KSC Men’s Ice Hockey concluded its inaugural season on a high note on Saturday, Feb. 22. After traveling nearly five hours to play the Cougars of Misericordia, the Owls showed up firing on all cylinders.
In the first 11 minutes, the Owls found the back of the net three times. First-year Michael Boschetto opened up the scoring, redirecting the puck into the net just five-and-a-half minutes into the game.
Less than a minute later, KSC found themselves with another goal. First-year Thor Hansen made a big play in the neutral zone winning the puck off of a Misericordia player. He skated to the left side of the goal and rifled a shot past Cougar goaltender Jacob Perrin.
With nine minutes remaining in the first period, the youth of KSC continued to show their presence. First-year Kyle Gonzalez sent the puck over to fellow rookie Sean Gray. The first-year had a wide-open look at the goal and sent in another goal for Keene State. The first period ended 3-0 with the Owls outshooting the Cougars 18-7.
Misericordia turned the game around in the second period. Midway through the period, the Cougars bagged two goals and put themselves within striking distance. Junior Captain Declan House took matters into his own hands and made sure the Owls would not let Misericordia back into the game. With a minute left before the intermission, House slotted a long-range goal, putting the Owls back ahead by two goals. The score was 4-2 at the break.
First-year Chase Carney scored eleven goals before this contest; Carney could not end the season without another goal to his name. After a slow third period, it seemed like the Cougars might have a chance to come back. Carney found the back of the empty net from midrange. This secured the win for the Owls as they went up three goals at that point with just over two minutes remaining.
This concluded the game and the season for the Owls. Keene State won the game 5-2 and finished the season with a winning record of 13-10-1. Next year, the Owls will have the opportunity to see the playoffs, as they were not able to this year during the first season.
Carson Flake can be contacted at
cflake@kscequinox.com
