This past weekend the Hens took on the Rutgers Ice Knights. The team fell to Rutgers on Friday night at home, but came out victorious in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon.
Friday night at the Rust was “Military Night,” and the team sported camo jerseys that were available for auction. All of the proceeds from the auction went to support the Delaware Veterans Coalition.
The starting lineup for the first game in the series was Shane Mullin, Andrew Corapi, and Pierce Lamberton as the forwards, Jakob DeFares and Mike Zidansek on defense, and Dylan Troiano in goal. In the first period, the Hens were in control. Rutgers had two penalties called on them within the first ten minutes. Delaware couldn’t find success on the power play, however they did find it elsewhere. Michael Nisky dished one out to Michael Redgate, who put the first goal up on the board for the night with eight minutes left in the first. In the last few minutes, Delaware got a penalty called, and they were successful on the kill. At the end of the period, the score was 1-0, UD.
Coming back on the ice for the second, the Hens needed to keep their lead. They came out in an offensive mindset. Cole Zucker scored for the Hens unassisted as he made his way through the Knights’ defensive line. Rutgers responded quickly, and put one up on the board. Throughout the rest of the period, there were a few penalties called on both teams. The Hens and the Ice Knights were all successful on the penalty kills. As the second came to a close, Delaware was up by one. In the third period, the Hens needed to keep their momentum going. They were successful on penalty kills. Rutgers tied up the game with just under eleven minutes left. The team needed to come together to come out of this game with a win. There was movement from both teams, but Rutgers was able to capitalize with less than a minute of play left. The Hens fell to Ice Knights, 3-2.
Pierce Lamberton said, “There were a lot of injuries during the game. It was a tough loss, and as a team we just weren’t able to play a full sixty minutes.”
Delaware traveled up to New Jersey to play at the ProSkate Arena Saturday afternoon. In order to keep a good record, the Hens knew that they needed to win the game. The starting lineup for the afternoon was Dustin Rabinowitz, Cole Zucker and John Redgate as the forwards, Devin Jenny and Jakob DeFares on defense, and Stephen East in the net. The Blue Hens came out prepared to put up a good fight. In the first period, there was a lot of movement. Rutgers came out strong, and they put a lot of pressure on our defense. East made a few really great saves in the beginning. Possession of the puck was constantly changing. The Ice Knights scored the first goal of the game with just under ten minutes left in the first. There was a lot of tension on the ice, and energy was high. The period ended with the Hens trailing by one.
Coming out in the second, the team needed to get back on their feet and play how they have been playing all season. Less than thirty seconds in, J. Redgate tied up the game off an assist from DeFares and Rabinowitz. Very shortly after, Pierce Lamberton scored once more for the Hens off an assist from Shane Mullin and Chris Mazzella. Delaware continued to find success on the penalty kill. Rutgers tied up the game with twelve minutes and twenty seven second left in the period. Delaware responded quickly, and Mazzella put us back in lead off an assist from Lamberton. The game started to get chippy, and there were a few penalties called on both teams throughout the rest of the period. An Ice Knight was sent to their respective box for a minor, and a Hen to our box for a major, making them be on the penalty kill for three minutes. Under a minute left on the kill, Rutgers scored. The period ended with the score tied at three.
With the third period underway, it was imperative that Delaware would come out with high intensity and the thirst to win. At the end of the second, a fight broke out on the ice that put a Rutgers player in the box, so the Hens were on the power play. They returned to even strength, but immediately after, a Delaware player went to the box. Rutgers put a lot of pressure on our net, but East let nothing through, and the Hens killed off the penalty. Just under eleven left in the game, DeFares put in an incredible individual effort to put the team back in the lead! The Knights tried to come back, but that just wasn’t going to happen. Playing strong on defense, Devin Jenny passed the puck to J. Redgate, who scored the fifth Blue Hen goal of the game! Rutgers continued to try to match our play, but after taking the lead, the team was on fire. They played strong and smart. Rutgers pulled their goalie to try to gain an offensive advantage for the last two minutes of play. The buzzer went off, and Delaware took the W, 5-3!
Shane Mullin and Drew Torrey, in a combined effort, said, “We came back hard from yesterday’s game. We had a slow first period, but we came out strong the rest of the game. East played great.”
The team is on the road for the rest of the month, and this coming weekend they will be playing Liberty University.
Mike Zidansek said, “It’s always exciting to play Liberty. We will need to capitalize on beating a team who is ahead of us in the rankings. It’s a really important weekend, and we are looking forward to it.”
Cheer the Hens on from home, and keep up with all social media accounts for updates!
Twitter: @udhockey
Instagram: @udicehockey
Facebook: University of Delaware Men’s Division 1 Ice Hockey
Written By: Analisa Vizzoni
