Captains give Patriots H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

Joshua McDowell

Adam Baker/The Captain's Log

After a tough 10-3 loss last week against the Richmond Spiders, the Captains took home an impressive win against George Mason University, despite several players serving suspensions as a result of last week’s game.

“We definitely went in with a mindset of not getting too many penalties, because it makes it easier for us to work our system,” said senior defenseman Tate Deitrich about their preparation before the game.

That idea did not last long, as the Captains took a penalty early in the first period. A little over three minutes into the game, in the midst of their first penalty kill, sloppy passing by George Mason allowed the Captains to steal the puck. The ensuing short-handed breakaway by junior forward Mark Dungan gave the Captains their first goal of the night.

Not to be outdone, the Patriots would answer back with their own short-handed goal just a few minutes later, with a slap shot that sailed past junior goalkeeper Richie Bennett. The Captains took the lead again a minute later. Their second goal came from senior forward Chris Mihlon, with assists from freshman forward Caprinca and junior forward Tyler Bemis. The Captains would notch a third goal during the first period off the stick of freshman defenseman Matt Scott. The Captains went into the first intermission with a 3-1 lead.

The second period lent itself to some very exciting opportunities from the power play. The resulting open ice allowed for both sides to pass the puck freely and create some heart-stopping breakaways. Six minutes into the second period, the Captains found the back of the net again, off the stick of Bemis, after the puck echoed a shot of the left post. The Patriots would score one more goal before the period was over, but it was clear that the Captains had their game on lock, with no sign of slowing down in the near future.

In the third and final period of the game, the Captains added on to their already impressive performance. Eight minutes into the period, the Captains scored back-to back-goals as a result of the efforts of sophomore forward Ryan Dove and senior forward Bryce Evason.

The Captains gained their biggest lead of the night when Caprinca scored unassisted with seven minutes left in the game, taking the score to 7-2. Despite the Patriots’ efforts to rack up two late game goals, it was not enough to stop the explosive Captains, with the brick wall goaltending of Bennett leading the way.

Despite the sudden nature of the late game comeback, the Captains maintained their composure.

“We had a few quick let downs, but we went back at it and popped a few in at the end of the game to seal it off,” Deitrich said.

That goal to seal it off came with less than a minute left from senior defenseman Kevin Schreiber, as he sent a blistering shot past the Mason goalie.

The result? Eight goals by eight different players, as the Captains made up for their tough loss last week.

“It was a good bounce back game for our team,” Evason said.

The Captains skate back into the Hampton Roads IcePlex Friday Feb. 4 at 11 p.m. against ECU (Division II) in their last home game before the playoffs.

“Hopefully we can carry some momentum into Senior Night against ECU.

Posted by Cody Lloyd on Feb 2 2011. Filed under Hockey, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.