BY WILL POLADIAN, SPORTS EDITOR
St. Bonaventure traveled north to the Buffalo State Ice Arena to take on the Buffalo State Bengals on Saturday.
The Bonnies took a commanding lead and never looked back, winning in blowout fashion, 12-2.
“I think that we executed our gameplan in every way, ” said freshman right winger Michael Robertson. “We played very well in our own zone and pressured their defense into making mistakes. We tried not to overcomplicate things and get shots on net when we could. I think that we can improve on not getting too complacent when we are up and never letting the other team back into the game.”
Freshman left winger Michael Clouden got the game started early with a goal just 57 seconds into play. Clouden also had an assist.
Two more goals by Roberston and junior left winger Mason Meggo respectively put the Bonnies (9-0-2) out 3-0 early. Meggo ended the game with two goals and three assists.
“I had a lot of opportunities to score during that game,” Meggo said.” I was honestly kind of disappointed with myself that I didn’t bury more than 2 goals. I am a big fan of shots on net as any shot is a good shot. Luck was on my side for those two shots that happened to sneak in. Our line was absolutely buzzing all game and created dozens of scoring opportunities.”
By the end of the first period, St. Bonaventure led, 5-0.
The scoring was far from over as defenseman Bryce Herpin scored his first goal of the season to extend the lead to six.
Buffalo State (2-10-0) got on the board as left winger Benjamin Gallivan put one in the back of the net.
The Bonnies scored four more goals, capped off by back-to-back goals by center Thomas Wahl, to lead, 10-1, going into the final period.
“Driving to the front of the net and picking up loose rebounds in front was the key to both of my goals on Saturday,” Wahl said. “My linemates did a great job of positioning themselves in open areas of the ice to try and get a shot on net.”
During the period, Owen Hughes tacked on his team leading 15th goal of the season.
“Having 15 goals doesn’t mean much to me, because our team is playing to win, and we aren’t a selfish team,” Hughes said. “My line consists of two unreal players, Mason Meggo and Michael Robertson, so it makes it easier to score goals when playing with guys who are that good.”
Meggo has high praise for his linemate.
“Hughesy is the center on my line and is probably the best line mate I have ever played with,” Meggo said. “Not only does he score consistently but he is also constantly creating great opportunities for myself and Robertson. He is never selfish with the puck and always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. Hughes is also one of the biggest driving forces on our powerplay and penalty kill. He plays both ends of the ice at an extremely high level with consistency.”
Midway through the third period, Gallivan scored again making the score, 10-2.
That’s all the scoring the Bengals did as Bonaventure tacked on two more, with the final goal coming from Robertson, ending his night with a hat trick while also tallying an assist.
“My teammates were looking for me in open spaces and passing me the puck,” Robertson said. “They made it easy for me to find the back of the net.”
The Bonnies look to keep the streak alive as they head to Elmira, New York this weekend to take part in the three-day UNYCHL/Empire showcase at First Arena. Their first game is against Farmingdale State on Nov. 18 at 5 p.m.
“If our team can continue to focus on our forecheck, getting good quality shots on net, and limiting the other team’s chances in our own zone, I don’t see our undefeated record changing,” Wahl said.
poladiwj20@bonaventure.edu
