ANNAPOLIS, MD (Friday, Sept. 21, 2007) --
Junior defenseman Matt Swezey
scored a power play goal seven-and-a-half minutes into the third period to
break open a close game and propel Navy's ice hockey team to a 6-3
season-opening triumph over the University of Maryland Friday night at the
McMullen Rink.
Not only was it the first intercollegiate hockey game ever played at
McMullen Rink inside the USNA Brigade Sports Complex, it marked the first
win for new Navy head coach Mike Fox. The decisive victory came in front of
a tremendous opening night crowd estimated in excess of 700.
Swezey and senior Nick Schwob paced Navy's offense with two goals apiece,
while junior John Culliton and sophomore Alex Willis each had single
tallies.
The Midshipmen got off to a quick start in their new building, taking a 1-0
lead 7:29 into the first period on a goal from Schwob, assisted by senior
Brian Gleason and Culliton.
Navy doubled its advantage to 2-0 early in the second stanza, thanks to
Swezey's first extra man tally of the night just 44 seconds into the period.
But the visiting Terrapins struck back to cut the Mids' lead in half with
a Ryan Kucinski goal at 3:14, then knotted the score at 2-2 with a power
play tally off the stick of Sean Gerding at 10:01.
Swezey's second power play tally of the night, just 34 seconds into the
third period, came while the Terps had two men in the penalty box and gave
Navy a 3-2 lead. The Mids extended their margin to 4-2 with Culliton's
first goal of the season, also on the power play, at the 7:46 mark.
Navy took a commanding 5-2 advantage later in the period when Schwob
registered his second goal of the night at the 15:03 mark. But pesky
Maryland struck back a short time later with a Dan Drazen power play tally
at 17:37, bringing the Terps within two goals, 5-3.
But the Midshipmen ensured Mike Fox's successful head coaching debut with
just four ticks left on the McMullen Rink scoreboard clock when Wallis
redirected a Charlie Daniel pass past Maryland goaltender Matt Mitchell,
with Jeff Dubinsky picking up the other assist, to account for the 6-3 final
score. Navy was a man up at the time.
Mitchell finished with 38 saves, while his counterpart, Navy netminder Eric
Anderson, recorded 30 saves, as the Mids outshot the Terps, 44-33. Referee
Tim Apodaca whistled Navy for 24 minutes in penalties, compared to 34
minutes for Maryland. The last 10 minutes of those 34 came as a result of a
misconduct penalty to the Terps' T.C. Costello immediately following Wallis'
goal.
Navy, now 1-0, is idle until next weekend when it hosts Lehigh Friday and
Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29, at McMullen Rink. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.
PUCK POINTS: Sprinkled though the large crowd Friday night were numerous
Navy hockey alums, who will square off in the annual alumni game Saturday at
9 a.m....among the "firsts" in the new McMullen Rink were the first penalty
(Navy's Brian Gleason just 36 seconds into the first period), the first goal
(Schwob's tally at 7:29 of the opening stanza), and the first penalty shot
(taken and missed by Maryland's Costello at 17:51 of the second
period)....the penalty shot was awarded after Navy defenseman Donnie Horner
was whistled for picking up the puck with his glove and throwing it down the
ice during a goalmouth scramble in front of Anderson....Costello later
recorded the first 10-minute misconduct in McMullen Rink history....although
the forward line of Gleason, Derek Johnson, and Sam Carlson only accounted
for one point, they huslted all night at both ends of the ice and played
well....Navy's second line of Schwob, Culliton, and Jon Westerman also
played well and picked up five points....in his first game in a Navy jersey
after a two-year sabbatical, Jeff Dubinsky registered one assist....in his
first game since his plebe year, Culliton had one goal and one feed.
SCORING SUMMARY
First Period
N - Schwob 1 (Gleason, Culliton) 7:29
Second Period
N - Swezey 1 (Schwob) 0:44
M - Kucinski (Drazen, DeVore) 3:14
M - Gerding (DaSilva) 10:01
Third Period
N - Swezey 2 (unassisted) 0:34
N - Culliton 1 (Gross, Swezey) 7:46
N - Schwob 2 (unassisted) 15:03
M - Drazen (unassisted) 17:37
N - Wallis 1 (Daniel, Dubinsky) 19:56
SAVES
Mitchell (Maryland) 7 - 17 - 14 -- 38
Anderson (NAVY) 10 - 10 - 10 -- 30
SHOTS
Maryland 10 - 12 - 11 -- 33
NAVY 8 - 18 - 18 -- 44