23-24 Polarbearcats – National Tournament Team
Front Row (L-R) Tyler Shigo, Logan Connelly, Vince Amatucci (seated), Alex Schall, Donovan Baxter, Conner Fauth, Zach Ridilla, Zach Motil, Nathan Schultz. Back Row (L-R) Assistant Coach Bob Martz, Anthony Rendulich, Head Coach Brett Martz, Evan Bower, Devin Barrett, Dino Capozzoli, Luca Rosato, Nik Manolakos, Nate Loughner, Mike Ridilla, Caden Horton, Rocco Marino, Hunter Bergman, Jack Glassman, Jacob Holtzman, Assistant Coach Sam Paquin, Assistant Coach Cam Roth, Former Head Coach Mike Ziemianski.
SVC Ends Season on High at Nationals in Saint Louis
The Polar Bearcats completed an improbable run at the ACHA D3 National Tournament in Saint Louis with a high octane 9-5 win over Colby College in Pool A play. Facing an uphill battle as the lowest seed in the competition, Saint Vincent had to face off against the #1 ranked team in the country Lawrence Tech and a powerful Arkansas squad in the first two rounds. Although LTU had an edge in play in the first period of game #1, SVC held its own with strong goaltending by Vinny Amatucci, trailing 2-0 after the first twenty. It took ten minutes before Lawrence would get its next goal in the second. SVC narrowly missed several great scoring opportunities and had a shot advantage for the period up to that goal. Unfortunately the depth of LTU eventually wore down SVC. Saint Vincent avoided the shutout with a power play score by Zach Motil with set ups credited to Zachary Radilla and Luca Rosato. Arkansas proved to be a more formidable opponent than Lawrence Tech, besting its 40 to 24 shot advantage with a 65-14 effort. But Amatucci played a much stronger game and Zach Radilla had a bench lifting shorthanded score in the first. Unlike LTU however, the Razorbacks had long stretches of control in the SVC defensive zone. Yet Arkansas only managed one goal in the second and third periods to sustain its advantage en route to a 6-1 win.
The Colby Mules, ranked #9 in the country, set the stage for SVC’s last game in the tournament with a slugfest of a match as each team traded frequent score throughout the contest. SVC frequently went ahead trying to obtain and sustain a 3 goal cushion, but Colby struck quickly in return time and again. A bar down wrist shot from SVC defender Hunter Bergman seemed to do the trick but the Mules had the next two scores to again pull within two at 7-5. Finally, Saint Vincent Captain Jacob Holtzman pushed the tally to 8-5 on a power play and Zach Radilla ended the hopes of any further push by Colby with an unassisted steal and score. Amatucci remained true to form from the Arkansas game and faced 59 shots from Colby while SVC put 40 on the Mules.
Zach Radilla made his statement on the national stage with 3 goals and 3 assists over the three games while regular season leading scorer Nate Loughner had two goals. Three points were provided by Tyler Shigo (all assists), Zach Motil had two goals and an assist and Jacob Holtzman a goal and two assists. Three players had a two points, a goal and an assist, Alex Schall, Hunter Bergman and Caden Horton who ended up with the game winner over Colby. Logan Connelly added an assist to bring his career point total to 108 with 57 goals and 51 assists. Amatucci saw a total of 164 shots over the three games.
After Colby, the team went to the Gateway Arch for pictures with the CHE Championship Belt and SVC Nationals Banner and feasted on Saint Louis barbecue at Papp’s. The team wants to thank all of its supporters who helped make this trip possible. Ninety-seven friends, family and previous players donated $9,252 to help fund the cost. John Konfala C’81 of Columbus Ohio attended all three games while Frank Kubus C’81 made the LTU contest. The best of all? Brandy Wehe, who played on the very first team in 1969-1970, made the trip from Iowa wearing his SVC Hockey 50 year alumni jersey. Yes, Brandy skated regular shifts in the Legends Game! It comes full circle.
Polar Bearcats ACHA D3 National Tournament Schedule
The SVC CHE Champs will leave for Saint Louis at 5:30 AM from campus on Wednesday, March 6. On arriving in Saint Louis, the team will have the opportunity to practice and begin Pool A play the following evening. The schedule: March 7, 8:15 PM vs. Lawrence Tech. March 8, 2:15 PM vs Arkansas. March 9, 11:15 AM vs. Colby. The winner of Pool A plays in the semifinals on March 11 at 1:15 PM. The championship game will be at 4:00 PM on March 12. Pool A play will be held on the Player Rink with the Final Four games scheduled fo 4th USA Rink.
CHE CHAMPIONS!
