Win Streak Snapped at Wooster Thanksgiving Tournament

Dec 1

Kent State’s 5-game win streak came to end with back-to-back losses at the Wooster Thanksgiving Tournament. The No. 16 Flashes fell 4-3 in a shootout against No. 10 Central Oklahoma on Saturday. Then a 5-2 loss to Rutgers closed out the weekend on Sunday.

“It was a hard fought game against Central Oklahoma,” Captain and defenseman Kye Budziszewski said.

The game was tied 2-2 in the third period after junior forward Kevin Colleran and freshman forward Matt Grandinetti put up goals for Kent State. Then junior forward Mike Lepre scored on the power play to give the Flashes the lead.

With one second left on the clock, Central Oklahoma scored a short-handed goal to force overtime.

“We had some key breakdowns that lead to the tie,” Budziszewski said.

The Flashes once again fell into the trap of not playing their hardest for a full 60 minutes.

No one scored in overtime, and the game moved into a shootout. Kent State is usually successful in shootouts because of strong goaltending and great scorers. However, all three Kent State shooters were denied, and Central Oklahoma sealed the win.

On Sunday the team faced Rutgers in a consolation game early in the day. Rutgers dominated the game from the start, and Kent State didn’t get on the score board until late in the second period when senior forward Jon Canniff’s goal made it 4-1.

“Penalties were a big problem for us, especially in the second period,” junior defenseman Josh Martin said. “We were sloppy and undisciplined.”

Early in the third period sophomore forward Andy Hanno scored, but the Flashes were still trailing 5-2. They never bounced back, and Rutgers easily took the win.

“We didn’t come out with the same intensity,” Budziszewski said.

Martin agreed. “We need to have the same mindset for every game,” he said.

This weekend the Flashes take on No. 2 Illinois on the road. The following weekend the team returns home to take on Ohio.

“We have two big weekends ahead of us,” Martin said. “We need to get back on track.”

Next Home Games:  

Friday           Dec 11          vs OHIO            8:15pm

Saturday       Dec 12          vs OHIO            7:15pm