The men’s club hockey team won a pair of weekend matchups in commanding fashion last Friday and Saturday. With senior forward Simon Rybansky contributing five goals between the two games and a few other multi-scoring performances, Lafayette defeated both PSU Harrisburg and Susquehanna by a 10-goal margin: 10-0 and 11-1, respectively.
“With so many offensive weapons on the team, we know what we can do in their end of the ice,” senior forward Billy Hennessy wrote in an email. “We’re focusing on taking care of our defensive zone first, and with that offense comes. Pucks deep and a killer forecheck have been our strengths and were looking to keep that up.”
Senior defenseman Ted Granbois wrote that the team’s power play has been a focus for them and that they’ve seen success with it. He included that the team is also emphasizing quick puck movement and staying a step ahead of their opponents.
“We have been focusing on zone entry [by] filling lanes, driving wide with speed, dump and chase, lots of communication, etc.,” he wrote. “We have a fast team so we are trying to take advantage of our speed; if they can’t catch us, they can’t stop us from scoring. Simple as that.”
Freshman goalie Jack Eselius has been turning heads with impressive performances after giving up just one goal in two days of hockey, Granbois wrote in an email. He wrote that Eselius is “an absolute beast between the pipes,” and that he “may be the best goalie [he] ever had on [his] team.”
“Rybansky, myself, and [freshman] James Kiley have really stepped up and have been driving the wheels for our offensive train that has been so successful lately,” Granbois wrote. “[Freshman] Craig Barbaro…has brought lots of energy and intensity on the ice the past few weeks and it’s exciting to see a young guy like him energize the team with his play.”
“Junior forward Harrison Lapides and freshman [forward] Alex LoPresti have stepped up lately becoming reliable goal scorers putting up the points,” Hennessy added.
Next up for the team will be Alvernia tonight at 8:45 p.m. with a chance to play top-ranked Drexel on Saturday, which Granbois guaranteed, writing that the winner “will be us.”
“This week in practice we’re only thinking about the competition level,” Hennessy said. “Boys getting after each other and pushing each other to make us better has been the theme we’ve been following.”