For the first time in history, the Saint Vincent Polar Bearcats have taken the CHE Championship Belt with a nail biting 3-2 win over long time rival IUP. The 2023-2024 team is the second group of players to be recognized as tops in the league since the 1976-1977 club had the same honor in the old Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Hockey Association, the forerunner of College Hockey East. In a game worthy of a playoff final, special teams had an outsized impact on the match. SVC never trailed starting with an early power play score by Senior Logan Connelly on a one timer from the side slot, completing deft passing by Tyler Shigo and Nate Loughner. Each team exchanged chances and physical play resulted in several odd man situations for each team. With the second period starting at 1-0, IUP was finally able to get a puck by Vinny Amatucci on a second rebound crack to tie the game. But the Polar Bearcats quickly responded with a Nate Loughner power play tally on a wrist shot that exploded by the IUP net minder. After Anthony Rendulich devastated an IUP attacker with an open ice hit, Luca Rosato saw a similar opportunity and crushed another IUP forward at center ice. The collision injured both, but Rosato was given a 5 minute penalty for kneeing. As a key to the game, SVC thwarted the entire attack with numerous clears and solid saves by Amatucci. The killer game winning goal came early in the third. Captain Jacob Holtzman forcefully willed the puck out of the SVC zone to a streaking Zach Motil. He slipped a pass to Zach Ridilla who had an incredible deflection into the net to make the score 3-1. IUP was not done. On an innocent shot midway through the third, the puck somehow slipped by Amatucci to close the gap to 3-2. But as directed by Coach Martz, SVC played a suffocated 1-2-2 forecheck. Then with a little over 4 minutes to go, IUP took a penalty. SVC did not score, but drew down playing time. When IUP pulled the goalie, Saint Vincent was ready. Anthony Rendulich attempted a full ice open net score with 27 seconds remaining, but the play resulted in an icing. But the strength of the final five of Loughner, Shigo, Connelly, Rendulich and Barrett in front of Amatucci was enough. SVC 3. IUP 2. And the CHE Championship sets the stage for a trip to Saint Louis for the ACHA D III National Tournament. The season continues.
SVC Crushes UPJ 8-1. Preps for CHE Finals against IUP.
Can it happen? Saint Vincent dominated UPJ in second round CHE playoff action winning by an 8-1 margin. The big guns came to play and team defense suffocated the Ice Cats from Johnstown by constantly getting the puck behind the UPJ blue liners, aggressively forechecking, and then stifling any counter attacks with a disciplined 1:2:2 pattern. Nate Loughner recorded a hat trick while Zach Ridilla and Alex Schall each added two goals with a singe score coming from Zach Motil. Two assists from Tyler Shigo ran his team leading total to 20 went along with twin assists for Anthony Rendulich. Zach Ridilla, Loughner, and Hunter Bergman had single assists. Evan Bower lead all players with +5 followed by fellow defenseman Hunter Bergman with a +4. Other than a power play goal, Vince Amatucci stopped the remaining 26 Ice Cat shots, including a brilliant save that could have given UPJ some early come back hope. The win moves the Polar Bearcats to the finals against long time rival IUP on Sunday, February 25. Face is set for 3:45 PM at Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont. SVC and IUP split the season series, each winning on the others home ice. Saint Vincent has never won the CHE playoff title game. This is only the second time it has won the Kaleina Cup for the league’s best record. In 2004-2005, the Mike Ziemianski coached team posted a 21-5-0 record, went to the ACHA D III National Tournament, but lost in the finals against IUP. The last league championship was the 10-2-0 campaign during the 1976-1977 team coached by Claude Godon and Captained by Paul Patricoski.
SVC Receives Bid to the 2024 ACHA D III National Tournament – 10 Game Win Streak!
The Polarbearcats set a team record with a 10 game winning streak with victories over Case, 9-3, and UPJ, 7-5, last weekend. The wins locked up first place in College Hockey East and guaranteed Saint Vincent the top seed throughout the league playoffs.
