Riding a 2-game winning streak and coming off a successful home opener, Marist club hockey hit the road to take on SECHL rival Arm in what was to be one of their bigger tests on the young season; the Red Foxes dug themselves into too deep of a hole early and ultimately lost 5-3.
Marist got off to a slow start, as Army sustained offensive zone pressure and peppered junior goaltender Anthony Russo with shots. Scoring opportunities were tough to come by for the Red Foxes, but when they found them, they capitalized. Marist went up 1-0 on a goal from junior forward Tyler Stoneman, who chipped the puck to himself and finished in close.
Army responded, as Michael Fregman tipped a pass into the net right through Russo’s legs to tie the score. Marist retook the lead after forcing a turnover in Army’s defensive zone and getting it to Jake Dargento in the slot. Army once again clapped back late in the first period, as a goal from alternate captain Chris Tamer knotted the match up at two apiece.
In the second period, the Red Foxes were stunned by an early goal by Army not even 15 seconds in, which seemingly blunted their momentum. As for the Black Knights, they took advantage of sloppy defensive play from Marist and tacked on two more goals from there, including one on a powerplay, to jump out to a 5-2 lead.
Marist would not go down without a fight, as they opened the third period with a goal to draw within two. They even had a powerplay opportunity, but nothing came of it. Despite a late push and a powerplay opportunity, the deficit proved to be too big for Marist to overcome.
Penalties were a major issue for Marist, as they took six overall — three in the first period alone — repeatedly putting themselves at a disadvantage. Their penalty kill faltered, allowing Army to score.
Russo was subjected to numerous shots during the first two periods but recovered in the third period. He faced several high-danger shots and while he shut down a good amount of them, defensive mistakes allowed odd-man rushes and open lanes to the net.
On the road ahead, Marist will play two games next weekend against Clarkson University. The Red Foxes will look to get back into the win column and play much cleaner and more disciplined games coming up.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Photo from Jaylen Rizzo
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