By Mike Salerno
The team’s first hat trick of the year, including a pair of goals scored eight seconds apart, by sophomore Dan Lio and the stellar relief performance by Steve Pace in net powered the men’s ice hockey team to a 6-4 victory over the Fordham Rams Saturday night at The Arena of Long Beach. The win was crucial for a team still searching for its identity in the South division of the Metropolitan Conference, one that is still very much up for grabs.
Pace came in to relieve junior Sergei Shebalin for his first win of the season. The move came after a lackluster ending to an opening frame in which the Pride squandered a 2-0 lead. “I was thinking ‘here’s my chance,'” said the winning goaltender. “I’m glad I could help the team win.”
Ryan Drudy opened the scoring at 16:41 of the first when he converted on a 2-on-1 rush. Craig Zecca slid the puck across the slot right to Drudy, who buried it to put Hofstra on the board. A few minutes later, Drudy was in front of the net, screening the Fordham goaltender. Defenseman Alex Nucera fired a low shot that got through everyone and found its way into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
The tempo of the game evened out a few minutes after that, as Fordham began to step up their physical game around the boards. After cutting the lead to one with just 6:20 to go, Fordham freshman Ben Zabatino tied it with just 2:36 remaining. Zabatino rushed the puck down the boards and fired a shot blocker-side on Shebalin that snuck under his arm and in.
Pace came out to start the second period as head coach Ian Clugston pulled Shebalin to try to wake a team that had been lulled to sleep by an early lead. “I wasn’t going to wait, especially after the Farmingdale game,” said the coach. “These guys deserve someone who can stop the puck.”
Fordham came out and continued its physical dominance right away. Defenseman Conor O’Brien floored forward Rob Yawman, who was caught streaking up the offensive blue line with his head down. He collected himself and his helmet which was laying next to him on the ice. The big hit coming just 90 seconds into the period, seemed as if it would set the tone for things to come. However, this served as a wake-up-call for freshman Pat Maloney and the Pride. Not even 20 seconds after O’Brien’s hit, Maloney picked up the puck in the high slot and roofed it over the glove of the Fordham goalie to make it 3-2. Maloney played well in his first game in a Hofstra uniform, and was given ample ice time throughout the game.
Fordham struck back just eight seconds later. A shot from the right circle deflected off Pace’s glove and in to knot the game once again. The soft goal erased Hofstra’s lead, but surely motivated their goaltender. Midway through the period, with Fordham clearly controlling the play, Pace made saves in succession to bail out his defense. Tom Germano turned the puck over at the blue line, and gave the Rams a 3-on-2. After making the first save, Pace sprawled over to kick out the rebound. With the puck trickling behind him, Mark Lucas stuffed it under his goaltender to stop the play.
From then on, the Pride dictated the speed of the period. A flurry of shots by Yawman, Billy Bowerman and Kevin Sheerin failed to produce a goal at 6:46. Dan Lio tallied his first of three on the night at 4:39. Yet another rush by defenseman Tom Germano was stifled in the offensive zone, but Lio picked up the loose puck and fired it top shelf to give the Pride their third lead of the contest.
The puck dropped at center ice and Zecca won the face off forward. He took the puck past one defender and into the offensive zone. He passed across to Lio who flipped it over the sliding goaltender eight seconds after his first to make it 5-3. It looked as if the period would end that way until the Rams broke out shorthanded on a 2-on-1. Zabatino shot high glove side beating Pace with a bullet that was destined for the back of the net with just 7.5 seconds remaining.
The third period was filled with chances for the Rams to tie it once again, but Pace stood tall. He ended up stopping 19 of 21 shots fired, coming through for a team in desperate need of a strong performance between the pipes. Coach Clugston commented on his goaltender, “Pace played really well tonight. He came up big for us.”
Lio sealed the Rams’ fate with 1:38 to go, as Zecca once again found him in front of the net. He buried his third of the night to clinch a 6-4 victory. The Pride play again at home vs Yale this Saturday at 7:45 before going on the road for two games in consecutive days against Indiana of Pennsylvania and Robert Morris University, two of the ACHA’s top teams. Though no word has been given on which of the three Hofstra netminders will start Saturday night’s game, Pace’s performance against Fordham can’t be ignored.