A plucky Case team played SVC tight through two periods on their home ice. As earlier in then season against RMU, Saint Vincent struggled to adapt to playing on the larger Olympic size rink against the host Spartans. After 40 minutes of play and a 34 to 18 shot advantage, Saint Vincent could only muster a 3-1 advantage. When Case scored early in the third, the visiting Polarbearcats looked rattled. Then with the favor of consecutive penalties, two power play goals for SVC set the team on the path to the 6 goals in the final period. The final two scores came late on a 5 minute power play after a Case player began punching SVC’s leading scorer Nate Loughner who understood the ramifications of engaging a lesser player. The result, two more power play scores for the Green and Gold. SVC collected 15 assists to support the nine goals. Leading the way was Alex Schall with a hat trick and any assist and a 4 point night for Zach Ridilla recording a goal and 3 assists. Zach Motil had a multi point evening with two goals and while Tyler Shigo replicated that feat. Two assists were credited each to Jacob Holtzman, Nate Loughner, Logan Connelly, and Anthony Rendulich. Luca Rosato notched a helper and freshman defenseman Evan Bower recorded his first ever collegiate score with a wrist shot that snapped into the net off the post. Shigo was credited with the game winner, Both he and Alex Schall netted two power play goals in the game.
In the Sunday matinee against UPJ the top guns of Saint Vincent exploded early pushing SVC to a 5-1 first period advantage after an early score by the visiting team. A 10 minute lapse in the second demonstrated Pitt Johnstown’s ability as they suffocated the host with three unanswered scores making the game a toss up at 6-4 going into the final period. SVC was able to calm the play and a brilliant tip in by Tyler Shigo moved the play to 7-4. UPJ would answer late with a directed shot off a face off that seemed to surprise Vince Amatucci, but time ran out on Johnstown. Zach Ridilla may have had his best game of the semester with a hat trick that included the game winning goal to go along with an assist. Line mate Jacob Holtzman had a goal and an assist and Zach Motil was invloved in setting up three of the scores. Loughner and two goals and an assist to add to his line’s effort that included the goal by Shigo and a three assist afternoon for Schall. Shout Outs: Devin Barret who was a +3 with no goals against and an assist on a great deflection by Zach Ridilla; Evan Bower who willed a puck out of the defending zone on some brutal wall play; Dino Capazzoli who gave it up blocking a shot later in the game.
Fun facts: Vince Amatucci’s .925 save percentage is recorded as the second best ever at the end of the regular season bested only by the .926 mark posted by Andy Labrasca in the 70-71 season. The current 10 game win streak in the longest in team history. The longest unbeaten streak? that goes to the team of 03-04 at 18 games. The invitation to ACHA Nationals is the third time for the team. The last? The squad of 04-05.
Seniors Lead Charge to First Place in College Hockey East
A monster weekend, SVC bested Duquesne 11-5 with a 79 to 27 shot advantage and continued to roll with a solid 7-2 win in an away game at Akron which saw the Polarbearcats outshoot the host Zips by 57 to 28. The Friday night affair with Dukes enabled the seniors to thrill the fans. Getting his first start in goal for the season, Donovan Baxter picked up the win stopping 22 shots and had a credited assist when after making a save, Zach Motil picked up the rebound and sprung Zach Ridilla for a breakaway score. Dino Capazzoli joined the fun with snappy play and a two point game that included a partial breakaway when quickly split the Dukes defense and performed some magic with a slick slide in goal. Logan Connelly lead all scorers with 5 points including his fourth career hat trick and the game winning goal. Devin Barrett demonstrated what he does best. The stay at home defenseman was a +5 in the contest and contributed 3 assists to the cause. Duquesne never know what hit them from the start. SVC sprinted to 6 goals on 9 shots a little more than half way through the first period. The Dukes coach called a time out and switched goalies. The plan seemed to work. The new netminder made it difficult for Saint Vincent to continue to build on its lead. But late in the second period an injury prohibited him from continuing. In the end Zach Ridilla had a hat trick, Nate Loughner contribute two goals and an assist, Tyler Shigo a goal and two assists, and Zach Motil three helpers. Additional single assists were earned by Jacob Holtzman, Nik Manolakos, Caden Horton, Anthony Rendulich and Luca Rosato.
On Super Bowl Sunday SVC traveled to Akron for a make up game canceled due to weather earlier in the semester. The team may have played its best period of hockey in the first frame with a 19-4 shot advantage and a 3-0 lead on two goals by Nate Loughner, with set ups by Schall and Bower and Shigo and Schall, and the eventual game winner from Logan Connelly from Horton and Manolakos. Seldom did Akron have any zone time and the forecheck of SVC exposed every flaw in the Zips defense. SVC controlled the play in the second period and again put 19 shots on the Akron goalie but failed to score with three breakaways and multiple odd man breaks. Frustratingly, Akron quickly scored on a power play and it was 3-1 going onto the third. It remained a game. Suddenly it was a run and gun affair and SVC could not solve the riddle in the Akron net. Multiple rebounds were missed and the Zips were able to start gaining zone time. Relief then came when Evan Bower fed Caden Horton on a breakaway to give some breathing room with his 5’th of the season. The nail in the Akron coffin came on a nifty feed from Dino Capozzoli to Mike Ridilla. Waiting what seemed like an eternity, Mike finally found a hole for his 3’rd of the campaign. Akron got a second score on an odd sequence of mishandles, but two late power play goals for Saint Vincent (Motil from Schall and Zach Ridilla, and Schall from Connelly and Shigo) closed the deal. Vince Amatucci improved to 12-3-0 for the year, lowered his goals against average to 2.15 and raised his save percentage to a now single season standing club record for a starter at .936. On the blue line Luca Rosato and Hunter Bergman frustrated and shut down Akron’s #5 Charlie Wilson and Devin Barrett again was a quiet +3.
