The Ice Knights’ Home Opener Results in the first win of the season
Photo courtesy of GeneseoKnights.com
This past Friday, Nov. 1, the Geneseo Ice Hockey team had their first home game of the season. They continued living up to their legacy as they won the first competition against Wilkes University. The Ice Knights put on quite a show, with 612 students, family, friends, and fans in attendance.
During the first faceoff on home ice, Geneseo took charge as sophomore forward Filip Wiberg took possession of the puck and brought it down the ice. Not long after, the Ice Knights lost the puck, and Wilkes attempted to make a shot on goal. Sophomore defenseman Sean Melso, though, denied it with an impressive block. With numerous shots and goals that missed the back of the net, faceoffs were given, and Geneseo won 90 percent of them.
A penalty against Wilkes gave Geneseo the ability to begin a powerplay one minute before their first goal was scored. At the 13-minute mark, when Wilke’s player served his time in the box, Geneseo hit the back of the net from Melso with assists from senior forward Cooper Fensterstock and senior forward Zach Purcell.
With another advantage for Geneseo, Wiberg won the faceoff, and the rest of the game was underway. A penalty against Geneseo was then faced from a hit-from-behind call, and Wilkes was at an advantage, but that did not stop the Ice Knights from powering up their defensive skills to prevent the puck from sinking into the cage. The first period ended with a last-minute shot from Geneseo, but the excitement had just begun.
A whopping 33 seconds into the second period, the Knights’ senior forward Peter Morgan didn’t waste any time finding the back of the net when they caught a pass from Wiberg, and junior forward Alex Dameski slapped it down the ice. With another penalty from Wilkes, this time for high-sticking, the rest of the period was relatively calm, besides the occasional uproars from the bench and the bleachers. The third period ended as the scoreboard read 2–1 in favor of Geneseo.
The Knights came onto the ice with nothing but pure determination and grit as they passed around the puck to track it down the ice, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. After almost five minutes of the scoreboard remaining static, Purcell got some assistance from senior defender Diarmad DiMurro and freshman defender Colin Doherty, who helped push the puck through the net.
As Geneseo won faceoff after faceoff, they slowly gained their confidence back. This led to Fensterstock sending the puck through the goalkeeper after getting an assist from freshman Nathan Stachowiack and sophomore forward Luke Panchisin, bringing the Knights up again. The Knights let up a little as Wilkes scored their second and last point. This prompted Dameski to find the empty net and send it over the line with assistance from Wiberg and sophomore defenseman Sterling Wolters.
The Ice Knights did nothing but surprise us with their power and determination for their home-opening game. This Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov 9, the Knights head to Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a UCHC competition. Attend any games you can, and turn out for the Geneseo Ice Knights!