BELOIT, WI – In a Friday night matchup at the Woodman's Sports & Convention Center, the Beloit College Buccaneers (2-12-1, 1-6-0 WIAC) displayed a resilient attitude against a high-powered Saint Mary's University squad. While the Cardinals (7-6-1, 3-3-0 MIAC) ultimately secured an 8-1 victory, the final score belied several stretches of the game where the Buccaneers dictated the pace and challenged the visitors with aggressive offensive pressure.
From the opening puck drop, the Buccaneers found themselves tested by a barrage of 17 first-period shots from the Cardinals. However, the Beloit defensive unit, anchored by goaltender Andrew Yocum (St. Louis, MO), refused to break early. Yocum turned away 16 of those 17 shots, keeping the Buccaneers within striking distance at 1-0 heading into the first intermission. A standout performance on the blue line came from Sam Holy (Chicago, IL), who led the team with four blocked shots, epitomizing the defensive sacrifice required to stay in the game.
The true turning point in Beloit's competitive energy occurred in the second period. Despite SMU adding to their lead, the Buccaneers flipped the script on offensive production. Beloit outshot the Cardinals 14 to 9 in the middle frame, led by the relentless puck-hunting of Ben Stewart (Dayton, OH). Stewart was a constant thorn in the side of the SMU defense, finishing the night with a team-high eight shots on goal.
This surge in offensive zone time forced Saint Mary's into several defensive lapses, though the Buccaneers were momentarily snake-bitten by the crossbar and a strong performance from SMU's Logan Abric.
The Buccaneers' persistence finally paid off early in the third period. At the 04:02 mark, Ethan Rubin (Long Grove, IL) found the back of the net for his first goal of the season. The play was a result of crisp puck movement, with Nik Johnson (Minneapolis, MN) and Kaden Milles (Fairbanks, AK) earning the assists.
The goal sparked a definitive momentum shift for Beloit. For the remainder of the third period, the Buccaneers matched the Cardinals shot-for-shot, with both teams tallying 17 attempts in the final frame. Valerii Kneib (Dmitrov, Russia) joined Stewart in the offensive assault, firing five shots on net and keeping the SMU defense on their heels until the final whistle.
The Buccaneers look to turn their monemtum around when they host Hiram College on Sunday and Monday. Puck drop for Sunday is set for 8:30 pm while Monday is set for 1 pm.
