Newark, Del. — Lain Singer’s four goals — including an empty-net tally in the final four minutes — powered the undefeated Newark/Tatnall Hornets (16-0-0) to their second straight Delaware High School Hockey League championship by way of an 8-4 win over Middletown (12-4-0) on Friday (Feb. 22) at Fred Rust Arena.
After accounting for a goal in each of the first two periods, Singer extended the Hornets’ lead to 5-3 with his third of the night just 70 seconds into the final period. After Pen Sailer fired a shot from the right dot off the pads of Middletown goalie Colin Mettle, Singer — looming in front of the goal mouth — put back the rebound to give Newark/Tatnall their third two-goal lead of the night, and one they would not relinquish. From there, the floodgates opened, as Gabe Jensen and Sailer found the back of the Cavaliers’ net as well to lift the Hornets to a 7-3 mid-period advantage.
The Cavaliers tried to take advantage of a Billy Nunn cross-checking minor with 4:48 left in the game by pulling Mettle for a six-on-four attack, but Singer foiled the Cavs’ hopes of a rally with a short-handed empty-net goal, his fourth of the night and 35th of the season. With the championship out of reach, Middletown only mustered one late goal, a Jon Rineer tap-in of a Kraay Allen shot in the final 17 seconds, after Allen, Tyler Hughto and Josh Christof scored earlier in the game for the Cavs.
Luke Headman and Beau Neff also scored for the Hornets, while Sailer accounted for three assists in addition to his third-period goal.
Ty Hutchinson proved strong between the pipes for Newark/Tatnall with 33 saves on 36 shots, while Mettle stopped 25 of the 32 shots he faced.