Two games remain, an away match with Case Western, Friday night, and the last home ice of 2023-2024 with rival Pitt-Johnstown. Two wins guarantees first place and keeps the team in the hunt for a National tournament bid. SVC has already qualified for the CHE playoffs February 23-25 at Palmer Arena in Delmont. Seeding is pending.
Connelly Nets a Power Play Goal against Akron
Team Win Streak at 6. SVC Moves to Second Place in the CHE with an 11-3-0 Record
Saint Vincent dominated play this past weekend with solid wins over the Akron Zips, 4-1, and the WVU Mountaineers, 9-0. A slow start against Akron, the game started to turn when Logan Connelly netted the first of his two goals after a point shot by SVC defender Anthony Rendulich. Shortly after, team leading scorer Nate Loughner placed the eventual game winner behind the Akron netminder with assists going to line mate Alex Schall and blueliner Devin Barrett. Saint Vincent went up 4-0 in the second with power play scores by Connelly (Loughner and Shigo) and Caden Horton (Motil and Holtzman). Although the Polarbearcats held the better play in the third, strong goaltending by the Zips and some sloppy defensive zone puck movement enabled Akron to break the shutout bid of Vince Amatucci. SVC held the shot advantage by a 48-30 margin.
WVU faired no better during the Sunday matinee affair. The lines of Nate Loughner, Tyler Shigo and Alex Schall teamed with Mike Ridilla, Dino Capozzoli, and Nik Manolakos to create 8 goals with a combined 19 points. Loughner had a monster game with 4 goals two assists, with Shigo adding two and two as Schall had 4 helpers. Mike Ridilla added a goal with an assist on the Manolakos score with Capazzolli getting his first two point game of the year with assists on each of their scores. Captain Jacob Holtzman rounded out the goals with assist from his line mates Zach Motil and Zach Ridilla. Twelve players collected points for SVC as Conelly, Rendulich and Rosato were also involved in setting up scores. The defense was solid. Devin Barrett ended with a +5, and Bergman, Bower, and Fauth made responsible plays to eliminate any Mountaineer chances. Jack Glassman provided excitement with some spirited effort on a WVU player ending the “event” with each getting two minutes in the sin bin. The shutout was split between Vince Amatucci and Donovan Baxter. Final shots – SVC 55 WVU 22.
With one game in hand over first place IUP, Saint Vincent will host Duquesne University Friday evening, February 9, a senior recognition game. The team then travels to Akron for a rematch with the Zips on Sunday. WVU failed to score a goal against Saint Vincent, a first in team history against any opponent with more than one game played in a season. SVC has the fewest goals against on any team in the CHE with 28. IUP and RMU are the next closest with 37. Each has a game in hand.
With 7-3 and 3-2 victories respectively over Case and Penn West Cal Saint Vincent took advantage of its 4 games in hand to improve its College Hockey East Standings and keep its potential for a National Tournament bid alive. In each game SVC started slow but began to dominate with the second period. In spite of a 21 to 9 first period shot advantage against Case, the period ended 1-1. Three goals in the second and three in the third built a hill too steep for Case, inspite of them grabbing power play and even strength scores in the final period. SVC was lead by two Zach Motil goals (power play and game winners), two by Caden Horton and single marks from Nate Loughner, Tyler Shigo, and Nik Manolakos. Ten players recorded assists with the line of Connelly, Manolakos and Horton each getting two and being each a plus 3 for the game. Final shots, SVC 49 Case 30.
