The No. 9 Kent State club hockey team split its weekend series with St. Louis, winning Friday and losing Saturday.

Friday, the team won 8-3 in front of a loud Ice Arena crowd. Sophomore Chris Hourigan made the crowd rumble, scoring a hat trick, three goals, and getting assists on two others.

Hourigan now leads the team in goals with 26.

Freshman Dave Bruder also had a good game, scoring a power-play goal and getting an assist.

Head coach Jarret Whidden was happy with the team’s performance.

“That’s the way it should be,” he said, “We were moving well, doing the little things and not trying to get too fancy.”

But the little things were not there for the Flashes on Saturday night.

The Flashes lost 6-5 in front of another loud home crowd.

Bruder picked up where he left off the night before, scoring the game’s first goal on a power play midway through the first period. The crowd rose to its feet, and self-proclaimed superfan Ross Clites ran around the stadium waving his Kent State flag.

The teams exchanged goals for the rest of the first two periods, and heading into the final period, the game was tied, 4-4.

The Flashes took the lead early in the third on an impressive power-play goal by Bruder. The freshman wrapped around the net and snuck the puck behind the goalie. Sophomore Chris Hourigan had an assist on the play.

St. Louis scored two goals in less than two minutes early in the third to take the lead.

Kent State had many opportunities to score midway through the third but couldn’t capitalize. Late in the third, the Flashes had the advantage on the power play, even pulling the goalie, leading to a six-on-four advantage.

But the Flashes couldn’t get the crowd the goal they were waiting for.

“Guys who are supposed to score didn’t come through,” Whidden said. “We didn’t do the little things tonight.”

He was also unhappy about losing to a St. Louis team that has struggled this season.

“We played down to the competition,” he said.

Contact sports reporter Jeff Russ at [email protected].

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KATIE ROUPE | DAILY KENT STATER