#19 Ashton Nulty weaves through Georgia defensemen. Photo by Tye Brown.
MARIETTA — Kennesaw State club ice hockey moved to 4-9 on the season, falling to Georgia (D3) 9-2, defeating Alabama (D3) 5-3 and falling to Middle Tennessee State 13-1.
An over-capacity crowd filled the Atlanta Ice House on Friday night to watch the Owls take on cross-state opponent, Georgia (D3).
The Owls kept pace with UGA for a period, tying the score at 1-1 on a goal from Rhys Legault assisted by James Kravis and Will Cawston with 4:37 remaining the first.
KSU’s emphasis on physicality was clear early in the game as well, with board-shaking hits delivered by Kravis and Ashtony Nulty in the opening minutes.
The second period was all Bulldogs, UGA outscored the Owls 5-0 in the second 20 minutes, featuring goals from Ethan Johns, Mitchell Franklin, Jayden Price, George Lekkas and Will Celli.
Lekkas twice more to put Georgia ahead 8-1 early in the third period before Kravis added one more goal for the Owls, assisted by Legault.
Senior Matthew Schwanekamp added a final goal for the Bulldogs with 4:47 to play, bring the final score to 9-2.
Despite the lopsided final score, UGA didn’t greatly outshoot the Owls, putting 28 shots on net to KSU’s 27.
KSU goalie Nikoli Dunne recorded 16 saves, while UGA goalie Taveon Dees finished the game with 25.
The following day, the Owls defeated Alabama 5-3, the club’s fourth straight win over the Crimson Tide, but proceeded to fall 13-1 on the road to Middle Tennessee State, bringing their overall record to 4-9 on the season.
The Owls currently sit in 11th place in the College Hockey South Division 3 standings, with six points on the year.
KSU is set to return to the ice with back-to-back away games against Alabama Nov. 14 and 16, but will not return to play at home until Dec. 5 when they host Tennessee at the Atlanta Ice House.