A much deeper RMU team proved to be a challenge for Saint Vincent in a tight checking contest. Once again the Polarbearcats had a slow start with the Colonials looking as the faster more coordinated group resulting in the opening two scores. But Nate Loughner came to play. On a brilliant end to end rush he sniped the RMU goalie from the wing to end the first at 2-1. With the second period SVC tilted the ice. Loughner scored again with a break up ice fed by Alex Schall and goalie Vince Amatucci. After at least a half dozen odd man breaks and partial breakaways, Nik Manolakos deftly stole the puck from an RMU defender and finally solved the visitors goalie with the eventual game winner on his breakaway. Continual forecheck pressure exposed the RMU defenders as time and again the Colonials were only able to mount occasional in zone attacks. with a 17-8 shot advantage in the second SVC shut the middle of the ice in the third and but for two flurries of attack, RMU was unable to tie the game. Final shots, SVC 45 RMU 29. Amatucci was in net for both wins.
Two games next week end include Akron Friday night and WVU on Sunday.
SVC Starts Spring Semester Strong – Beats Penn West Cal with Consecutive 4-2 Victories
Saint Vincent put a big hurt on California’s playoff seed hopes with two solid 4-2 wins over the Vulcans. In many respects, except for outstanding goaltending by Cal U, the games, though well played, had the ice tilted to SVC. It outshot its opponent by 48 to 35 in the away contest while having a 52 to 28 shot lead in the home game. Outside of scoring on power plays, only one Vulcan goal came at even strength. When SVC was able to play north south, get the puck behind the opponents’s D, and use its quickness and possession in the offensive zone, Cal was forced to defend for minutes at a time. In Game #1 Alex Schall had the first two Saint Vincent goals with assists by Shigo and Loughner on the first and Zach Ridilla on the second. Luca Rosato notched his first, the game winner, on a power play set up from Loughner. Zach Radilla nailed coffin shut with a nifty move the score to 4-1 when he was fed a puck from Caden Horton after a hugh zone clearing flip from Evan Bower. Cal’s final score came when they were able to goad SVC into penalties that eventually resulted in a late power play tally. Four different goal scorers demonstrated a dominating balanced attack in Game #2. In may respects, other than two late third period power play goals, the Vulcans played even for the first period, with the lone unassisted goal had by Polarbearcat Captain Jacob Holtzman on a strange bouncing puck shot from middle ice that was misplayed by the Cal goalie. The next two SVC scores moved the contest to 3-0 on textbook shots from the slot. Working the puck down low, each score came from the deep slot as SVC players took advantage of what little space the Cal U defenders provided. Shigo popped the net on a tic-tac-toe passing play from Loughner and Schall. A few minutes later, Mike Ridilla took a similar feed from Dino Capozzoli and buried the opportunity for what would become the game winning goal. A Cal power play goal drew the score to 3-1. But a tripping penalty put Saint Vincent back on the PP and Loughner ripped a slap shot for his team leading 9’th goal of the year, set up by his line-mates Shigo and Schall. Vince Amatucci was in goal for both wins.
The SVC away game with Akron is rescheduled for Sunday, February 11. The game was cancelled due to weather. The Polarbearcats have two home games this week-end. Friday night they take on the Spartans of Case Western and on Sunday The Robert Morris Colonials. Something that does not happen often? Evan Bower’s assist on the Zach Ridilla goal in the first game against Cal did not get him a plus. As soon as he made the flip, he and his partner changed. When the goal was scored, both were off the ice! Things to note. The 4’th line has had two solid back to back games. Cal was unable to move the puck past center ice during the last three minutes of the second game against SVC. The Vulcan’s coach made no plans to pull their goalie. The effective play of all forward lines low in the zone and minimal defender giveaways were critical in each win. The SVC record at 7-3-0 has it in 5’th place in the league standings with 4 games in hand on first place IUP. The series win drops Cal to 6-7-1.
Semester Ends 5-3-0 with Loss to IUP
Numerous missed opportunities, failure to convert on eight power plays, and sloppy long ice passes combined to push SVC to it second consecutive loss, 4-2 over visiting IUP. Although Saint Vincent opened well and scored first on a sharp passing play from Zach Ridilla to Zach Motil who netted his 5’th goal, the Polarbearcats gave up two IUP scores to fall behind at the end of one period in spite of a 15-7 shot advantage. Inconsistent play marked the second frame. SVC either dominated or fell flat. A 16-11 advantage in shots on goal produced no goals for either team. Nate Loughner finally broke through early in the third (Schall and Rosato) and things seemed to turn in SVC’s favor with an IUP penalty shortly after the Loughner goal. But for the second consecutive game lack of attention to on ice responsibilities our SVC down with a shorthanded goal for IUP. Saint Vincent pressed hard but gave up a late score to Indiana and was unable to convert with a pulled goaltender. Final shots were SVC 42 IUP 24.
