John Carroll's top forward line of Charlie Tuggey, Colin Cronin, and Tanner Plinta continue to lead the way in scoring, tallying all 4 goals in Saturday's contest against Robert Morris.
The Blue Streaks open CHMA divisional play 2-0-0 with victories over Duquesne and Robert Morris, remaining unbeaten at home through their first 5 home games.
PITTSBURGH, Penn. & GATES MILLS, Ohio - The #22 ranked JCU Club Hockey extends their unbeaten run to 3 straight games and remains undefeated at home through their first 5 home games this season, defeating Duquesne on the road 5-2 on Friday before coming back home and defeating Robert Morris 4-2 on Saturday.Â
This weekend saw the first 2 matchups for College Hockey Mid America divisional play, with the Blue Streaks heading on the road Friday night to play the Duquesne Dukes. The game started slowly, and Duquesne would strike first late in the first period, but graduate forward Charlie Tuggey responded just 24 seconds later, collecting his fifth goal of the season to tie the game at 1. From there, a major penalty saw the Blue Streaks score twice on the ensuing powerplay, with both Zach Zemrac and Camden Martin finding the back of the net on the man advantage.Â
Graduate defenseman Henry Cseh extended the John Carroll lead to 4-1 late in the second period, collecting his third goal of the season. In the third period, Duquesne rallied to the lead to two with under two minutes remaining in the game. However, with the net empty, first year JD Sega found the insurance marker, giving the Blue Streaks a commanding 5-2 victory.
Heading back home, the Blue Streaks looked to win their fifth straight home game and remain undefeated in Gates Mills, taking on the Robert Morris Colonials. John Carroll quickly opened the game with 3 unanswered goals in the first period, with Charlie Tuggey, Tanner Plinta and Colin Cronin all finding their names on the scoresheet early.Â
From there, Robert Morris responded both late in the second period and early in the third, cutting the deficit to just 1 goal. The first line, however, would strike once again for the Blue Streaks, with Colin Cronin scoring his second goal of the game to ensure a 4-2 John Carroll victory.Â
With 2 victories this weekend, the Blue Streaks moved to a 7-3-0 overall record, with a perfect 2-0-0 CHMA division record. Sophomore goalie Austin Muirhead had a combined 67 saves on 71 shots across both games, and the netminder now leads all of ACHA Men's Division 1 hockey in wins with 7 so far this season. Junior forward Colin Cronin continues to lead the way in scoring for the Blue Streaks, tallying 6 total points with 2 goals last weekend. Cronin finds himself third in the nation for total points this season with 23, and ninth in goals with 11. Defenseman Henry Cseh also continued his excellent run of form, tacking another goal onto the scoresheet in Friday's contest. The captain continues to lead CHMA hockey in goals, assists, and points, with 11 points and 3 goals so far this season.
The #22 Blue Streaks now look to next weekend with 2 critical CHMA rivalry matchups on the docket. On Friday, John Carroll travels to Morgantown, West Virginia to play the West Virginia Mountaineers in a CHMA tournament final rematch before coming back to Gates Mills on Saturday to play CHMA rival Kent State.
