On senior night at Keene ICE, KSC Men’s Ice Hockey team wrapped up its home schedule with a 6-2 loss to Norwich University on Saturday, Feb. 14, in front of 428 fans. The Owls battled throughout the night but could not keep the pace with the Cadets’ consistent offensive pressure and execution.
The night began with a short pregame ceremony recognizing Keene State’s senior players and their contributions to the program. Seniors Jason Smith, Alex Muthersbaugh, Declan House, Payton Jones and John Belisle were introduced one by one and greeted by teammates, coaches and family. The crowd gave the group a standing ovation before the puck dropped on what would be the team’s final home appearance of the season.
Norwich demonstrated why it ranked close to the top of its conference standings once the game began. With help from junior defense Cooper Bertrand and first-year defense Ocean Fancy, first-year forward Frank D’Ancona scored on a power play at 9:34 in the first period to give the Cadets the lead. Sophomore goaltender Ben Skelton made several tough saves for the Owls as Norwich dominated the first period.
Norwich increased its lead to a comfortable two goals in the second period. At 13:00, Fancy scored off another Bertrand pass and junior defense Nick Foster scored on a turnover a few minutes later to make it 3-0. Keene State was chasing for extended periods of time due to the Cadets’ transition play and puck movement, but the Owls fought through blocked shots and penalty kills to stay in the game.
Even though Norwich increased its score in the third period, Keene State’s effort began to show. Early in the frame, sophomore forward Kyle Kudrna and Bertrand both scored goals to increase the Cadets’ lead to 5-0. At 6:16, sophomore forward Kyle Gonzalez scored off a rebound that first-year defense Kaleb Macaulay set up, giving Keene State its first goal late into the game. As the Owls finally broke through, D’Ancona responded once again, but first-year forward Zackary Chouinard closed the door at six goals, scoring two with a late power-play goal at 16:19. The goal was assisted by senior defense Declan House and sophomore forward Kyle Gonzalez.
Junior goaltender Sami Molu stopped 30 of 32 shots for Norwich while Skelton finished the game with 35 saves on 41 shots. The Cadets’ scoring was paced by D’Ancona’s two goals in the evening, and Bertrand topped all skaters with one goal and three assists. Keene State killed five of Norwich’s six power play opportunities and went one for six on those plays. Despite the fact that the Owlslost the game, the crowd’s support was consistent. The crowd’s excitement continued after each hit, block and goal, and the Owls’ bench remained active throughout. The bleachers cleared and had the board walls packed with family, friends and students, many of whom stayed to cheer for the players as they gave a final farewell as they departed the ice.
With the defeat, Norwich improved to 16-5-3, while Keene State fell to 7-17 overall.
The Owls will travel to Boston to take on UMass Boston on Friday, Feb. 20, and will head to New Bedford, Mass., on Saturday, Feb. 21, to take on UMass-Dartmouth for their final two games of the season.
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