UMass Boston’s Men’s Ice Hockey went down in their home opener against Skidmore College Friday, Nov. 3 with a 7–3 blowout loss. The Beacons shouldered the Thoroughbreds until the very end of the match, but couldn’t keep up as they lacked on the offensive front. This loss helped the team get a better understanding of their strengths as well as weaknesses.
Immense improvement was seen in the following game against the Castleton University Spartans. The Beacons made up for their slack offense the night before, as six different players lit up the score sheet. This led them to their season’s first victory, to which they conquered the Spartans and sent them packing with a 7–1 win. When interviewed, freshman forward Jack Mortson shared his insight on the weekend matches:
“It’s really exciting to play at home, we had a great crowd. It’s great to play at our own barn. Friday night was not the outcome we were looking for, the second period got away from us in terms of discipline and then Saturday we had a short memory because it was a quick turnaround. Saturday we came out hard, kept it simple, stuck to our system, and it paid off with the 7–1 outcome. We gotta learn from that and take that with us this weekend on the road.” Jack Mortson was one of the six Beacons who recorded a goal and an assist, adding to the already glamorous night.
The Beacons went up hard against the Spartans, taking a total of 40 shots out of a cumulative 75 shots. They ripped apart their opponents’ defense with each loaded attack. Senior defenseman Kevin Sadvoski netted two goals and assisted his teammates on shots. Another senior forward, Jude Kurtas, recorded a goal and an assist as well. When asked about his experience on the ice, he stated that, “It was nice being home, once again it’s been a while. Saturday we played much better, our coach put the fear of God into us after Friday’s showing so overall it was a much better game with every player we got, and hopefully we don’t break down like we did on Friday again.”
The first period was swift, as the Beacons netted their first goal in five minutes and second goal in the first eight minutes by Sadvoski. The final strike of the first half was made by senior forward Owen Bourdow with a little help from Devin Moran.
Bourdow said, “coming in Friday to our first home game this weekend was exciting. It sucked that it didn’t go the way we wanted it. After that game, coach came into the locker room before Saturday’s game and said what we needed to do. We stayed out of the box, which was a big thing, and we came out with a 7–1 victory, which is huge.” Coach Peter Belisle is the spine of the team. He shows consistent support and nurtures these players into formidable young men.
The Beacons entered the second half with a 3–0 lead. They went hard and fast on the offense front, which was far different from their match against Skidmore College, which saw less offensive play and more defense. The team was all fueled up as the agony from their home opener loss got to them. Soon enough, they extended their lead to 4–0. The Knights scored their first goal of the match when Andrew Stefura tested the goaltending of our team, but that first goal would also be their last. The Beacons regained their form and the crowd saw two consecutive goals by Devin Moran and Conor Foley. They ended the second half with a 6–1 lead.
The final goal was netted when the puck interacted with the stick of freshman forward Mortson, which brought the Beacons to a 7–1 shelling, bringing them all the more closer to a sweet victory of the same score. The team improved a lot in such little time following their unfortunate loss against Skidmore and proved that they can bounce back from adversity in the span of a snapshot.
Men’s hockey is full of dedicated and passionate individuals who intend to bring every single foe to their knees. These young men are unstoppable and wish to skate through the whole season effortlessly with a winning outlook and an undying hunger. They pour their heart and souls out on the ice and give everything they’ve got. So, hold your breath as the Beacons heat up the Barry for their second week of consecutive home games this coming weekend.