The Hens were on the road for the last time in 2017, and made their way to play the #3 Ohio University Bobcats. Delaware played a strong two games, but fell just a bit short in both.
On Friday night, the teams matched up at 7:30 in the Bird Arena. The starting lineup for the Hens was #8 Cam Piorkowski, #16 Kevin Felice, #12 Colin Emerich, #24 Mike Zidansek, #6 Harrison Chuma, and in the net, #30 Stephen East. Starting off the game the right way, #22 Michael Nisky scored the first goal of the night off an assist from #15 Shane Mullin. A few minutes later, Ohio responded with a goal, and tied the game. The Bobcats found the back of the net once more in the first period, and it ended with a score 2-1, OU. The Hens put up a good fight in the first, and going into the second they were looking to continue playing strong. However, Delaware was not able to capitalize on any of the opportunities in front of the Bobcats’ net, and Ohio put two more in. The final score of the second was 4-1. Well into the third, the teams played a lot of back and forth hockey. The Hens’ one and only, #9 Greg Jandoli, scored his first goal of the season off an assist from #32 Ethan Docking! The score was 4-2. The Bobcats’ scored two more goals within the last four minutes of the game, and the final score was 6-2, OU.
“I don’t think the scoreboard was a good representation of how we played. I thought the game was pretty even with us showing spurts of dominance. I think for sitting on a bus for over 7 hours plus and playing the 3rd ranked team in the nation right now, we competed well. It gave us the confidence that with tightening a couple things up and coming out with same intensity on Saturday, we could get the job done.” – Greg Jandoli
On Saturday, the teams matched up at 7:30 once again. The starters for the game were #22 Michael Nisky, #13 Chris Mazzella, #15 Shane Mullin, #24 Mike Zidansek, #5 Harrison Good, and #30 Stephen East between the pipes. The first period started. The Hens were hungry for a win, and they matched the intensity of the Bobcats. Just less than 30 seconds left in the period, Mullin scored a breakaway goal off a pass from #20 Ian Anderson. The Hens took were in the lead coming out of the first. Throughout the majority of the second, Delaware remained ahead. A bit more than halfway through the period, the Bobcats scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game. The final score of the second was 1-1. Both teams were eager to take the lead. Ohio was able to capitalize on the power play to score a goal. A minute later they scored again, and that was the end. The final score of Saturday’s game was 3-1, Ohio.
“It was a huge positive that we didn’t roll over and quit after the first loss. It shows how much our team fights, and we actually played better the second game than the first. Last year after a tough loss the first night in Ohio, we lost 10-1 the next day. Good to see we didn’t do that this time.” – #21 Mike Redgate
The team is now on break until January 5th and 6th, when they take on the University of Rhode Island at the Fred Rust. More to come on those games, keep an eye out for information on the team’s social media pages. For now, the team would like to wish their fellow classmates good luck on their exams, and would like to wish all their fans, families, and friends a happy holidays!
Twitter: @udhockey
Instagram: @udicehockey
Facebook: University of Delaware Men’s Division 1 Ice Hockey
Written By: Analisa Vizzoni
