Daniel Diner defends the puck against the opposing team.
Photo by Patrick Eskay
The men’s ice hockey team looks to bounce back from two tough matchups, as they get set for a game against the University of New Hampshire on Friday.
The Red Hawks traveled up to New York to face off Siena College on Saturday, Dec 3 and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Sunday, Dec.
Puck drop was around 8:50 p.m. as the game at the Albany County Hockey Facility against Siena was underway. The first period remained neutral as both teams fought hard for the puck. About seven minutes in, Montclair State scored the first goal of the game, thanks to Michael Buckel, off an assist from Sal Demarzo. The period ended 1-0 with solid saves from goaltender Bradley Odgers.
The second period was more action-packed when Siena put their first point up on the board. Soon after, Montclair State’s Chris Preziosi put the puck behind Siena’s goalie twice. Siena also scored once more to end the second period in favor of Montclair State with a 3-2 lead.
The third period began a little before 10:30 p.m. and Buckel scored yet again to increase the advantage to 4-2. Siena suffered from two penalties with one 5-minute major. The Red Hawks had a few good chances on the power play, but could not generate a goal. Siena remained strong and put the puck behind Odgers two more times.
The period ended with a score of 4-4 as both teams looked prepared to battle in overtime.
Both Montclair State and Siena were hungry to get that final goal to end the game. Montclair State entered the extra period with a penalty, but that did not set them back. During one play, Preziosi used his speed and had a good three-on-one chance, but Siena’s goalie denied it to end the game in a 4-4 tie.
The next day quickly approached and the Red Hawks arrived at the Houston Field House arena ready to play RPI. The puck dropped at 3:15 p.m. and RPI began the game with two penalties, while Montclair State suffered from one as well. RPI was able to score against Montclair State goalie Trevor Tironi to take the 1-0 lead and end the first period.
The second period remained at a fast pace as Matt Cofrancesco scored off a pass from Demarzo. With the score 1-1, both teams seemed agitated and totaled six penalties, four from RPI and two from Montclair State. Tironi made necessary saves to keep his team alive as the period ended with a 1-1 score.
As the third period was underway, Tironi was credited with an assist and Montclair State took a 2-1 lead just two minutes into the period. With penalties in between, RPI scored two more goals and eventually won the game, 4-2.
