The Hopkins hockey team squared off against Dickinson College Saturday night in their annual Greek Night event. With the fans cheering hard and the senior-led Hopkins team pushing for a victory, Dickinson couldn't withstand the pressure. The Jays took the contest, 7-6. With this latest success, the squad now has a six-run winning streak.
The game started off slow, with Hopkins trailing the Dickinson Red Devils by three goals. Even with an entire period gone, the Devils had held the Jays scoreless.
"The winter storm earlier in the week cancelled both of our practices, [and] we think that's why we came out a little flat," senior captain Jeff Warren said. The Devils jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. But if Dickinson gained any confidence, it was short-lived. Starting in the second period, Hopkins came out strong.
"We put in a lot of work to organize the `Greek Night' event and we wanted to put on a good show c9 so in between the periods we took it a little less serious and started the second period just trying to have fun," Warren said.
The show started off with a goal by senior left wing Peter Livadas, putting the Jays on the scoreboard. That was the spark that ignited the fireworks. Following Livadas's goal were four more notches on the scoreboard, including one from senior center Scott Spratlen and an incredible one-period hat trick from freshman left wing Alex Satin. Satin already had the fans in a frenzy when he executed the most amazing score of the three: mid-fall, with a crowd-riveting spinning backhand shot.
"Goal of the season c9 Alex stepped it up for us," Coach Jeremy Sarnovsky said when asked about the play. At the end of the second period, Hopkins was up 5-3.
With the third and final period upon them, both teams rallied hard. Not to be outdone, Spratlen completed his own hat trick with two goals, one off a resounding slap shot. The score was 7-3, but Dickinson had not traveled all the way to the Patterson Park rink for nothing. The Red Devils buckled down and began a hard-nosed comeback late in the game, making the third period an exciting one. Hopkins, however, had battled hard for its lead and was not about to lose it in the last part of the match. The Red Devils scored three more, making the final score a close one. But it was a clear Hopkins victory, 7-6.
The event drew a huge Hopkins crowd, with a prize going to the Greek organization with the highest attendance. Taunts filled the air, along with signs making off-color plays on Dickinson's name (you get the idea).
"The fans were phenomenal c9. They rooted during big plays, hits, goals, and did a hilarious job of psyching out our opponents and refs," sophomore left wing Rajiv Mallipudi said. And although the fans might have gotten inside the heads of the Red Devils, the Hopkins team was also glad just to have support from the stands.
"Having a big crowd definitely gave an edge to the team," Sarnovsky said.
The game was a somber reminder to several seniors, however, that the end of their Hopkins hockey careers was near. Luke Kozumbo, Evan Miller, Peter Livadas, Scott Spratlen, James "Lance" Weisheit, Dave Johnson, Jeff Warren, Lenny Genovese, Kerim Eken and Joe Romano are all hanging up their jerseys after the end of this season.
"It's a pretty close-knit group of guys. Because we're all such good friends, we love [playing hockey] c9 we don't mind that we sometimes get back from games at 2 a.m. on a Saturday," Warren said.
In addition, Sarnovsky is finishing his last year as hockey coach. "We played one of the toughest schedules in D-3 hockey this year, and I do not believe our record is indicative of how good a team we are. I'm hoping we can win the playoff championship."
The Blue Jays will be facing off against Salisbury this Friday night in Frederick, Md., for the first round of the playoffs.
