The three consecutive home victories have brought the Scots back to 6-4 overall and 1-1 in conference.† The team began the three game homestand with a 16-6 victory over St. Vincent College on March 24.† Pat Coyne ’10 led the charge with four goals, including a first quarter hat trick, as well as an assist.
The highlight of the season thus far was the following game against Denison University on March 27.† The night game brought the Big Red, who were ranked sixth in NCAA Div. III before the contest, to Wooster.† The exciting contest featured eight lead changes, and the game was tied heading into the fourth quarter.† Another goal from Coyne gave Wooster a 12-10 lead, but the crowd was silenced as Denison’s Emmett Jones scored to pull the Big Red within one goal with 1:21 on the clock.
After a key face-off win by Matt Pullara ’11, Denison forced a turnover and had an offensive possession with less then a minute in the game.† After struggling to find an open look, a Denison attacker pulled back for a shot with 10 seconds left, but was checked by defenseman Ryan Story ’10, causing a loose ball that was fought for as time expired.
Wooster gave Denison its first loss of the season in the Big Red’s conference opener.† It was Wooster’s first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since 2004.† The victory also ended an 18-game losing streak to Denison, dating back to 1991.† For the second straight game, Coyne paced the Wooster offense with another four goals, one assist performance.† Dan McVarish ’10 put in three goals, and Joe Suliman ’11 scored twice.
The Scots kept the streak going, with a 12-7 victory over the College of Mount St. Joseph on March 31. Coyne continued his offensive explosion, tallying another four goals to increase his team lead to 22 on the season.
As the second quarter began in a 3-3 tie, Wooster took control and never looked back, going on a 6-1 run that lasted into the third. The Lions (2-7) brought the deficit back to 10-7 with 5:07 left in the final quarter, but there comeback attempt was quickly halted by Pullara, who won the ensuing face-off and scored just 10 seconds later. On top of Coyne’s four scores, Alex Mies ’10 added two goals and three assists, and Casey McGann ’12 had an assist on top of his own hat trick.
The Scots took their winning streak on the road, successfully defeating Trine University (3-4). After swapping goals to start the game, the Scots responded with 10 unanswered goals in route to a 13-3 victory. Wooster returns home for two games this weekend. Tonight the Scots will face Albion College at 6 p.m. and Sunday afternoon Colorado College will come to John P. Papp Stadium at noon.