Abingdon, Md. — With the usual first line given the morning off, a number of younger Blue Hens (7-1-0) rose to the occasion in the University of Delaware Division 2 men’s hockey team’s 8-1 victory over the Towson Division 1 squad on Sunday (Oct. 7) at Ice World.
After a single first-period goal from Shane Moran gave Delaware the early lead, the floodgates opened in the final 27 minutes, during which the Blue Hens outscored Towson by a further 7-1 margin. Devin LeBlanc’s two goals — his eighth and ninth of the season — led the Hens, while rookie defencemen Dylan Green and Spencer Ruthkowski also found the back of the net. Eddie Martorella, John Ryan, and Matt Tofte rounded out the septet of scorers for Delaware. Jeremy DeWit and Ryan Johnson both contributed multiple assists.
The Blue Hens converted once on six power-play opportunities, while Towson’s lone goal came with the aid of a man advantage — Nathan Dailey’s goal with 3:43 to go in the second period occurred while Ruthkowski served a roughing minor, one of eight Delaware penalties.
The Hens outshot Towson, 45-27. Stephen Odgers recorded 26 saves to improve to 2-1-0 on the season, while Towson goalie Jake Temkin recorded 37 saves in defeat.
Delaware returns home to face Stevenson on Friday evening (Oct. 12), their first of 12 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Conference games of the season. Game time at Fred Rust Arena is 7:05 p.m.; live coverage on Delaware Hockey Night Radio will begin at 6:45 p.m.