The men’s hockey season has certainly had its ups and downs since their first game Oct. 24 — they will head to break with four wins and four losses, along with a conference score split right down the middle, 2–2.
After wiping out the New England College Pilgrims Nov. 14 in a 4–0 sweep, the team took two losses: a defeat 2–3 from Plymouth State Nov. 15, and a gut-wrenching overtime loss 3–4 against Vermont State University Castleton Nov. 21. That same weekend, they snagged a modest overtime 3–2 win Nov. 22 from the Norwich University Cadets.
The Beacons started in hard and fast against VTSU on Nov. 21, but they were unable to keep possession of the puck. The Spartans opened the game after they managed to sneak the puck through sophomore goalkeeper Connor McDonough at the end of the first period.
The opponent glided through the Beacons’ defense in the second period and struck again, doubling their lead. The team caught up offensively when senior forward Jude Kurtas finally netted the first goal for the Beacons. The Spartans were quick to retaliate, but freshman Jacob Roberson netted the Beacons’ second goal of the game at the start of the third period, narrowing the opponent’s lead to 3–2. Jazz Krivstov netted the equalizer soon after Roberson’s goal, bringing the Beacons to 3–3.
This sent the teams into overtime. The Beacons were unable to compete with the Spartans’ offensive dominance, concluding the match with a 4–3 Spartans win.
The next day, Nov. 22, the Beacons took on the nationally ranked Norwich Cadets, securing an overtime win which would make up for their disappointing loss. Krivstov, the men’s hockey senior captain, said, “Coming after yesterday’s game, we didn’t have a good start; the emphasis was on having a good start early on.” He also said the Beacons “need to work on penalties — every game, we are getting penalized.”
The Beacons scored late in the first period as freshman Alex Keller netted his first goal of the season. Krivstov extended the Beacons’ lead early in the second period, giving the team a whopping 2–0 lead. The game against the Cadets was extremely physical, with the Beacons getting more time in the box.
The Cadets’ efforts were rewarded later in the third period, and they netted two back-to-back goals, ending the third period with a 2–2 tie and forcing the game into overtime. Kurtas scored the winning goal, securing the Beacons’ 3–2 victory.
Freshman goalkeeper Alex Koenig was an absolute force in the net, helping to keep the Beacons’ defense afloat. Koenig said, “It’s good to get our third win of the season. … I just knew I had to control the D-zone and work on keeping everything in front of me.”
The Beacons’ tournament games have been just as turbulent. They fought Utica University Nov. 28 in the Utica Thanksgiving Showcase, resulting in a 4–5 loss, but they took their consolation prize against the State University of New York, Morrisville with a 2–1 win Nov. 29.
The Beacons lost sight of the puck early on against Utica, with the Pioneers netting their first goal of the game just five minutes in and extending their lead to 2–0 over the already-shaken Beacons just four minutes later.
The Beacons did not stay silent, and they responded with two consecutive goals of their own from senior Steven Spetz in the 15th minute and junior Jack Mortson in the 18th minute. The first period concluded with a 2–2 tie.
The second period saw a singular goal from Utica, but the Pioneers again netted the puck five minutes into the third period. This as followed by Mortson’s second goal of the game, while sophomore Jacob Roberson rode the momentum and netted one of his own. The game went into overtime, a theme for the Beacons, and an overtime score from Utica resulted in a well fought 4–5 loss for the Beacons.
There is no rest for the weary, and the Beacons were back in action after not even 24 hours of their previous game. A freshly-recharged team took over the ice against the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs on Nov. 29.
Sophomore Chris Reppmann set the pace of the game by lightning up the score board for the team in the 13th minute of the first period. This set the tone for the rest of the match, and Mortson netted his third goal of the weekend 15 minutes into the second period, extending their lead to 2–0 over the Mustangs.
In the third period, the Mustangs finally responded, but it wasn’t enough. The Beacons were an offensive force that the opponent could not resist, and ultimately, the Beacons took the win 2–1.
Freshman goalkeeper Alex Koeing was recently named both Rookie and Goalie of the week by the Little East Conference for his dominant performance in the post. Koeing delivered on of the biggest outing of his career so far, with 32 saves during the weekend match-up against nationally-ranked Norwich University. Koeing’s goalkeeping was instrumental in the Beacons’ overtime win.
After one last game Dec. 6 against Roger Williams University, the Beacons will start gearing up for the 58th annual Codfish Bowl tournament Jan. 2. They will play against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts at the Edward Barry Ice Rink, giving them a second shot at taking the tournament to the championship.
