Club Hockey Cans Coast Guard Academy

Two Saturdays ago, Dayton Arena played host to the latest installment of what is quickly becoming one of the most heated rivalries on campus as the Connecticut College Club Hockey team squared off against the skating seamen of the Coast Guard Academy. Undaunted by such an imposing opponent, the Camels managed to hold strong and squeak out a 10-1 victory, highlighted by number 14, Will Powell ‘11, who managed to amass nearly a full period’s worth of penalty minutes, miss a penalty shot and woo the crowd before being ejected toward the end of the second period.

Powell wasn’t the only Camel to have an impressive night. Brian Dell’Erario ‘12 tallied a hat trick, including the game-winning goal, notching his second of three goals on the night a mere 86 seconds in. On a completely unrelated note, Dell’Erario sported a truly heinous blond wig during the game, which, needless to say, was enormously confusing.

Senior Mike Kelly also managed to slip a couple of shots past the Coast Guard goaltender. Kelly’s first goal came on a shot just inside the face-off dot on the left side, and was shot so hard that tears could be seen streaming down the terrified goaltender’s face. Learning his mistake from their first encounter, the goaltender completely evacuated the crease to hide in the corner for Kelly’s 2nd goal though, admittedly, Kelly did seem to bend the laws of physics as the shot came from behind the goal line.

Though official statistics remain unavailable, my own shot tally (kept on my cell phone, which periodically throws temper tantrums and refuses to work) put the balance in favor of the Camels at 87-4.

The deficit was so great that Chris Muscatello, the man between the pipes for Conn, attempted to engineer an equipment problem with his mask during the first period so as to avoid having to wear it for the remainder of the game. This backfired, however, when coaches and teammates pointed out that the move would be grossly unsportsmanlike, and Muscatello, resignedly, donned a different helmet in the interim. It was not all bad news for the Coast Guard, however. Down by a paltry
nine goals with time running out in the third period, an (intentionally) errant pass from a Camel defensemen sent a Coast Guard
forward in on a breakaway.

Time seemed to freeze as a hush came over the intensely focused crowd: with each step of his skate the tension mounted as all in attendance watched, breath held. The shot rolled majestically along the surface of the ice, and as Muscatello waited for its arrival, a knowing smile crossed his face. Making his movements look as sincere as possible,the Camel goalie lunged frantically with his legs, before lifting them ever-so-slightly to allow the Coast Guard onto the score sheet.

An appreciative round of applause in the form of unnamed cans rained onto the ice, the victorious forward was congratulated, and the coach brought everyone out for ice cream after the game.

But the battle was mercifully halted by referees with 8:47 left in the third due to another, more virulent, aluminum rain shower, and also due to fears that the scoreboard wasn’t capable of registering numbers any higher.

The game ended with solid performances by the senior class, notably the offensive attack of defenseman Alex Ellison, an added goal by defenseman and co-captain Seth Williams, and the frenzied forecheck of co-captain Erek Nimphius. Adding to an already illegibly over-packed score sheet was Kevin Izzo, who buried the team’s sixth goal, and Dan Doherty with a pair of assists. The man responsible for the opening of the floodgates was Andrew Cannon, scoring the game’s first goal a mere 37 seconds in. Also, senior Chris Hendy tried really hard, folks.

The Camels look to continue their run of dominance in the fight for Rt. 32 hockey bragging rights on February 27 with a rematch against the Coast Guard. While maintaining the home ice advantage, which makes playing any athletic event at Conn like going to a particularly sadistic dentist for opposing teams, is indeed important, throwing cans onto the ice accomplishes nothing. No one is saying you shouldn’t be as loud as possible, but let’s leave the projectiles at home. All jokes aside, these games are a lot of fun for all involved (save the Coast Guard), and if people keep up the can-tossing, the game will go the way of kegs and the trays in Harris.