It was a special occasion for the Blue Hens, as they held a ceremony for their senior’s last game at the Fred Rust arena. The game itself was a reason to celebrate, as the Blue Hens were able to win 12-2.
Senior goaltender Noble Tucker said he could tell the game was going to have a different atmosphere before the game even began. “Everybody was ready to play, their excited because for some of us that was our last time stepping onto the ice in front of our home fans. There were a lot of nerves because you just don’t want to let them down. You want to come out and give them a win.”
The Blue Hens offense jumped on Rutgers early. Blue Hen forward Joe Bastone fired a shot that Freshman Corey Leskanic finished to give the Blue Hens the first goal.
Cole Zucker was able to get his fifteenth goal of the season to make the game 2-0. Senior Ryan Pate was able to add a goal of his own to make the game 3-1.
Rutgers were able to score off an odd man rush, but it did nothing to stop the Blue Hens attack. Freshman Andrew Corapi and Senior Gabriel Colona were both able to score to make the game 5-1 heading into the first intermission.
The crowd was really getting into the game, and the Blue Hens were not about to let them down in the second period.
The Blue Hens blew the game open in the second period. They added six more goals to make the game 11-2.
Senior Ryan Pate was able to get a hat trick in his last game at the Fred Rust arena. The delighted crowd threw hats onto the ice for the senior’s special game. The three goals gave him 9 for the season, and he will be chasing his 10th goal against Rutgers on Saturday February 14th.
Freshman Cole Zucker also got a hat trick for the Blue Hens. He was already the leading goal scorer this season for the Blue Hens, and his hat trick gave him 17 goals for the season.
The game ended up being 12-2. The third period was pretty uneventful, as both teams knew the games what the games outcome was going to be.
Both Senior Noble Tucker and Coach Rocky Romanella agreed that the key to the team’s success was that they were hungry for the puck. “The players were just hungry tonight,” said Tucker on the win. “They really wanted the win; they wanted to be out there. They were skating to the puck, they were finishing their checks, they were going to the net and they digging for goals. It was all of those second efforts that really got us the win.”
The Blue Hens will travel to Rutgers to play their final game of the season on Saturday February 14th. The Blue Hens will then compete in the ESCHL playoffs, but what their seed is going to be is still uncertain. They are currently third, but Lebanon Valley is only a point behind with two more games against Stony Brook.
By: Tyler Fitzpatrick