The smart coordinated play SVC demonstrated during its three game shutout streak was clearly missing. Long stretch passes were frequently missed, multiple shots at open nets went high or wide, and there was a lack of consistent presence in front of the net on each power attempt. Puck retrieval had little effort on both the attacking and defending side of the SVC game. When IUP played below the goal line in the home team’s zone SVC backed off and permitted numerous feeds into scoring areas. There were some bright spots. Jacob Holtzman had an incredible shift in front of the opposing teams goaltender. The penalty kill remained strong, defending all of the IUP power plays. In spite of the end score and lack of adapting to on ice reads SVC retains its potential. The team awaits its next opportunity against Penn West Cal in an away game on January 14, a 12:35 PM face off at Rostraver. Saint Vincent has 10 games to play in the Spring Term.
SVC Win Streak Stops at Four
The Saint Vincent four game win streak ended in an away contest at Robert Morris as the Polarbearcats dropped a 4-3 decision to the Colonials. Three plays and an Olympic sized rink made the difference. SVC never adapted to how its game needed to change with the wider ice surface at Island Sports. Instead of driving wide on the attack and looking for supporting players in seems, all too often the Saint Vincent forwards directly attacked the RMU defenders, negating what should have been an outside speed advantage. Then, three plays then determined the outcome.
After Logan Connelly (Rendulich, Manalakos) gave the Green and Gold its first score to tie the game 1-1 in the second period, the team failed to immediately protect the lead and gave up a quick strike score permitting RMU to take back the lead in short order. At 2-1 SVC had ample opportunity entering the third 20 minutes. Zach Ridilla (Motil) tied the game at 2-2 and things looked good for SVC as an RMU penalty gave the visitors a Power Play. Then came the second miscue. On a break from the defending zone, a communications mix up enabled Robert Morris to intercept an errant SVC feed. The Colonial player attacked and scored a short-handed marker. It killed momentum. Not long after the third team mistake happened on an extremely ill-timed line change. Failing to get the puck deep, RMU spring a forward opposite the long change and scored its 4’th goal of the contest. The wide Olympic ice made it impossible for the changing players to establish any solid defensive positions. But, SVC fought back. A late goal by Jacob Holtzman with a deft face off set up by Tyler Shigo closed the gap to 4-3. A pulled goalie gave the Polarbearcats a chance with no avail. RMU outshot SVC 36 to 28.
Saint Vincent missed three players in the contest as leading scorer Nate Loughner, Ccenter Rocco Marino, and defenseman Evan Bower were unable to suit up for the game. One game remains in the first semester, a Friday night home contest against IUP. Face off is at 8:30 PM on December 1. The Polarbearcats now have a 5-2-0 record and hope to retain its national ranking. Saint Vincent was recently ranked as the #21 team in country at the ACHA DIII level.
SVC Rolls a 7. Win Streak Extends to 4 Games
The bus of the Polarbearcats rolled onto the campus of Kent State University and saw the team’s continued strong play with a solid 7-3 win over host Kent State University. Although the Golden Eagles scored first at 17:12 of period one, SVC had a quick response with two back to back speed shifts that resulted in quick scores by Logan Connelly (Manolakos and Horton) and Tyler Shigo’s first of the year on a sharp feed by Hunter Bergman. KSU threw another puck past SVC netminder Vince Amatucci early in the second but Saint Vincent again had a quick response as Connelly picked up his second with another assist credited to Manolakos. After the Connelly goal, KSU started to clog the middle of the ice and SVC fell into a trap of forcing long cross ice passes that were continually picked off by the home team. The ice opened when Hunter Bergman scuffled with a Kent player creating a 4:4 situation. It did not take long for Zach Ridilla and Anthony Rendulich to find Zach Motil when he ripped a wrist shot behind a surprised KSU goalie. A dagger pierced Kent State near the end of period two when a laser like pass from Captain Jacob Holtzman caught Zach Ridilla sprint wide past a Kent State defender for a five hole. At 5-2, cold air entered the balloon of KSU as it started to deflate. The third period was one of special teams. A power play goal by Kent State raised the home team, but penalties by KSU in quick succession gave SVC a 5:3 power play. It did not take long for Nate Loughner (Rendulich and Connelly) and Rendulich (Loughner) to put the game out of reach. Message sent. Do not give SVC a power play. Final score SVC 7 KSU 3. Kent outshout Saint Vincent 40 to 36 for the game.
