On Friday, December 5 in front of a crowd of countless Hoyas as well as a fair amount of Eagles, the nation’s capital’s premier Jesuit high schools put their undefeated seasons on the chopping block. Unfortunately, Prep could not withstand Gonzaga’s assault, falling to the Eagles by a score of 4-2 in the season’s first loss.
All started off well when Johnny Mac Mulera found Michael Melch in front of the net for an early goal, making the Hoyas were the first to tack one onto the scoreboard. Hopes stayed high as the boys maintained their lead throughout the end of the first and about halfway into the second when the Eagles evened up the tally 1-1. Things fell apart right after this goal when a Hoya was sent to the box for a 5 minute un-releasable penalty after a controversial charging call. The Eagles reaped the benefits of the penalty, making use of their one-man advantage to rack up the remaining three of their four goals, all of which were scored in the second period. The squad played their hearts out and gave their all to try and overcome this deficit, but unfortunately they just couldn’t pull it off. Blaine Green did bury one last goal with an assist from Max Newnam, ending the scoring at 4 goals to 2.
This loss was a learning experience, and now that the team has seen what the Eagles can do, they are eager to take them on when we meet again on January 9th, 2015. Next week the Hoyas will face the Saints of St. Stephen’s St. Agnes on Monday and the Bulldogs of St. Alban’s on Thursday, both at Rockville Ice Arena. Hoya Saxa!