(Photo Courtesy of VMI Athletics)
For the first time since 2019, the VMI Keydets are 2-0. That second win, however, was a hard-fought one as the Keydets needed two overtimes to get past DI newcomer Queens, 10-9, on the road on Friday night.
Scout Ripley was the hero of the night for the Keydets as he put in a career-high five goals to led all scorers. That included the game-winner as Ripley broke into the heart of the defense and put home his final score of the contest with 2:52 remaining in the second overtime period to send VMI home victors.
Ripley also put in the first goal of the contest and entered halftime having already recorded a hat trick.
AJ Stamos (1G/2A) and Luke Mryncza (2G) also helped lead the way for the VMI offense.
In a game that saw things all knotted up eight times and where neither side ever gained more than a two-goal advantage, Queens’ Hunter Meyer forced overtime with just 27 ticks left in regulation. The Royals won the ensuing faceoff and got the final shot of regulation off via Jack Royer with just five seconds remaining. Despite winning the backup, VMI was unable to get anything in those final ticks and thus to overtime the game went.
Freshman goalie Adam Norris came up huge in his second ever start for the Keydets with 22 saves and a 71% save percentage. He was especially good in the second half, making 15 saves in the final two periods of regulation before stopping Queens’ lone look on cage in the first overtime.
Jack Rogers went 14-for-22 (64%) at the dot for the Keydets while LSM Alex Baber collected five ground balls and caused two turnovers to help lead the way in front of the cage.
Hunter Meyer led the way for Queens with four goals on the day while Jack Royer also had four points off a goal and three assists. William Powley made eight saves with a 44% save percentage in cage for the Royals while Jacob Martin went 7-for-16 (44%) at the faceoff dot.
VMI will be back in action next Friday at home against High Point. Queens next contest comes next Sunday at Hampton.
Syracuse 20, UAlbany 7
Behind a five-goal effort from freshman Joey Spallina, who took just seven shots in the contest, the Syracuse Orange dominated in-state foe UAlbany inside the dome on Friday night.
Owen Hiltz found Jackson Birtwhistle for the first score of the game less than a minute into the contest and it didn’t take long for the Orange to start pulling away. Syracuse led 5-1 at the end of the first quarter and turned that into a 9-3 lead at the half. A seven-goal third quarter helped officially put this one to bed.
Syracuse outscored Albany 11-3 in the second half and held the Danes off the scoreboard for the last 23 minutes of the contest. The Orange scored each of the final seven goals, which included three consecutive scored from Spallina, Owen Hiltz, and Michal Leo late in the third.
Hiltz ended the day with three goals and one assists for four points. Alex Simmons dished out four assists for the Orange, two of which bookended those trio of second half man-up scores.
Will Mark made 14 saves in cage with a 67% save percentage. Johnny Richiusa went 17-for-29 (59%) at the dot.
Jack Pucci and freshman Silas Richmond each had two goals to lead the way for the Danes.
Regan Endres went 11-for-22 (50%) at the dot while Tommy Heller and Jack Vanvalkenburg split time in cage, making nine and 11 stops respectively.
North Carolina 25, Mercer 3
The North Carolina Tar Heels cruised in their opener as Joe Breschi’s squad defeated the Mercer Bears by 22 on Friday night.
A duo of transfers lead the way for the Tar Heels with Logan McGovern (4G/2A) and Sean Goldsmith (1G/3A) tallying six and four points in the victory. Ryan Levy, Lance Tillman, and Henry Schertzinger each had two goals and one assists for three points. Conner Maher had one goal and two assists.
Collin Krieg made 10 saves with a 77% save percentage in cage while Andrew Tyeryar went 13-for-18 (72%) at the faceoff dot.
The Tar Heels took a 3-0 leading at the end of the first quarter and added onto it greatly with a 13-goal second frame to head into the break up 16-1. The Tar Heels added four and five scores in each of the third and fourth quarters.
Connor Panebianco, Ashton Wood, and Parker Junod scored each of Mercer’s goals.
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