ANNAPOLIS, MD (Saturday, November 17, 2007) – Hoping to win its second game in as many nights its new league, Navy’s ice hockey team instead fell behind by three goals early in the second period and never recovered, falling to Scranton, 5-3, Saturday night at the McMullen Hockey Arena.

 

With the loss, the Midshipmen fell to a 1-11 win-loss record in the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) and 6-11 overall.  Scranton’s Ice Royals, meanwhile, improved to a 3-7 mark in the league and 5-9-1 overall.

 

Navy is in action again tomorrow (Sunday, Nov. 18) when the Mids host the University of Pittsburgh in a non-league game at McMullen Hockey Arena.  The opening face-off is set for 1:05 p.m.

 

Scranton grabbed the early lead Saturday night when Harry Lawall scored just 1:05 into the contest.  The Ice Royals stretched their lead to 2-0 a short time later when. Lawall tallied again, this time at the 6:41 mark.

 

Midway through the first period, Navy pulled within a goal at 2-1 when junior Jeff Martin recorded his sixth goal of the season, assists going to senior Brian Gleason and sophomore Nick Hinkley.

 

The second stanza started in nightmarish fashion for the Midshipmen, as Scranton tallied twice in the first three minutes -- the first coming from Luke Malone at 2:00, and the second from Philip Furtak at 3:14 -- to take a commanding 4-1 edge.

 

Navy trimmed the deficit to 4-2 midway through the period when junior Jeff Dubinsky took a perfect pass from senior Drew Stoner and buried it behind Ice Royal goaltender Joe Cuozzo at 12:20.  It was Dubinsky’s first goal of the season.  Besides Stoner, sophomore Keegan Kinkade was also credited with an assist.

 

The Mids continued their comeback effort early in the third period when Martin scored for the second time in the game and the seventh time this season at the 2:01 mark, assists to senior Donnie Horner and Hinkley.

 

But the purple-clad visitors put the game out of reach just over four minutes later when Lawall completed his hat trick at 6:22.  Neither team scored over the game’s final 13½ minutes.

 

Navy sophomore goaltender Eric Anderson finished with 38 saves on 43 Scranton shots, while his counterpart Cuozzo recorded 40 saves on 43 Navy shots on goal.

 

 

SCORING SUMMARY

 

Scranton           2          2          1          -           5

NAVY             1          1          1          -           3

 

First Period

S – Lawall (unassisted) 1:05

S – Lawall (Previti, Malanga) 6:41

N – Martin 6 (Gleason, Hinkley) 9:14

 

Second Period

S – Malone (Lawall) 2:00

S – Furtak (Previti) 3:14

N – Dubinsky 1 (Stoner, Kinkade) 12:20

 

Third Period

N – Martin 7 (Horner, Hinkley) 2:01

S – Lawall (Rosenberg) 6:22

 

 

SAVES

Cuozzo (Scranton)        19        9          12        -           40

Anderson (NAVY)       8          16        14        -           38

 

SHOTS

Scranton                       10        18        15        -           43

NAVY                         20        10        13        -           43