ODENTON, MD (Saturday, January 13, 2007) – Senior Kevin
Krmpotich scored a
pair of goals during a two-and-a-half minute span early in the first period
to lead Navy’s ice hockey team to a key 3-1 Eastern Collegiate Hockey
Association (ECHA) win over Drexel Saturday night at the Piney Orchard Ice
Rink.
With the win, the Midshipmen improved to 12-6-1 overall and 8-3-1 in the
ECHA, while Drexel’s Dragons fell to 10-11-0 overall and 9-4-0 in the
league.
Navy took the early lead Saturday, thanks to a bit of good fortune while
killing a penalty. On a clearing attempt out of the Midshipmen end of the
ice, Krmpotich beat Drexel goaltender Alex Gredysa to the loose puck and
slid it under the netminder to put Navy ahead 1-0 at 3:25.
Krmpotich picked up his second tally of the night, and his team-leading 16th
of the season, a short time later when he fired the puck past Gredysa from
the corner of the crease at the 6:00 mark, assists going to senior
defensemen Jim Doherty and Joe Liles.
After neither team tallied in the second stanza, the Mids extended their
lead to 3-0 in the third period when junior Nick Schwob found the back of
the net from a sharp angle, the lone assist going to junior Jon Westerman,
at 12:53.
Drexel got its only goal of the night late in the third period, when P.J.
Armstrong beat Navy netminder Eric Anderson at 16:15, spoiling the freshman
goaltender’s shutout bid.
Anderson finished with 33 saves while his Drexel counterpart Gredysa
recorded 36, as the Midshipmen outshot the Dragons, 39-34.
Referee John Torre whistled Navy for nine minor penalties and Drexel for
seven minor infractions. The Mids were 1-for-6 on the power play, while the
Dragons were 0-for-8.
Navy returns to action today (Sunday, January 14) when Arizona State visits
the Tucker Road Ice Rink in Fort Washington, MD. Game time is set for 12
noon.
PUCK POINTS: To get to the Tucker Road rink, site of Sunday’s game with
Arizona State, take Route 50 to the Capital Beltway (495) towards Richmond,
take exit 4 west (St. Barnabas Road) towards Oxon Hill, at the first traffic
light make a left onto John Hanson Lane, at the next traffic light make a
right onto St. Barnabas Road, continue through the Bock Road intersection
and make a left turn onto Tucker Road, the ice rink will be on the left…some
Navy hockey fans had difficulty accessing the Internet broadcast of Friday
night’s win over Pitt…to listen to the remaining Mids’ games on the net,
just click on www.teamline.cc, then type Navy into the box where it asks for
your team’s name…Krmpotich barely missed registering a hat trick last night
when his shot from just inside the center ice line barely missed a wide open
net after Drexel had pulled its goaltender for a sixth attacker with 26
seconds remaining in regulation time.
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST PERIOD
N – Krmpotich 15 (unassisted) 3:25
N – Krmpotich 16 (Doherty, Liles) 6:00
SECOND PERIOD
None
THIRD PERIOD
N – Schwob 15 (Westerman) 12:53
D – Armstrong (Sandoz, Gay) 16:15
SAVES
Gredysa (Drexel) 10 12 14 - 36
Anderson (NAVY) 9 12 12 - 33
SHOTS
Drexel 9 12 13 - 34
NAVY 12 12 15 - 39