Newark, Del. — Four players recorded hat tricks in a Monday night (Jan. 7) shootout at the Patriot Ice Center, as the Kennett Blue Demons (8-4-2) routed the Msgr. Bonner Friars (1-7-0), 14-4.
After Jake Moleski split defenders en route to a five-hole wrist shot off the opening face-off, the Blue Demons countered and kept high pressure on the Friars, recording 60 shots throughout the entire game. Junior defenceman Chris Petragnani earned his first goal of the season at 2:27, firing the puck in from the right point off the rebound of a Christo Walker chance to tie the game at one goal apiece. Thomas Halsted lifted the Demons to a 2-1 lead with a 20-foot wrist shot at 6:26 before a net-front redirect from Moleski off a Pat Jensen face-off win tied the game again.
With just under four minutes left in the first period, the floodgates opened and Kennett reeled off seven consecutive goals. A minute after Walker’s go-ahead net-front backhand from a Matthew Ganly feed at 12:14, Hayden Ibarra-Blomgren ricocheted the puck off the right post of the Bonner goal and past goalie Nicholas Romanoff to give Kennett a 4-2 intermission lead.
Walker, Halsted and Ibarra-Blomgren all added goals in a 24-shot second period, as did Jacob DellaVecchia, Blake Richman, and senior Matt Giovannini, whose net-front tip-in at 5:11 was the first goal of his scholastic career.
Up 10-3 through 32 minutes, the Demons relaxed somewhat in the third period but still generated quality chances. Ibarra-Blomgren iced his hat trick with a 12-foot chip shot at 4:55, Kyle Robertson put back a net-front rebound at 9:18, and close-range wrist shots from Walker and Halsted closed out the shortened game, called off with 4:33 remaining in regulation.
Moleski accounted for all four Bonner goals, lifting his seasonal total to 18. Jensen recorded two assists while Teegan Moleski recorded an assist as well. Kennett goalie Tyler Richman saved 34 shots in victory.
