Images Courtesy of MJ Peters ’23
On Saturday, October 25, the Connecticut College men’s club hockey team defeated Coast Guard men’s club hockey 9-2 at Dayton Arena in the Battle of the Thames for the fourth year in a row. The event has traditionally been one of the most popular sporting events hosted at the College, with students from both Coast Guard and Connecticut College packing the stands. At the College, students are required to pick up tickets prior to the game in order to be allowed into the arena.
Knowing the popularity of the game, the men’s club hockey team always hopes to win. “The Coast Guard game is circled on our calendar every year [and] it is certainly a big game, and we love having all the fans and feel pressure to win,” said Captain Aidan Trainor ‘26. “With that said, it is an exhibition game, and it doesn’t necessarily count towards our season and rankings, so we want to make it as enjoyable an experience as possible for everyone…so while we are laser-focused on winning, we are also focused on having a good time.”
While competition to attend the game may have been fierce, there was no question who was in control once the game started. While the Coast Guard Bears recorded the first shot on goal, it was the Camels who controlled possession and scored the first goal of the match. With 15:28 left in the first period, Tyler DiBurro ‘26 scored off a power play for tripping, assisted by Jake Cataldi ‘26. The Bears answered less than three minutes later when Matthew Clarke capitalized on a two-on-one situation to score after a shot on target from the Camels. However, this would be the last time the Bears would score for the next half hour of play.
The Camels resumed domination of possession and recorded their second goal around a minute later with 11:31 on the clock in the first period. Despite being short-handed, the Camels recorded a four-on-five penalty kill when Trainor served up a cross-crease pass, finding left-wing Atticus Roop ‘26, who made no mistake to put the Camels back in front. The Camels doubled their lead with 5:18 left in the first period when forward Pierce Blaeser ‘28 found his twin brother Cole Blaeser ‘28 to make it 3-1 Camels. Coast Guard’s pressure nearly induced the Camels into an error. A shot on goal was almost deflected into the net by Luke Begg ‘27 but was saved by goalie Ryan Rosenau ‘28.
While the Camels dominated possession in the first period, the Bears fought chippily and were able to bait the Camels into three penalties with Lucas Brennan ‘26, DiBurro, and Joe Lucien ‘26 all spending time in the penalty box for hitting, holding, and cross-checking. The first period ended with the Camels down a man with Lucien in the penalty box.
Once the second period resumed, the Camels picked up right where they left off. Less than three minutes into the second period, the Camels pressured Connor Morris of Coast Guard into passing the puck to Pierce Blaeser of the Camels. Blaeser found Shane Jellison ‘26 who slotted home to make it 4-1 with 17:25 on the clock. The Camels continued their onslaught of pressure on the Bears with multiple shots on goal from Simon Potoma ‘29, Trainor, Jellison, and Brevin Master ‘26. With 6:15 remaining in the first period, the Camels finally capitalized on a scoring opportunity when Jellison scored a five-hole goal assisted by Cole Blaeser. While the Camels continued their onslaught of shots on goal, Coast Guard goalie Parker Richmond kept the Bears in the game with an array of saves, stopping Camel advances.
The Bears capitalized on a power play when, with Cade Brekken ‘29 sitting in the penalty box for interference, Quinn Castelli scored quickly, assisted by Owen Wetter with 1:11 remaining in the second period to make it 5-2.
Camel dominance continued in the third period when Brennan scored after Trainor found the puck first after a previous shot on goal from Renato Saijo ‘28 was blocked. The Camels added a seventh goal with 11:42 left in the period after Brekken skated through and past defenders in the middle of the rink to unleash an outside-of-the-box shot from the left side to beat Richmond in goal.
An onslaught of shots on goal from the Camels continued before Danny Spoor unleashed a shot from point-blank range which was saved by Rosenau. With 6:23 left in the period, DiBurro teed up Paul Podrebarac ‘28 who tapped home from the right side of the goal to make it 8-2. The Bears pressed for more goals and were able to record four consecutive shots on goal, all saved by Rosenau.
The Camels scored their final goal of the evening with 2:15 remaining in the third period when Cole Blaesner scored his second goal of the evening after following up on his shot on goal previously saved by Richmond.
While the team did not go into the game believing they would win in a blowout, confidence has always been high among the team, regardless of the opponent. “I think we know what we have in our locker room and have faith that any given person can go out there and produce. While it might not happen every game, and 9-2 is a blowout, I think that our team has a really high ceiling,” said Trainor. “In a Thames River rivalry, it’s always great to see the team execute so effectively.”
Though the Camels came up on top at the Battle of the Thames, their season is far from over. Last season, the team was crowned champions of the NECHA-American Conference and appeared at the ACHA Men’s 2 League national championships. The goal remains the same this year. “Our goal is to win our league, regional tournament, and qualify for nationals…we think we have a great team and all the necessary tools for success,” said Trainor. “It’s important to start small and work one game at a time…If we can play small ball, we think we can put together a pretty great season.”
Most of the team’s remaining games are away for those eager to support. “We play Roger Williams at Dayton on 12/7, Westfield State at Dayton on 1/23, and Bridgewater State at Dayton on 1/24,” said Trainor. In addition to watching games in person, supporters can follow the Camels’ bid to return to nationals on social media. “Be sure to follow us on Instagram [@humpshockey] for updates on the season, and we look forward to seeing everyone at Dayton,” said Trainor.
