Defenseman Daniel Diner passes the puck down the rink.
The Montclair State Men’s Hockey team will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 3 for a matchup away from home, at Sienna College. The Red Hawks have not played a game since Nov. 19 when they lost 5-2 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
The team had just suffered a 6-0 loss the night before playing RPI. They were determined to get back on the winning track, but RPI had different plans.
The Red Hawks were at a loss of both captains – Preziosi due to fighting and Sam Enright due to an injury. Once the puck dropped Montclair State shaved down their penalty minutes and scored with just two minutes left, thanks to Matt Hazuda. The first period ended with a score of 1-1 and the game looked like healthy competition.
However, the second period did not harness much action against RPI’s goalie. RPI put two goals past Montclair State’s goalie Bradley Odgers, to end the period with a 3-1 lead.
There was still hope for the Red Hawks as Michael Buckel celebrated his goal off a pass from Matt Cofrancesco. The game seemed optimistic once the Red Hawks had two goals up on the board, but it wasn’t enough for the comeback win. RPI scored two more goals to eventually win the game by a score of 5-2.
The Red Hawks are 8-5-1 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association and 2-2-1 in the Men’s Division 2 Super East Collegiate Hockey League. The next home game will be Friday, Jan. 13 at 1 p.m. against the University of New Hampshire.
