The University of Rhode Island men’s club hockey team took on the United States Naval Academy over the weekend, winning both games and sweeping the two-game set.
Rhode Island and the Naval Academy went to battle for the fourth time this year, as the teams split a pair in the first matchup on Navy’s home ice. This time was different, as Rhode Island got the upper hand in both Friday and Saturday’s contests.
Friday’s matchup started out as a defensive battle with both teams fighting for chances through the first period. Both teams traded goals in the opening frame. URI got a goal from fourth-year defenseman Ronan Judge, and Navy got one from forward Andrew Penca to knot the score at one apiece.
Rhode Island picked up speed and never looked back in the second period. Judge got the period started with his second goal of the game, and then the Rams continued to pile on. The Rams would go on to score a total of four goals in the period to take a commanding 5-1 lead on Navy.
As the third period rolled around, Navy scored a goal to make it 5-2, but Rhode Island answered right back with a goal of its own. The Rams added two more to go with it, winning the first of the two games with a convincing 8-2 final score.
Third-year forward Corey Szabo also had two goals on the night. The Rams spread the puck around throughout Friday night’s win, accumulating 10 assists as a team. The Rams also outshot the Midshipmen in the second period 18-4 and 37-14 overall.
Saturday’s game was a physical, battle with the first goal not coming until late in the first period. With 5:17 to go, the Rams got one in the net with a goal by third-year forward Shane Mulhern. Navy once again answered right back with a goal of its own by forward Sean Ostrowski with 2:52 to go. The game would remain 1-1 by the end of the first period.
URI controlled the puck for most of the second period, outshooting Navy 21-9. They broke the tie on a power play goal from fourth-year alternate captain Kevin Kanaczet with 3:01 to go.
“We played like individuals and that doesn’t work,” URI Head Coach Joe Augustine said. “So once you start playing as a group, it gets better.”
From the third period on, the Rams were rolling and never looked back. URI extended its lead to 3-1 with a goal by third-year forward Jake MacKinnon with 16:35 to go. As the game was winding down, the Rams scored an empty net goal to seal it from third-year forward Ethan Cordeiro in the closing minute.
Saturday Night was also a special night for Rhode Island before the game at the Boss Ice Arena. Bradford R. Boss was honored in a ceremony and had his jersey retired while he was in attendance at the age of 93. Boss is a member of the URI Athletics Hall of Fame, was a multi-sport athlete when he attended URI, was the founder of the URI men’s club ice hockey team and the team’s home arena is named after him.
“It just makes the day,” Augustine said. “It would be kind of a downer if we didn’t win, so it’s good we went out on a high note and got [Boss] the win.”
URI improved to 18-9-4 on the season and will play its last home series of the season against Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.
