The Kent State hockey team is now 15-6-0 – and first in the division – after defeating John Carroll and Duquesne in its previous two games Nov. 17 and 18.
The Flashes were coming off a losing weekend Nov. 10 and 11, falling to Robert Morris and West Virginia.
Three players have scored 10 or more goals on the season: forward Jack Kinsman (12), forward Gabriel Lucchesi (11) and defenseman JJ Creighton (10).
The victories
Forward Zach Zwierecki led the team in both games with three goals, scoring two Nov. 17 and one Nov. 18.
In the Nov. 17 game against John Carroll, Zwierecki scored the first goal for either team with 3:30 left in the first period. The Flashes had a 1-0 lead by the end of the period.
After a goal from JCU at the start of the second period, Zwierecki slammed the punk into the net again – this time with 10:55 left in the period. Kent State stayed ahead with a goal from forward Mitchell Gillespie less than four minutes later. The score was then 3-1, KSU.
The Flashes had a 4-1 lead by the end of the second period after a score from defenseman Nicholas Falkowski. Lucchesi closed out the game with a goal, giving KSU a 5-2 victory over the Wolves.
With 5:45 left in the first period of the Nov. 18 game against Duquesne, Kent State had a 2-0 lead after goals from forward Bryson Miller and Lucchesi. The Dukes sank one into the net by the end of the period to bring the score to 2-1.
Forward Matthew Parker scored KSU’s third goal of the night in the second period. Forward Thomas Kilway brought the team’s lead to 4-2 with 12 minutes left in the third period, but the Dukes tied up the game by the end of the third period, bringing the game into overtime.
Zwierecki clinched the Flashes’ second victory of the weekend, bringing the score to 5-4 with a goal. This victory marked their last home game of the semester, and the final goal was Zwierecki’s seventh of the season.
The losses
Coach Zachary Nowak said “a few bad plays killed us” in the team’s losses Nov. 10 and 11.
In the team’s Nov. 10 game, Robert Morris had a 1-0 lead by the end of the first period. Forward TJ Avellino tied up the game 1-1 with 2:20 left in the second period.
Kinsman, the team’s goal leader, suffered an early injury in the game, which Nowak said put the team back.
“We were kind of scrambling a little bit to get some consistency with him out,” Nowak said.
The score did tie up at 2-2 in the third period, but RMU scored three more goals to win the game 5-2.
“We showed glimpses of being pretty good, but it, once again, took us until later in the third to get some energy and start to get things figured out,” Nowak said.
A goal from KSU’s Creighton was the first score from either team in the Nov. 11 game against West Virginia. The score tied up 1-1 heading into the third period, but WVU came away with the victory after a goal, bringing the score to 2-1.
“We brought a lot of energy; there were just a few plays where we whiffed on a puck or slipped out – a few lapses in judgment,” Nowak said.
Up next
The Flashes’ play at Oswego State at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 and 1 p.m. Dec. 2.
The Lakers are first in their division, the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League, with a 14-4 record. The team has only one player to score over 10 goals this season: forward Josh Laravia (11).
Isabella Schreck is editor-in-chief. Contact her at [email protected].
