Three minutes into Friday night’s game, the William Patterson Pioneers were on pace to shut out the Penn State Ice Lions 20-0. However, as shown by the Ice Lions’ resounding 8-1 victory, William Patterson’s goal scoring, hard hitting, and momentum would end at 2:52 of the first period.
Penn State peppered the Pioneer goalie with shot after shot all evening long, out-shooting them by the wide margin of 67-33. The Lions scored four goals within a five-minute span in the first period, a number that would have been greater if not for a handful of spectacular saves on the other end.
Coming back from the first intermission holding a 5-1 advantage after an opening period in which five different players scored, Penn State continued its onslaught, with forward Mike Marley scoring a little over a minute into the period. Marley finished off the period and the scoring with another goal, putting the score at 8-1.
The Ice Lions did get sloppy during the second period, however, as they were called for two penalties and turned the puck over on a number of occasions.
“I thought we did get sloppy half way through the game,” Penn State Ice Lions coach Mo Stroemel said. “It’s hard for [the team] to stay focused when the game gets out of hand score-wise.”
Coach Stroemel also noted that much of the team was recovering from the flu, possibly compounding their sloppiness. Nevertheless, the Lions’ depth still managed to overpower a weak and depleted William Patterson squad.
“The guys need to keep their focus in games like these, continue to play their defense, continue to play defense,” Stroemel said.
Weak shots and bad defense from the Pioneers allowed Penn State to dominate throughout the game. With the game winding down, and a defeated William Patterson team visibly exhausted and frustrated, the game got ugly as the Lions finished the final period with three men in the penalty box.
Overall, though, Friday night’s victory was a solid one for the Ice Lions, as they rebounded from a tough loss last weekend. Many contributed to the victory, notably forwards Matt Weber (goal, assist), Ryan Tocicki (goal, two assists), and Jordan Hellman (goal, assist).
