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The Official Newsletter of Penn Men's Ice Hockey!!!    

RECENT RESULTS ( 11/7  PENN 6  Millersville 5 (Press Release)) 11/8  PENN 4  Lafayette 1 (Press Release))   UPCOMING GAMES (Full Schedule) Friday (11/14) 7:00pm Monmouth @ PENN Saturday (11/15) 8:10pm PENN @ UMBC

NEWS AND NOTES: Captain Micah Cohen notched his first hat-trick of the season on Friday against Millersville. With a 2-1-1 record in league play, Penn is currently in 5th place in the MACHA. Sophomore David Gordon-Kamm scored three times over the homecoming weekend.  On Friday he scored the game-winning power-play goal against Millersville and on Saturday he scored twice in the victory over Lafayette, including a short-handed goal midway through the second period.

Penn on two game winning streak heading into weekend of league play

By Garrett Young

            Over the past three weeks the University of Pennsylvania Men’s hockey team has seen its share of highs and lows.  Emerging from five games of a six-game homestand with three wins and two losses, the team has shown what it is capable of, both on the positive and negative sides.  It has shown its scoring and defensive potential, but with a number of letdowns on both sides of the puck, will need to play much stronger to compete for a MACHA championship down the stretch.

            The first game of the homestand was a much-anticipated bout against reigning MACHA champions Montclair State University.  The Quakers came in off of two league wins, with a 2-0-1 record in league play, and hoped to stake a claim to the number one spot.  The game, unfortunately, did not go as planned. Though they did stake a 2-1 lead after the second period from goals by Freshman Jeff Greenwald and sophomore Cale Spaulding, they couldn’t hold on to the lead in the third.  The Quakers defensive breakdowns led to two goals and an empty-net tally on ten shots to solidify the 4-2 MSU victory.  Quakers’ overall record: 3-3-1; MACHA record: 2-1-1.

            In game two of parent’s weekend on campus, the Quakers hoped to rectify the mistakes of the night before, but the early afternoon game against the non-league Georgetown team got off to a slow start, and for the first time all season, the opponent notched the game’s first goal.  But Penn rallied in the second and third periods, outscoring the Hoyas 3-1 in both periods, with 5 different players notching goals – Spaulding, sophomores Justin Mascitelli (2), Pat Linneman, and David Gordon-Kamm, and freshman Alex Doucette – in the 6-3 victory.  Quakers’ overall record: 4-3-1; MACHA record: 2-1-1.

            Coming off of the win over Georgetown, the Quakers looked ahead to the Friday night game against the number one ranked team in the ACHA northeast division II, Penn State.  The team knew that it’s best opportunity would be to jump on the Nittany Lions early and capitalize on the “bus legs” of their opponents.  However, the Quakers did no such thing.  The Nittany Lions came out early and often, staking their way to a 6-goal lead after the second period. Not willing to walk away without any pride, the Quakers were able to put up two in the third, but they were matched by the overpowering Penn State squad, and ended up losing 8-2.  Freshman goalie Joey Ahearn, despite the 8 goals against, played well turning away more than 40 shots in the effort. Quakers’ overall record: 4-4-1; MACHA record: 2-1-1.

            Going into games four and five of the six-game homestand, the Quakers knew they needed a big weekend.  With only 8 games remaining until exams and winter break, if the team is going to mount any sort of charge it has to begin soon.  Game four pitted the Quakers against ex-MACHA opponent Millersville University.  The Quakers came out early on goals from freshman Matt Bessette and junior Micah Cohen and staked a 2-1 lead after one period.  Millersville tallied three to Penn’s one, notched by junior Mike Bobys, but the Quakers mounted a three-goal third period comeback on the back of Cohen’s second and third goals of the game, and another by Gordon-Kamm to snag a 6-5 victory over MU.  Quakers’ overall record: 5-4-1; MACHA record: 2-1-1.

            The Quakers began their fifth game against the non-league Lafayette squad much the way they began the Penn State game, lackluster and slow.  Lafayette scored first, and took that lead into the locker room after the first period.  Something, though, changed for the Quakers that intermission, and they came out playing like they hadn’t played all year, notching four goals – from Gordon-Kamm (2), Bessette, and Linneman – and never looked back.  Though there was no scoring in the third, the Quakers defensive play looked strong, and could be a good indicator of the rest of the season for the Penn team. Quakers’ overall record: 6-4-1; MACHA record: 2-1-1.

            The Quakers head into this weekend with two big MACHA games.  The team ends its homestand Friday night against Monmouth University and then Saturday Night heads to the University of Maryland Baltimore County for a game that could have playoff implications for both teams. The Quakers look to turn their wins into a streak this weekend, and gather some momentum as December approaches.