The University of Delaware D1 Men’s Hockey team took home two back-to-back wins against the Stony Brook University Seawolves this weekend. The team took on the Seawolves in Stony Brook, New York at the Rinx.
Saturday night began with an 8:30 pm puck drop. The game was tense as the teams fought to put one on the scoreboard. The first goal didn’t come in until 17:38 in the second from Seawolves player Dustin Rinaldo. After a two-period daze, the Blue Hens picked it up in the third with three consecutive goals. Goal one was shot by #12 Colin Emerich off of #22 Michael Nisky and #19 Jake DeFares. Only a few minutes later, #32 Ethan Docking cashed in off of a pass from #8 Cam Piorkowski. Just a minute later, #16 Kevin Felice saw an opportunity from Emerich and put the third goal on the scoreboard, setting Delaware in the lead in only a matter of minutes with a score of 3-1. Stony Brook made a final attempt to catch up with a final goal but couldn’t tie the game in time. The final score was 3-2 Blue Hens.
“We played with an attitude that was distinct from how we’ve played the rest of the season. Once we took the lead, you could tell our whole team was confident that we were going to win. It really changed the atmosphere” – captain Mike Zidansek after the game
On Sunday, the Seawolves put up more of a fight, but Delaware came out stronger. Stony Brook scored twice in the first period, but similarly to Saturday’s game, it wasn’t until the second period that the Blue Hens pulled it together to get a goal. Colin Emerich scored the first Blue Hen goal with assists from Mike Nisky and #13 Chris Mazzella at 1:15 into the game, cutting the Seawolves lead in half. Another Stony Brook goal put them further in the lead 3-1, but this didn’t deter the Blue Hens. #26 Brian Ostrander capitalized off of a generated opportunity from Felice and Zidansek to cut the Seawolves’ lead again at 6 minutes into the second period. 10:36 seconds in, #39 Pierce Lamberton wrapped around the Seawolves goal and shot a pass to Ostrander, who popped the puck straight into the corner of the net, right past the Seawolves goaltender, tying the game 3-3. From then on, it was game over for the Seawolves. They were hardly able to catch their breaths when a minute later, Nisky scored a goal off of Felice and Lamberton, pushing Delaware into the lead, 4-3.
In the third period, the Blue Hens fought to maintain their lead and 16 minutes in Nisky, with his second of the night, secured the win for Delaware with a goal off of Mazzella and Emerich. The final score was 5-3, Delaware.
 “We knew coming into the weekend, we needed a sweep. After winning Saturday, we entered Sunday’s game needing to find a way to win back-to-back games on the road. We went out there, showed our strengths as a team and took care of business.” – Brian Ostrander
“Getting the win was huge. We were able to prove that Saturday wasn’t a fluke and that we have the skill and capacity to beat highly ranked teams. Everyone played with a great level of energy and we need to carry that throughout the rest of the season,” said Chris Mazzella after the game.
This upcoming weekend, the Blue Hens will be back home at the Fred Rust Ice Arena on Saturday, December 8 at 8:15 pm. Come to support the team as they face the Towson University Tigers. Follow us on our social media!
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Written by: DF
