On Saturday and Sunday, Kent State’s hockey team faced Syracuse University in back-to-back games. After playing two hard-fought games on the road, the Flashes lost both games 6-5 and 5-4.
“We have to learn. We have to make sure that the highs aren’t too high and the lows aren’t too low,” coach Zach Nowak said. “We have 19 freshmen and sophomores out of the 29 guys on the team, so we’re a very, very young team, and we have a lot of maturing to do. I think that’s a big takeaway from this weekend.”
The first game Saturday started with the Orange gaining strong momentum and taking control early in the game. By the end of the first period, they had already established a lead of 2-0, putting Kent State in a defensive position.
The Flashes showed resilience, scoring their second goal right before the end of the second period, making the score 4-2, shortening Syracuse’s lead, which grew in the second period.
In the third period, the Flashes fought back tying up the score 4-4 with a six-on-five goal. An opportunity for a power play came up, and the Flashes used it, taking a 5-4 lead on the Orange with just one-and-a-half minutes left in the period.
A fight broke out causing the Flashes to take a penalty, which led to the Orange scoring twice in the last moments of the game.
“The weekend was not exactly what we wanted,” Nowak said. “Two close games, we battled really hard in the third period, but it was one of those things where it was a little bit too late. Saturday was a big-time learning experience for a lot of our young guys.”
On Sunday, the Flashes and Syracuse got off to a similar start to Saturday’s game with Syracuse getting an early advantage over the Flashes. By the end of the first period, Syracuse gained a lead of 4-2, putting the Flashes in a difficult spot to get out of.
Kent State made the decision to put in junior goalie Alex Toth, in an effort to change the course of the game. Toth’s performance held off the Orange, keeping the second period goalless.
The Flashes showed effort and determination, scoring one goal in the third period. Despite the increased pressure they applied, they ended up falling short as the game ended with another narrow loss to the Orange.
Kent State showed its skill and determination, but struggled with early setbacks in both games.
Freshman forward Cole Bianchin had three goals and two assists this weekend, while Toth kept the second period scoreless on Sunday. Kent narrowly lost both games over the weekend making the overall record 3-5 even after the late-game pushes.
“The other big thing for us was D-zone,” Nowak said. “I think we struggled in a few areas, and our goal is to make some changes for moving into the next weekend.”
With more games approaching, the Flashes are focused on turning these losses into lessons to get some good results.
The Flashes will go on to play Robert Morris University Friday at 8 p.m. The game will take place at RMU’s Island Sports Center.
“We’re finding ways that we can play more offense because I think that’s what everyone wants to do,” Nowak said. “I’d rather play less defense and more offense, and hopefully that results in more goals.”
Jamie First is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
