After a long break that almost lasted two weeks, the Blue Hens were happy to return to action. They traveled to the Ice Line Quad Rinks to face off against West Chester. The Blue Hens showed some rust early on, but capitalized on some big chances en route to a 5-1 victory.
The first period was for the most part uneventful. After a long break, the Blue Hens struggled to score against a team they were favored against. Their frustration mounted when Justin Finnerty scored late in the period for West Chester. The goal would be the only one scored in the period.
The Blue Hens did not look rusty at all in the second period. Only a couple minutes into the game, Matthew Santucci scored to tie the game for the Blue Hens. But, the Blue Hens were not done yet.
With the game tied, the Blue Hens first line took over the game. John Redgate scored off a nice pass from Cole Zucker to give the Blue Hens the first goal of the game. Moments later, Redgate would score yet again for the Blue Hens to extend the lead 3-1.
Even after the scoring spree, the Blue Hens were still looking for more goals. Defenseman John Brancaccio crashed the net and scored the Blue Hens fourth goal of the period to put the Blue Hens firmly in the drivers seat.
The third period was uneventful, just like the first one. West Chester struggled to get into the offensive zone. The Blue Hens committed no penalties in the third and sat back and waited for West Chester to come to them.
The last goal of the game came late off a power play. West Chester player Ryan Evans was called for slashing and the Blue Hens first line struck yet again. This time it was Maxwell Freeman who scored to make the game 5-1. That score would remain the same the rest of the game.
The Blue Hens first line continues to produce for the Blue Hens. Cole Zucker has three goals for the Blue Hens through three games. He also leads the team in points with six. John Redgate, the returning sophomore, is continuing his stellar play from his freshman year. He has three goals and six points in his second season on the Blue Hens top line. The freshman Max Freeman also has six points on the top line for the Blue Hens.
With the first against West Chester in the books, the Blue Hens will return home to face West Chester yet again. They are looking for their first win in the Fred Rust arena this season after coming up short against second ranked Robert Morris. The puck will drop Sunday at 3:30.
By:Tyler Fitzpatrick