Vince Amatucci had his scoreless minutes streaked snapped at 184 minutes. Saint Vincent demonstrated better penalty discipline but still had to kill an odd 4:3 disadvantage and surrendered a power play goal, just the second in 6 games, the last one also recorded by KSU during a 5 minute power play in the last meeting of the two schools. SVC had tremendous balance to its play as 11 players had points including a first goal from the blue line by Rendulich. Bergman may have had his best game to date on defense. At 5-1-0 the question now becomes how good can this team be? Can it maintain discipline and use its speed to get pucks behind the opposing team’s defense? Will it sustain its back check and solid positional play by the blue liners? An away game at RMU on November 18 and the final home game of the semester against IUP on December 1 may provide the answers.
Vince Amatucci Records Third Consecutive Shutout!
Has it ever been done before in CHE? SVC routed host Duquesne 8-0 scoring on its first two shots of the game posting a 5-0 first period, then gliding to its final score with two goals in the second, and a final tally in the third. Forechecking and defense smothered the home team as SVC ended with a 52 to 30 shot advantage. Until SVC started to react to unnecessary penalties by several Dukes players, it had full command of the contest from the first goal. In quick succession Zach Ridilla, Nate Loughner and Captain Jacob Holtzman stunned Duquesne within the first 5 minutes. Goals by Alex Schall and Caden Horton, his first of the season, reflected how well SVC did in the opening 20 minutes. Quick triangular passing plays from the D Zone to Center ice set up numerous breaks against Duquesne as Saint Vincent outshout the home team 26 to 8 in the beginning period. Although SVC never was in danger, the rest of the contest slowed as each team exchanged penalties. Nik Manolakos added a short handed score and Zach Motil a power play goal to end the period. The only goal in the third was an unassisted dagger by Zach Ridilla.
Interestingly, in spite of great breakouts and great attacking zone play, not a single defenseman recorded a point in the contest, but Vince Amatucci was credited with the second assist on the Manolakos shorthanded goal after Caden Horton provided the primary set up. Other players credited with assists were Holtzman (1), Zach Ridilla (3), Motil (1), Loughner (1), and Shigo (1). Loughner lead all players with 12 shots on goal followed by Logan Connelly’s 6. For the defense, it was a collective effort as they supported Amatucci in what may never be repeated – 180 minutes of no goals against. Amatucci lowered his goals against average to 1.61 and upped his save percentage to an incredible .954. His third shutout in one season breaks a 50 year old club record when Ken Glinka recorded two shutouts in the 1973-1974 season. Vince has now tied Ken for the all time team lead with four “zeroes”!
The team has an extended period with no games. Its next match will be against Kent State, away on Friday November 10.
SVC posted consecutive shutouts besting WVU 6-0 and UPJ 5-0 in away games this past weekend. It is the first time in the history of the program that the Polar Bearcats have posted back to back shutouts.
The freshman line of Loughner, Shigo, and Schall stunned the Mountaineers with two goals on the first two shots of the game in Morgantown Friday night. With another freshman, Nik Manolakos adding a tally from Logan Connelly and Caden Horton before the end of the first, SVC coasted the rest of the way sustaining an attack that saw SVC out shoot WVU 37 to 15 in the final two periods for a total shot advantage of 49 to 22. A second period score by Loughner (assists to Shigo and Schall) and two third period goals by Zach Motil (Zach Radilla with the helper) and a Schall power play score set up by Loughner and Rendulich closed out the win. Amatucci was solid in the net and well supported by the blue line core with consistent defends by all 7 SVC defenseman. Freshman Conner Fauth saw his first game action and accounted for several strong plays in the defensive zone.
Suffocating defense and the success formula continued into Sunday’s afternoon match up against long time rival UPJ. The difference from Friday night’s contest, scoring was distributed across three lines. With 3 goals in the first period and one in each of the last two 20 minute stanzas, SVC never gave UPJ the opportunity to gain ground. When the Saint Vincent forwards began to stretch the play too much enabling UPJ to pick off passes and create odd man breaks by turning the play, the Green and Gold defenders excelled with cutting off lanes, intercepting passes, and keeping the play wide. Amatucci was perfect again and only need one heroic effort to stop an odd man break with two bang bang saves on an initial shot and rebound. Zach Motil, Alex Schall Nate Loughner (2) and Logan Connelly (game winner and opening score) picked up the goals while assists were broadly spread throughout the team with single helpers recorded by Holtzman, Zach Ridilla, Shigo, Schall, Manolakos, Horton, Rendulich, and Amatucci. Loughner picked up two assists. Rendulich, Rosato, Alexander, Bergman, Bower, and Barret excelled at protecting the defending zone. Although UPJ had several odd man advantages their ability to attack was consistently thwarted by outstanding team D. On a special note, freshman Jack Glassman saw his first game action.
