The William Paterson Pioneers welcomed the University of Rhode Island Rams to the Ice Vault for a two game set on February 7th and 8th, 2020.  Prior to game one, the Pioneers honored veteran players Brett Connon, Tommy Bauer, Nick Brown, Scott Huber and Andy DeAngelis.  The group of five led the Pioneers to multiple national tournament appearances at the ACHA Division 2 level and were instrumental in the successful transition to ACHA Division 1.  Head Coach Joe Ballance on the group, “these five have been through a lot in their careers, being successful on the ice, in the classroom and beyond speaks to their work ethic, character and willingness to be successful.  I expect many of them to continue their academic success in the next chapter pursuing graduate degrees at William Paterson University or other institutions.  I wish them all the best in their careers and I know all five will be successful in the future.  As I tell all seniors, stay close to the program...once a Pioneer, always a Pioneer.”

URI 6 WPU 5 (Overtime)

On Friday, February 7, the Rams and Pioneers skated to an exciting back and forth game.  The Rams got on the board 1:21 into the first period, but the Pioneers bounced right back with goals from Ryan Moloughney and Scott Huber.  Nick King got his first of the year going top shelf on a breakaway to tie the game 3-3 after 2 periods.  The teams battled for another 20 minutes in a wild 3rd period.  The senior duo of Nick Brown and Andy DeAngelis put the Pioneers up 5-4 late in the final frame.  However, the Rams turned a defensive zone faceoff into an offensive push to make it 5-5 with 1:10 left.  Pioneer goaltender, Jeremy Hamerquist, made 47 saves on the night; however, it was the Rams clicking on a 2 on 1 rush to take the game in overtime.

WPU 6 URI 2

After a tough loss 15 hours earlier, the Pioneers bounced back with a convincing victory over URI on Saturday, February 8.  Scott Huber’s first period goal got things going for the Pioneers making it 1-0 after the 1st period.  The orange and black would open things up with a four goal outburst in the second period.  Lighting the lamp for the Pioneers were Daniel Trionfo, Brett Connon, Adam Marvin and Jimmy Hunt. For defenseman, Jimmy Hunt, it would be his first goal in a Pioneer uniform.  Trionfo would add another goal in the 3rd period and Cole Mulholland made 34 saves, resulting in a 6-2 final score. 

Coach Ballance on the weekend, “we looked to bounce back from some tough losses the weekend prior. Dropping Game 1 in OT to URI after having a lead was another tough blow for us as we felt this was another game where we should have won.  The team closed out their final home game playing a complete 60 minutes and I was happy for the team and the seniors.”

The Pioneers would like to thank all the fans that supported the team at the Ice Vault this season.

With the win, the Pioneers move to 14-7-2 on the season and will close out regular season play with a two game set at Rutgers on February 21-22.   

The Pioneers will be in action for postseason play with the ECHA playoffs on the horizon March 6-8 at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Photo Credit: Marissa Vandenberg