By Danielle Achin
Rams Ice Hockey secured their first victory of the season on home ice in an intense game against Stonehill College 2-1 Nov. 16.
First period began with both teams hustling up and down the ice with intense speed, already looking for a chance to score and take the lead.
At minute 18, the Skyhawks gained the lead when sophomore Brendan Nehmer saw an opening between the goalkeeper and blue line passing the puck through Rams goalie, freshman Trevor Stenburg, into the net for a 1-0 score.
Coming back to the ice for the second period, the Rams forwarded great aggression, taking away the confidence the Skyhawks had built up from the first period.
“Everyone just came out with a lot more swagger – that’s for sure. We were de<nitely feeling good,” said sophomore Ethan Cervonayco.
The Rams offense charged halfway through the second period. After they missed an attempted shot, this sent the puck down the ice where the attempted shot by Stonehill was saved by Stenburg.
The Rams continued on the attack, making shot after shot and although the puck never made it into the net, Stonehill’s confidence collapsed making them work for the saved shots against FSU.
Stonehill seemed to gain the advantage when they gained a power play penalty against the Rams.
This did not break the Rams’ spirit and with the help of a hooking penalty called against the Skyhawks, FSU tied the score 1-1 with 8 minutes left in the second period.
Although they were skating on ice, things between the teams were getting heated within the last couple minutes of the second period – sticks were breaking, players were sliding across the ice. Neither team was willing to let up a goal and the second period ended with a 1-1 tie.
“From the start, we were all over them. We weren’t second guessing anything and just backing each other up,” said sophomore Matthew Cucinotta.
The Rams continued their stamina against them looking for every chance to score.
Things only seemed to intensify in the third period when the Rams kept receiving penalty power plays against them, leaving Stonehill at the advantage once again.
Despite the advantage for the Skyhawks, the men were unable to pull themselves together and the Rams took the lead with just over 3 minutes left in the game after freshman Ashton Collazo shot the puck into the net.
At this point, the game became a standstill as officials discussed if the point would be given to the Rams. After long discussion, the goal was upheld for a 2-1 lead for the Rams.
After another penalty called against the Rams, this left the team one man short for the remainder of the game.
The Skyhawks were unable to advance their score and FSU held them off for the last minutes of the game for a 2-1 victory.
The men said this game was a real representation of what they can do on the ice.
“Everyone trusted each other. No one really had doubts. We just kind of went out there ready and knew what we were doing,” said Cervonayo. “This game is definitely a turning point.”
Cucinotta said, “It was fun to see everyone just Yow and just play hockey. We finally broke through, now we just got to finish the job for the rest of the season.”
The Rams return to home ice on Thursday, Nov. 18 where they face off against Worcester State.