Molly Linder March 18, 2022
On Friday, March 18, Georgia defeated the University of New Hampshire 6-2 in the first game of the CHF national championship tournament.
In the first period, the game was somewhat evenly matched, with neither team able to break the 0-0 tie.
In the second period, the Ice Dawgs were on the board first with a goal from sophomore forward Josh Mesaros with assists from sophomore defenseman Lleyton Poole and junior forward Matthew Bigda.
After Mesaros broke the tie, the goals began to flood in for Georgia.
“I think it was a really good offensive game for us,” said junior goalie Nick Newbold. “We dominated them in their offensive zone.”
Following Mesaros’s goal, freshman forward Trevor Gutmann extended Georgia’s lead with another goal with assists from freshman defenseman Jack Gannon and sophomore forward Sam Adler.
The Ice Dawgs continued to dominate offensively with another goal from Georgia native Mesaros with assists from Bigda and Poole.
Before heading into the third period, UNH scored, bringing the score to 3-1.
In the third period, the Ice Dawgs extended their lead with goals from junior forward Zac Maurer, sophomore defenseman Zach Puma and Adler, bringing the score to 6-1.
The Georgia scoring stopped there, while UNH scored one last goal. However, UNH were unable to overcome Georgia’s dominant offense and defense. Georgia won its first pool play and tournament game with a final score of 6-2.
“It was a good game,” said junior forward William MacDonald. “It was a pretty good game for getting off the plane and I think that it is just going to get better from here.”
Next, Georgia will face the University of Alabama at 9:00 p.m. in its second pool play game.
“We control our own destiny at this point, if we play hard and we play our game, we will win,” said Mesaros.
Georgia played Alabama on October 17 and 22, one in Athens, Georgia at the Akins Ford Arena at The Classic Center and the other at the Pelham Civic Complex in Pelham, Alabama. Georgia won both games, 6-4 and 4-1.
“We are definitely confident and we know that it is our game to lose,” said Adler. “We took them down twice with a depleted roster, we know we can win tomorrow.”
