To conclude their Halloween weekend, the D3 Stags hosted their in-state rivals, the New Haven Chargers, at the Rinks at Shelton on Sunday night. This matchup was their second and final regular-season meeting between the two teams, the first being the season opener, which the Stags took 4-1 in commanding fashion.
An earlier gametime of 8:00 p.m. brought energy from up and down the entire lineup. The Stags would start the opening frame by potting three unanswered goals. The first came from freshman defenseman Nick Oliveri, who earned the first of his collegiate career with a shot from the point that found its way to the back of the net. Shortly after, junior captain Zachary Pers was able to join in on the early action and roofed a shot top right over the goalie's glove to make it 2-0. With just over a minute left to play, another freshman defenseman would score his first, as David Wetzel ripped one home with a beautiful power play goal from the right side.
The second period brought the Stags some penalty trouble, which resulted in a two-goal period for the Chargers, with one of those coming on the power play. The Stags wouldn't let the Chargers' surge go unanswered, thanks to goals by freshman Colby Arel and sophomore Ryan Dinicola to regain the Stags' three-goal lead.
As the third period rolled around, the Stags found the back of the net two more times, as Jake Quinn scored a shorthanded goal around halfway through the frame, and the win was topped off with a goal by senior Lucas Chaconas. Ultimately, a seven-goal performance was largely thanks to the goaltending brought by sophomore Paddy Kirchner, who made 18 of 20 saves and also notched his first career point in the win. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to talk with 5th-year senior Kyle Dillon, and here's what he had to say after the game:
"The relentless pressure we applied made UNH collapse. We make sure to come out aggressive every period and hit our opponents until they make mental mistakes, allowing us to capitalize."
The Stags look to continue their recent success as they take on Rutgers next Friday at 8:00pm at Proskate Arena.
