DePaul Club hockey falls to St. Thomas in the weekend losses

DePaul club hockey faced St Thomas at home last weekend, but fell 2-1 in the opposing games on Friday and Saturday.

Friday’s game began with the classic Smashmouth story, with both teams giving a penalty early in the first set. However, DePaul got a lighter head when defender Michael Helfin’s shot resulted in a five-minute major and Helfs leaving the game.

Although St.Tomas retaliated and led the game against 4-4, the guests finally got to the strong side again and found the back of the net in the first minute of the net at the end of the five-minute penalty. .

DePaul and St. Thomas spent a lot of time with the box player in the early stages of the game, taking the rhythm out of the game. The referees took control of the game with strict invitations early on.

We need to stay away from the box, DePaul goalkeeper AJ Grzbek said. I think they were the best 5: 5. We just have to keep it flat and get the discs in the net.

The game leveled off in the second episode. Both teams were able to carry out their attacks and send around the puck trying to find quality shots. DePaul showed great moves in the middle of the ice and as he moved from defense to attack.

Grzbek encountered a good number of shots, but was able to fix almost everything. When he had a lot of scams in front of the net, he stayed together and stopped by chance one after another before they were revealed.

DePaul saw improvements in the second period but could not score a goal. The punishment murder got some work done and closed two consecutive opportunities in the middle of the second batch.

I thought the penalty kick went really well, the power game requires work [though], Grzbek said.

The third installment was from a hectic start. Momentum started moving towards DePaul at the end of the second episode, and they immediately took it to the final third. Striker Danny Mannarino scored a goal for Blue Demons in the third minute and leveled 1-1.

It might be a while before the fans see DePaul’s again, but his plans failed less than a minute later. The main goal was so sudden and the teams returned to the pre-season tug of war.

DePaul saw many opportunities, but St. Thomas ruled them. Guests got more shots in the last 10 minutes and even hit the bar at some point. Brzek put the ball on a plate for him and instead of hitting it with his right foot it cannoned of his left shin wide of the goal. The match ends 2-1.

The game was the weekend’s first and DePaul’s first home game before the Covid-19 pandemic. Fans returned to Johnnys IceHouse West, intensifying the team only slightly.

My parents and brothers were in the auditorium, so it was great to play in front of them and give them a little show, [I was] just happy, Grzbek said.

The team returned to the ice to take St. Thomas again the next day, but dropped 2-1 in a tight game that was undefeated until the final five minutes.

The game was perky from the start, with both teams flying on ice from the first puck drop. Both teams had a winning game during the first period, and St.Thomas went first male. However, DePaul was able to kill the penalty, while St.Thomas did the same to DePaul a little later.

The second episode was largely the same as the Blue Demons spent a lot of time in the penalty box. DePaul started the episode in the winning game, but made his own penalty, and both teams were four players on the ice.

However, the Blue Demons were re-sent to the box just seconds later, leading to a 4-3 handicap for the team and forcing the penalty murder to work overtime. And they did, killed 4-on-3, as well as another penalty they took later in the season.

Punishment murder has been one of the strongest, they have saved us a lot, head coach Dan Wood said. I think we took too many penalties.

The third installment was the fastest. It started with a DePaul penalty, but it became nothing and the score remained at zero.

However, with just under five minutes left in the game, St. Thomas was able to get the puck DePaul goalkeeper past Asher Motew and landed first on the board.

DePaul didn’t let it stop them and jumped back minutes later with a hit from Helf, who took the puck all the way from the ice and past several St. Thomas defenders before putting it behind the net.

However, the draw didn’t take long after St. Thomas returned to the lead in seconds after Helfs’s goal was left in a few minutes. The blue demons were unable to recover and even took the penalty to defend the St. Thomas attack, which is why they were shortened throughout the game.

Although the penalty assassination lasted like all the game, and the Blue Demons even had a short break in the St.Thomas zone, they couldn’t come back until time ran out.

Despite the loss, the penalty kick showed that it can withstand a powerful offensive opponent like St. Thomas, especially when St. Thomas had many chances to win the game.

In addition to the penalty murder, Motew had a strong game. He stood high in the finish and stopped many hard shots that St. Thomas threw his way.

I thought we improved a lot from the previous game, much better than yesterday, Helf said. There is still a lot of work to be done, but get there.

The Blue Demons will travel to play Marian University next Friday before returning home to take Marian again on Saturday.