The IceCats played in the Villanova Hockey Showcase at Hatfield Ice on Friday and Saturday nights, bringing home a win and a loss.

Friday night’s game was against Niagara University. It was a tight first period as neither team was able to score a goal. The standstill was broken in the second period as Niagara scored the only goal of the period.

The third period saw the most action, beginning with a goal by Villanova’s Timothy Arena just 14 seconds into the period. Niagara then scored the next 4 goals of the game. With about 4 minutes left in the third, Marc Trotta scored the last goal of the game for Villanova.

The final score was a 5-2 loss for the IceCats. Villanova put up 32 shots on goal and Niagara got 52. Ajay Fernandez was in goal for Villanova.

Saturday night’s game saw a lot of scoring! Villanova established a 3-0 lead in the first period, with goals by Timothy Blajda, Tim Matthews, and Richie Halevy. Canisius then scored their first goal of the game. Villanova’s Timothy Arena then buried another goal for Villanova. Before the end of the period, Canisius locked in 2 power play goals.

Canisius also pulled ahead and scored the first two goals of the second period. Tim Matthews tied up the game with a goal for Villanova at the end of the second.

Reclaiming their lead, Canisius buried a goal in the beginning of the third period. Following that, Villanova scored two back to back goals, thanks to Richie Halevy and Timothy Blajda. With a couple minutes left in the period, Canisius pulled their goalie and scored a goal with 30 seconds left in game play, forcing an overtime.

During overtime, defenseman Brett Mackell buried the game-winning goal for Villanova, bringing home an 8-7 win for the IceCats!

Shots on goal were almost equal, with Villanova putting up 43 and Canisius 44. John Persichilli was Villanova’s goaltender for the night.

Next weekend, the boys will play their last game before they head home for winter break. Come support them as they take on an away league game against West Chester at Ice Line Rink at 4:45 p.m. Go IceCats!

By Amanda Trusky