WILKES-BARRE – The twelfth-ranked Wilkes University men's ice hockey team split their weekend series of Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) action against Stevenson University at the Toyota SportsPlex Saturday afternoon.

Wilkes ended the weekend 8-2 overall with an 8-1 record in MAC play, while Stevenson finished 6-5-1 with a 2-4-1 record in conference play.

The two MAC heavyweights opened with a scoreless first period, nearly even on shots 17-15 in favor of Wilkes. Jack Perna (Sykesville, MD) and the Colonel defense held the visitors scoreless with seven saves in the first 20 minutes.

In the second period, the Mustangs found the breakthrough, scoring short-handed at 12:11 thanks to Liam McCanney. Five minutes later, Leyton Pettypiece (Rochester, MI) equalized for the Colonels off the assist from Daniel Nau (Wake Forest, NC), rifling a shot top shelf that sent the goaltender's water bottle flying.

Shortly after the third period began, play was stopped for unsafe ice conditions after a large piece of the ice came undone. Efforts were made to repair the ice, but after deliberation the remainder of the game was moved to Saturday.

When the game resumed Saturday, both teams remained quiet in the third period, forcing overtime. An early Cam Lowe (Lancaster, MA) penalty gave the Mustangs a power play that they converted on to win the game thanks to Blake Benson.

Pettypeice was the lone goalscorer for the Colonels, with Lowe, Christopher Paige (Massena, NY), and Luke Dobles (Spencerport, NY) leading the team in shots. In net, Jack Perna (Sykesville, MD) took the decision making 24 saves.

After a short break, the Colonels opened game two with a fire, scoring three minutes into the game off the stick of Paige, assisted by Nick Swain (Jackson, NJ). Two minutes later, the Colonels doubled their advantage on the power play thanks to Lowe, assisted by Carter Jordan (Fort Collins, CO). Stevenson continued the goalscoring flurry with a response at 8:10, but Swain restored the two-goal lead as he lit the lamp off the assist by Max Cocchi (Ludlow, MA) to make it a 3-1 game going into the break.

The fireworks continued in the second period with the blue and gold scoring two power play goals in the first five minutes, both scored by Patrick Roginski (Shelby Twp., MI) and assisted by Cole Jungwirth (Bloomington, MN). Cam Lowe (Lancaster, MA) also picked up an assist on the first goal of the period as Wilkes extended the lead to 5-1.

Stevenson weren't to be counted out, scoring three unanswered goals in a six-minute period to close the lead to 5-4 Wilkes, including a shorthanded goal. At the end of a physical period that saw six penalties dished out, the Colonels still held the advantage.

Perna re-entered the game in the third period and made 11 saves to keep Stevenson off the board, while Joe Johnson (Midland, MI) put the final nail in the coffin for the Mustangs with an empty-net goal to take the lead to 6-4.

Roginski and Jungwirth led the Colonels with five shots, with the former leading in goals with two and the latter leading the team with two assists. Jordan led the team with 11 faceoff wins, with Cocchi also reaching double-digits with 10. In net, Duncan Rolleman (New Hamburg, ON) earned the decision with 26 saves through 39:58 of play, with Perna playing the last 20 minutes of the game.

Liam McCanney led Stevenson with two goals, while four Mustangs picked up assists. In goal, Ford DeLoss gave up five goals in 24:31 of play with eight saves, while Jake Hugessen played 33:58 with 16 saves.

The Colonels return to the ice in 2025 as they play Misericordia University at the Toyota SportsPlex on Friday, January 3. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.