After making a long trek out to Arlington, Virginia, the boys took a huge victory on the road over St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School.  As the final buzzer rang, the Hoyas concluded an all around dominant night with a final score of 9-2.  Great play by the usual suspects, including a hattrick from junior Michael Melch, and strong showings by Ryan Howe, Jack Olson, and Ryan Holman, enabled the Hoyas to grab a resounding win on the road.  This win also came thanks to the stellar play and goals of junior Riley Backenstoe, senior Grady Shook  and junior netminder Dillon Nobel.

Just four minutes into the contest, freshman defenseman Max Newnam popped one home off a juicy rebound.  After junior Riley Backenstoe let one fly to the pads of the Saints’ goalie, the freshman utilized the opportunity to put the puck where it belongs.  Just five minutes later, at the 6:17 mark, junior Michael Melch notched the second of the night thanks to a rocket pass from big man Jake Neeb in the corner.  Again, the Saints had no reply.  Clearly junior Ryan Holman felt just a two goal lead was not enough as he followed up Melch’s goal with one of his own. Smartly positioning himself in front of the net, Holman was in the right place at the right time to deflect a bomb shot from Jack Olson at the blue line right into the back of the net.  The Hoyas concluded the first period with a vast 3-0  lead.

As the second period started, the Saints replied with a goal at the 14:14 mark.  The boys in blue, however, would not stand for this.  Similar to the third goal of the night, the fourth came thanks to a blast from Jack Olson to a waiting Michael Melch in front of the net.  Melch chalked up his second of the game with this deflection.  Five minutes after this one, at the 3:25 mark, junior Riley Backenstoe knocked home a beauty in front of the net thanks to the smart play of Jin Kim and a laser pass from Ryan Holman.  The boys finished the second period with a 5-1 lead.

If they had not already, the Hoyas truly separated themselves in the third.  Senior sniper Ryan Howe started the scoring after freshman Max Newnam lobbed one right off the opposing goalie’s pads.  Howe took the rebound and clocked in the sixth goal of the night for the Hoyas in just under three minutes after the start of the third. Junior backup goalie Dillon Nobel got the nod from Coach Fritz to take the position between the pipes.  Despite giving up a quick one, the junior netminder made multiple saves before the game’s conclusion.  At the 8:06 mark, Ryan Howe scratched in his second goal of the period after a connection with Jake Neeb.  The Hoyas now moved their lead to 7-2.  With just 3:25 remaining, former Varsity 2 legend Grady “bruiser” Shook showed all his devoted fans how he got the nickname.  The senior followed in the shot of Max Newnam and proceeded to rough up the opposing goal tender, while at the same time somehow managing to force the biscuit between the pipes.  The bruiser notched the 8th goal of the night.  Junior Michael Melch finished off the  scoring thanks to an assist from Ryan Howe.

As the final buzzer rang, the Hoyas took this one in dominant fashion moving their record up to 4-2.  The boys look forward to a busy week with three quick games, concluding the stint with a much-anticipated Senior Night game Friday January 24th at 6:15 in the friendly confines of Cabin John against St. Albans.  Follow @GPrepHockey on twitter for live tweets and updates on all Prep Hockey matters.