The University of Delaware D1 men’s team played against the Drexel University Dragons at the ice arena in Newark, Delaware. The weekend ended in an unfortunate loss for the Blue Hens.
Friday night’s game started at 6:15pm with the starting lineup of #28 Cole Zucker, #37 Jack Zimmer, #22 Michael Nisky, #13 Chris Mazzella and #1 Chris Ponticello in net. The team came off to a good start when #26 Brian Ostrander capitalized off of an assist from #21 Michael Redgate. The first period ended with Delaware leading, 1-0. The second period, Drexel made the move on a power play and tied the score at 1. Another penalty on Delaware allowed for a second power play goal by Drexel, bringing them in the lead 2-1. The second period ended with Drexel still ahead with 8 shots on goal for both Drexel and Delaware. Into the third period, Drexel scored two more goals, increasing their lead 4-1. A great play by #37 Jack Zimmer allowed for a shorthanded goal with an assist from #16 Kevin Felice – nipping Drexel’s lead and making the score 4-2. Drexel scored one more goal, ending the game with the final score of 5-2. After the game, #12 Colin Emerich gave us some notes about the game stating, “We were able to get off to a quick start, scoring within the first couple of minutes which put us ahead. Then, we got a bit complacent and weren’t playing with the same energy that we started with. We let up a few too many goals and our penalties in the third set us back. We just couldn’t get the game close again.”
Tonight was not our best effort but we need to put it past us and move on. It doesn’t always go your way sometimes…there will be ups and downs during a team’s season. We need to turn the page and worry about the next game. – Senior and captain Cole Zucker
Game two took place on Saturday night with a puck drop of 5:25pm. Drexel was able to take a quick lead on Delaware, scoring 2 goals in the first period. With the Blue Hens seemingly unable to stay out of the penalty box, the Dragons cashed in on power plays to score another two goals before the end of the first, giving them a 4-0 lead. During the second period, neither team scored, keeping the score with Drexel ahead on the scoreboard. With 18:26 left in regulation, captain Cole Zucker was able to put one on the scoreboard unassisted, making the score 4-1. Drexel heightened their lead by two more points, finalizing the score at 6-1 and completing the weekend sweep for Drexel. In regards to the game, #3 Danny Demas shared his thoughts after the game, “After a loss like today, we need to remember to take it back to the basics so we can get back to playing Delaware hockey for our future games.”
Next weekend, the boys will be matched up against Stony Brook University at our home arena in Newark, Delaware.
Written by: Daniella Fioretti
