Affton, Mo. – The Maryville University club hockey team did not disappoint the fans at Affton Ice Rink as the Saints opened up a two-game series with an 11-1 victory over Illinois State. Maryville came out with a lot of energy, and it was evident that they wanted to compete in this match.
How it happened:
The Saints struck first, one minute into the game. It was a pass from
Damian Caringi across the middle to
Anthony Stavrou, who placed it in the back of the net. These two players would also pair up one more time to add another goal for the Saints in the first period.
It was a very dominant performance in the first stanza, as the Saints went up 6-0 after 20 minutes of play. Other players that contributed goals early on were
Matt Birkemeier,
Trevor Henson, Caringi, and
Kole Mudra. The Redbirds did not get a shot on goal until the 14-minute mark of the first quarter.
The Saints seemed to be enjoying themselves on the ice, and coach
John Hogan seemed pleased with the team's performance. It was a much calmer start to the second half, as it took 10 minutes for the puck to reach the back of the net in this period. Caringi carried the puck down the side of the ice, brought it between his legs, and placed it in the top right corner of the net to put the Saints up 7-0. Stavrou added another goal, his third on the night, with a slap shot from the wing that found its way pass the goaltender's glove. The Saints tacked on one more goal before the end of the period, which came from Jake Harrison to take a 9-0 lead.
Maryville came out flying to start the third quarter, as they had been all night. Stavrou found the back of the net for the fourth time in this game to give the Saints a 10-1 advantage. He could not seem to miss throughout the course of this game.
The Redbirds were finally able to put one in for themselves three minutes into the final period, but the Saints fired back with one last goal of their own from
Jared Viggers. It was an extremely impressive performance from Saints goaltender
Arren Romeril. He was able to keep the puck out of the back of the net as he stopped 15 of 16 Redbird shots.
Up Next - The Saints next matchup will take place on Saturday, Jan. 26 against the Illinois State Redbirds. The puck drops at 5:30 p.m. at the Affton Ice Rink.
