WILKES-BARRE, Pa. –
Peter Unger scored on a breakaway with a little under eight minutes to go to give the Keene State College men's hockey team a 3-2 win over fellow first-year program Misericordia University in the first of a back-to-back Friday night at the Toyota SportsPlex.
The Owls (12-10-1) posted their fifth consecutive win and ensured a winning season in their inaugural NCAA Division III campaign, but it was not smooth sailing, as they saw a 2-0 lead vanish in seven second period minutes. The Cougars (4-17-3) then had a pair of power plays early in the third period with a chance to take the lead, but KSC goalie
Ben Skelton made six saves in the opening 6:39 of the period in his first action since a 7-1 win over Franklin Pierce University on February 1.
Unger's third goal in as many games and fourth in the last five wound up being the difference, as
Marcus Chrisafideis blocked a Misericordia pass in the offensive zone back out to the neutral zone before one-handing a pass over to Unger who was in alone on Anthony Shrum and beat him five hole for what proved to be his fourth game-winning goal of the season.
Skelton came up big in the final 20 minutes, making 18 of his 34 saves including nine in the final eight minutes after the Owls retook the lead. The gobbled up a shot from distance by Eric Kotkowski with 36 seconds to go. Three KSC icings helped Misericordia generate offensive zone time, but the Owls denied the home team any top-notch chances, with the Cougars' best opportunity off the stick of Eric Honhold blocked wide with 13 seconds to go.
The Owls had built a 2-0 lead earlier in the game, breaking the scoring ice with a little more than six minutes left in the opening period as
Thor Hansen wacked at a rebound of
Sean McBride's shot and eventually it found its way in. It marked the fourth consecutive game with a goal for Hansen, who has five goals and two assists in that span.
Luke Festa added his third goal in the last two games just 1:53 into the second period on the shorthand, as he intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and passed off the boards to
Michael Boschetto on his right. Boschetto then entered the offensive zone and dished back to Festa, who beat Shrum to make it 2-0.
Misericordia did not take long to tie it, though, getting a pair of Jack Tos in a 7:14 span. The first came just 2:16 after Festa made it 2-0 as Tos sped toward Skelton on a breakaway chance and capitalized. After two unsuccessful KSC power play chances (four overall on the night), the Cougars made good on one of their own, with the passing of Brendan Vettraino and Dom Della Civita setting up Tos for a bad-angle blast from below the faceoff dot that went in.
"That was pretty ugly," said Keene State head coach Bobby Rodrigue. "I think the boys know they need to be better tomorrow night. It is a relief that they managed to win the game, but that level of play is not acceptable to us. We are hoping for a stronger finish tomorrow."
The Owls and Cougars complete their season-ending back-to-back Saturday (February 22) at 3:30 p.m. KSC will look to end with six straight victories and wins in eight of their last 10 since a loss to nationally-ranked Curry College before the Little East Conference has their inaugural men's ice hockey season (including an NCAA automatic bid up for grabs) in 2025-2026.
