After Stevenson men’s ice hockey’s victory over King’s College, up next for the Mustangs is the semifinal match against Wilkes University Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m.
Coming out with high intensity and aggression, the ‘Stangs quickly got on the board by way of junior forward, Graeme McCrory, scoring just 13 seconds into the first period. McCrory’s goal was his fifth on the season, assisted by junior Malcolm Palmer and senior Brendan Rylott with their ninth and twelfth assists respectively.
Not even five minutes later, the ‘Stangs were in the net once again as senior Evan Beers tallied his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Zach Bannister and Blake Benson.
Junior goalkeeper Ty Outen had a game, sealing the lead with back-to-back saves halfway through the first period. Outen had 22 saves in the match, adding to his impressive season total of 721.
Going into the second period, the ‘Stangs had made the Monarchs eager to score, resulting in a goal allowed within the first minute of the period to make it a game at 2-1.
Intensity was high on the ice and in the stands as Benson would score his twenty-ninth goal of the season, sealing the two-point lead once again.
After being aggressive on both sides, the ‘Stangs “started to lose their discipline,” said head coach Dominick Dawes.
The ‘Stangs gave up a few penalties and saw the ejection of sophomore defender Aidan McDowell, but were eventually able to reverse the trend.
“We were able to play the right way which then put them on their heels, and I think that made them take some penalties,” said Dawes.
As the Monarch’s remained at a standstill with one point, the ‘Stangs sealed the deal thanks to senior Frank Vitucci’s ninth goal of the season and junior Kyle Lightfoot’s first 2024 goal against a Monarch open net.
Ending the game at 5-1, the ‘Stangs have secured another win in their historic season, improving their record to 20-5-1.
In Stevenson’s fifth UCHC semifinal appearance in the last 7 seasons, the ‘Stangs hope to topple conference rival Wilkes University.
“It’s another opportunity for us to get one step closer to reaching our goal of winning a UCHC Championship,” said senior forward Zach Egber. “What better way to do it than against a Wilkes team that has been our biggest rival over the last number of years.”
Stevenson faces Wilkes in the UCHC Semifinals at the Reisterstown Sportsplex at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24.
