The University of Rhode Island men’s hockey club team took on Indiana University of Pennsylvania this weekend in its final homestand.
For the opening half of the first period on Friday, the defenses on both sides were going at it. Both teams were controlling the puck and struggling to find the net early on. Rhode Island changed that fast; URI set the tone for the game by netting its first goal from third-year forward Ethan Corderio with 10:48 to go in the period. The Rams would follow up Cordeiro’s goal with another score from first-year forward Aidan Darlington. Just over a minute later, third-year forward Zach Bell gave the Rams a 3-0 lead heading into the intermission.
In the second period, Rhody continued to play on the offensive. The Rams immediately added to their lead with a goal by first-year forward Cam Cyr. URI continued to hold its ground, and Corderio netted his second goal of the game to add to Rhode Island’s commanding lead. IUP tallied one of its own from third-year forward Shane Miller, but URI was in control of this game, leading 5-1 after two periods.
In the third period, fourth-year forward Trent Lunden got a quick score to make it 5-2, as IUP tried to spark momentum. Rhode Island was able to shut them down, as they added a final goal by Darlington to seal it.
Throughout the game, the play was chippy, and the game ended on a bit of a sour note. A scrum broke out and the refs had to break it up, but URI ultimately walked away with the 6-2 victory.
Saturday’s game was a special one for URI, as its seniors were honored before the game on senior day.
“When we travel, [the seniors] set the tone in the locker room about how we do things here,” URI Head Coach Joe Augustine said. “So it’s been passed on to them and they pass it on to the young ones.”
Saturday’s game started just like Friday’s game, looking like the defense was going to be the focal point of this game. URI cracked the scoreboard with a late first period goal from Cyr and that’s all the first period would have as the Rams held a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.
To start the second period, IUP and URI kept each other at a standstill on the scoreboard. Halfway through the period, the Crimson Hawks broke through with their first goal of the game from first-year forward Matthew Loza to knot the score up 1-1. Rhode Island swiftly grabbed the lead back on a putback from third-year forward Shane Mulhern to regain momentum. From there on, Rhode Island continued to control the puck and the flow of the game. They added two more goals in the period and went to break with a 4-1 lead.
In the third period, the Rams continued where they left off from the end of the second period, relentlessly attacking IUP and giving them no room to make it a close game. Rhody scored twice more, and that’s all they needed. IUP got a late goal from third-year defenseman Shawn Donovan, but it did not do much as Rhode Island walked away with another 6-2 win and is now winners of four straight. URI was able to finish its final home stand on a high note, celebrating the win with its seniors on the special night.
“The team is trying to stay in the moment and concentrate,”Augustine said. “I’ve been hard on them the last couple of weeks, but as you’re leaning towards the playoffs, you have to stay focused.”
The Rams improved to 20-9-4 on the season and will play their last series of the regular season on the road against Syracuse University on Thursday at 8 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. before they head off to the Eastern State Collegiate Hockey League playoffs.
