Despite being up 2-0 in the first period, the Red Foxes failed to capitalize on the early momentum as they fell 6-3 against the powerhouse Rowan Profs. The Foxes still sit at just one win on the season, searching for any answers they can get.
A common issue plaguing the Red Foxes this season is their lack of composure once things don’t go their way. They maintained when they lost their lead in the third period, but once Rowan scored their fourth goal, everything fell apart: giving up odd-man rushes, sloppy turnovers, and a lack of confidence all helped Rowan cruise to victory after climbing back from a two-goal deficit. Frustration has been growing for the Red Foxes after the constant turning of rainclouds into thunderstorms.
“It’s a bunch of guys right now that once something bad happens, we just feel sorry for ourselves, and hockey isn’t like that, you have to respond,” said head coach Anthony Lobianco, “When we feel bad for ourselves, the hockey isn’t there, and it’s not meant to be.”
“It’s starting to become a bit of a trend, unfortunately,” said defenseman and team captain Brayden Kehoe, “Going forward, we just got to get in the right mindspace, we’re gonna score, the other team’s gonna score, it’s about how we go out after they score.”
Senior forward Chris Citera provided a huge offensive spark as well for the Red Foxes. Citera notched two points and even scored the equalizer in the third period before everything went downhill. Citera’s explosion over the past couple of games as a goal scorer has been one of the very few positives of this Marist hockey season.
“We love to see [Citera] score, especially when he’s doing the right things,” said LoBianco, “Last year he had a penalty problem, and he’s locked it in and is showing he can do more than just go in the box, I’m happy he’s stepping up.”
The first period started great for the Red Foxes. Just three minutes into the game, Hoang made an immediate impact by dumping a puck in for Martirano to chase, who returned it to him, and Hoang rewarded him by dishing him the puck in front of the net and getting it past goaltender Aidan Young. From there, things were smooth sailing for Marist; they’d keep Rowan’s deep scoring at bay with good sticks in the defensive zone to break up play, get physical when they had to, and benefit from some mistakes on Rowan’s behalf, all while generating chances of their own.
Marist’s effort got rewarded as they scored again. Citera made his first impact on the game, throwing a behind-the-back pass from behind the net to Tyler Stoneman in front to jam it past Young to give the Foxes a quick 2-0 lead.
Rowan wasn’t going down without a fight. After looking behind for most of the first frame, they stepped it up in the final minutes, but they got in their own way with an offside call to stop any momentum. Goaltender Anthony Russo shut down whatever came his way to start, keeping them off the board. Despite Rowan coming on hard at the end, Marist played their best period of the season and exited up two.
The Red Foxes found themselves in uncharted territory entering the second period, leading. Rowan upped their pace of play, however, but the Red Foxes responded right back, forcing them to settle for low danger shots, and Russo showed off his quick reflexes to shut down various attempts whenever the Profs broke through.
Rowan wouldn’t be silent for long, though. After some high offensive pressure, defenseman Ben Williams carried the puck down low and sent a backhander to forward Griffin Meyer right in front of the net with Russo out of position to cut the lead to one.
They got on the board once again, catching Russo off-guard after more pressure and defenseman Zander Robinson coming right off the bench to score on a wide-open net. To make matters worse for Marist, forward Zachary Taylor took a penalty, sending out Rowan’s powerplay unit, who have scored eight goals in their last 12 games.
Marist started to get sloppy with the penalties, but with the help of Russo and solid penalty kill play, they kept that dangerous unit quiet and didn’t let them get the advantage. The Red Foxes left the period on their heels and needed a response in the third.
Rowan continued their domination in the offensive zone, creating high-danger opportunities but still failing to crack Russo. They’d finally get a third past him after two Marist skaters collided trying to clear the puck, allowing forward Josh Bianchi to steal the puck, make a move around a defender, and backhand one past Russo to give Rowan the lead after two periods of climbing back.
Marist did not fold. Citera found the equalizer, sticking with the play off the rush even after falling, and putting it past Young to catapult the Foxes right back into the game. It was only a matter of what they’d do with that momentum.
With new life, Marist tried regaining the lead, with Sean Bruno getting caught on a breakaway, but still found his linemate Taylor in front, but he couldn’t bury it. Rowan turned Marist’s failure to score into their success, going on an odd-man rush after an errand pinch by a Marist defenseman. Forward Jake McCloud shot it, and Russo blocked it, but his failure to control the rebound allowed McCloud to get it back and put it past him.
After that, Marist crumbled. Rowan forced a turnover that led to another odd-man rush where forward Max Findley and defenseman RJ Rowland went back and forth before Findley put it in to go up two. Just 20 seconds later, forward Lucas Riccardi found forward Riley Capecci at the top of the key to snipe it past Russo to bring Rowan’s lead to three. In just a matter of minutes, a tie game turned to a three-goal loss for the Red Foxes.
The Red Foxes return home tomorrow looking for their first win in club history against Sacred Heart, whom they are 0-8 all-time against.
Edited by August Lieberman
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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