Photo Credit: @paulspicsnj

After a pair of thrilling wins against the New Jersey Bears, the Huntsmen had another big test against the New Jersey 87s. The Premier Team only played one game on the road against the New Jersey Bears.

EHL vs 87s (Wed)

The Huntsmen jumped out to a great start. John Manzi entered the offensive zone and slid the puck to Damon Warren. He flipped a quick backhander on goal scoring his 17th goal of the season. New Jersey tied the game at the 18:10 mark of the 1st period. The Huntsmen wasted no time responding and fifteen seconds later, Tristan Fallon gave the Huntsmen a 2-1 lead. Devin England and Trevor Rissor were credited with assists. At the end of the period NJ took a penalty that went into the 2nd. Early in the 2nd period, Pennsylvania extended the lead. Warren forced a turnover while the 87s were moving out of their zone. Warren sent the puck to Rissor and he fired it home for his 3rd of the year and it was 3-1. New Jersey fought back and controlled the game. They scored twice tying the game 3-3 to end the period. The 87s scored two more goals in the opening two minutes of the 3rd period and they had all the momentum. The Huntsmen had two power play chances in the 3rd period but were unsuccessful. New Jersey added an empty netter and won the game 6-3.

EHL at 87s (Fri)

The Huntsmen had a power play early, but the 87s killed it off. This time, the 87s scored first and had a 1-0 lead. In the 2nd period, New Jersey continued to add to their lead with a pair of goals. The Huntsmen couldn’t get the offense going in the 3rd and lost the game 3-0.

Premier at Bears (Sat)

The Huntsmen controlled the 1st period outshooting the Bears 12-6 but there was no score. Early in the 2nd period, Shane Hill sent a precision pass through the neutral zone and connected to Anthony LoGiurato. LoGiurato skated on goal and fired a wrister for his 5th of the year and it was 1-0. The game moved quick as each team continued to exchange scoring opportunities. Late in the game the Bears pulled the goalie for the extra attacker. Christian Starr cleared the puck out of Huntsmen territory and Vilho Lahtela scored on the empty net for the 2-0 win. Strnad made 24 saves for his second shutout of the year. Strnad was awarded Goaltender of the Week by the EHL Premier.

Up Next

               EHL

The Huntsmen have a great opportunity to get back on track this week with a home and home series against the New York Applecore. The Applecore have struggled all season and have a record of 4-30-2. They are last in the Central Division. The Huntsmen have dominated the season series outscoring New York 24-6 in three games this season. Pennsylvania won by scores of 9-1, 6-3, 9-2. Despite not having an issue with the Applecore, the Huntsmen can’t take this lightly with the South Division so tight. The Huntsmen are 16-16-3  with 35 points, and the Little Flyers are right behind them.

               Premier

The Huntsmen are riding a three-game winning streak heading into this weekend. This weekend is jammed with action as the Huntsmen have three games in three days. They will play the Renegades twice and the Union Jr. Thunder. The standings can shift this weekend pending the outcome as these three teams are all back-to-back in the South Division. The Thunder are in 3rd with 32 points, Huntsmen 4th with 29 points, and Renegades 5th with 28 points. Only 10 games remain in the regular season and every point is crucial.

Schedule  

EHL vs New York Applecore (Wed)   1pm

EHL at New York Applecore (Thurs)  1pm

Premier at New Jersey Renegades (Fri) 8:10pm

Premier at Union Jr. Thunder (Sat) 8:05pm

Premier vs New Jersey Renegades (Sun) 1:15pm

By: Joe Sindoni

Staff Writer

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