanging chances. The Owls had some success with their forecheck early as they had them pinned in their zone deep for most of the first period. The Warriors were creating chances by getting shots on the net and aggressively going for the rebounds. Freshman forward Vito Puopolo started the scoring off for the Owls; he said what happened to get the Owls on the scoreboard.
“It was a picture perfect breakout, the goalie came out to try and get the puck and whiffed on it, and the puck was sitting right there for me so I slammed it home,” said Puopolo.
At the beginning of the second period the Owls increased their lead to two when Justin Kenny found another loose puck in front of the net and deposited it in the net for a goal. Then the Owls opened the door for the Warriors. Joe Quick got called for a penalty resulting in a power play goal for the Warriors as well as another goal shortly after, making the game 2-2. The Owls got another goal in the second but then Steve Sorrentino took a penalty retaliating after taking a hit that allowed the Warriors to tie it at three going into the final period.
In the final period the Warriors scored two more goals locking up their 5-3 victory. After the game Shayne O’Brien said in one word what allowed the Warriors to get back in the game.
“Penalties,” said O’Brien. “It’s always penalties and it always will be penalties.”
The Owls have to rest up quick as they take on Fairfield University Saturday night in back to back home games.