With an 11-0 goal differential SVC still continues to develop. If it can avoid excessive stretch passes, untimely penalties and be more consistent in its net drives, it will be interesting too see how much better it can still play. The potential has not yet been reached. Next up. Duquense University in an away match Friday evening, October 27.
Discipline, Penalties and Poor Decisions Mar SVC in Loss to Kent State
What started as one of the best periods in years for any local college hockey program ended with a disappointing 5-2 loss in a game far closer than the final score indicated. A great first period saw up and down action as each school had 15 shots on goal. Both goaltenders were solid but Saint Vincent actually had more quality chances with better looks and shooting angles from several smart passing plays. The second period was a different story. The flow and tempo experienced in the first 20 minutes turned into a game of full contact bocci as a series of 16 penalties caused numerous stoppages. More often than not, SVC was on the wrong side of several calls and when penalties were in their favor, poor decision making and lack of self control engaging Kent State players removed several opportunities for power plays. Numerous disadvantages of 5:4, 5:3, 4:4, and 4:3 made it impossible to establish any bench rhythm. Any power plays for Saint Vincent were abbreviated affairs. Still, the Polarbearcats only surrendered a single even strength score. An incredible roofed back hand by Zach Ridilla, after stealing the puck from a KSU defender on a 5:3 Kent State power play, ended the second period at 1-1. On a controversial call, a last second goal was waived off for Saint Vincent. An unusual engagement between a member of the officiating crew and the coaching staff resulted in the third period having only two officials. In spite of the restart, Saint Vincent was unable to maintain discipline and succumbed to the daemons of retaliation resulting in a 5 minute cross check that negated a power play and 4 other minor penalties. Still, after a Kent State power play score, SVC knotted the game at 2 when Nate Loughner scored his first goal with nifty passing from Jacob Holtzman and Tyler Shigo. It was 2-2 with 3:39 left to play. But it appeared that the fatigue of killing too many KSU power plays caught up with SVC as two late defensive zone breakdowns resulted in scores for the visiting team. The contest was put out of reach with an empty goal by the guests with 0:42 left on the clock.
Regaining discipline and keeping play at 5:5 will be critical the weekend of October 20 with two away games after the fall break; WVU on Friday, and a rare Sunday visit with UPJ on Sunday, October 22. Observations about SVC in the loss with Kent State: Goaltending remains a strength. In spite of taking 15 penalties, SVC only surrendered one power goal. Shots on goal and the penalties were evenly dispersed among the entire team. The freshmen continue to impress. In spite of limited ice as a result of penalties Mike Ridilla, Rocco Marino, and Nik Manolakos played well. They were the only three players who did not have a minus in the game. Kent State outshot SVC 47 to 36 on the final scoresheet.
3’rd Period Comeback Opens Season with 6-4 Win Away Against IUP
SVC went from hesitant to dominant in its opening road win against IUP. The first period was all Indiana as Saint Vincent lacked any forechecking support and continually enabled the home team D to easily keep the puck in the SVC defending zone with soft wall play. A 21-8 shot disadvantage and two scores by IUP sent a dejected Polarbearcat team to the locker room questioning its identity. The second period proved to be an even game. Each team had 10 shots and two goals as freshman Alex Schall opened the season’s scoring with a power play tally set up by Anthony Rendulich and Tyler Shigo. Team Captain Jacob Holrzman willed in a goal on a scramble in front of the net as Ridilla and Motil supported with assists. A horrible line change created a 4 on 0 rush for IUP and Saint Vincent could not close the two goal gap. Then came the third. Coach Martz challenged the locker room to find its identity and the team responded. SVC barraged a beleaguered IUP squad, used speed and tenacity, and dominated the period with a 20 to 11 shot advantage and a string of four unanswered goals; two by Logan Connelly, a first game winning goal for freshman Nick Manolakos and a cherry of a wrist shot by Zach Ridilla on a feed from Alex Schall after a stellar save by Vince Amatucci. Statement made.
The Polarbearcat attack had numerous contributors on the score sheet including a number of firsts for several freshman. In addition to the goals, assists were picked up by Zach Ridilla (1), Zack Motil (1), Tyler Shigo (2), Alex Schall (1), Caden Horton (2), Logan Connelly (1), Anthony Rendulich (2) and Vince Amatucci (1). Devin Barret had several strong defends and a blocked shot during a power play. Freshman Evan Bower was a +1 on the blue line.
The next game will be against Kent State this Sunday at home, October 8 at 2:30 PM. SVC upset #1 Seed Kent State in the CHE playoffs last Spring. It should be a great match! Be There!
Go Polarbearcats!