MORRISVILLE, NY – Chatham Men's Hockey (9-2-0, 4-2-0 UCHC) defeated SUNY Morrisville (2-8-2, 1-3-2 SUNYAC) on Saturday, 5-1, in their first matchup of the new year. 

In the first period, the Cougars came out on the attack, peppering the Mustangs with 19 shots on goal. At 12:21, senior forward Oscar Saarinen would find the back of the net to break the deadlock. Saarinen's 1st goal of the season was assisted by Caden Pendo and Camden Davis. Four minutes later, SUNY Morrisville took a minor penalty, giving Chatham a golden opportunity to extend its lead. 30 seconds into the powerplay, junior Andrew Martino put one home, assisted by Kowin Blesterling, putting the Cougars up 2-0. 

The Cougars' relentless attack continued in the second period. They added another 14 shots on goal but were unable to solve the Mustangs' netminder at any point in the frame. Chatham kept their two-goal lead, thanks in large part to the strong effort of junior goaltender Cameron Kuntar. After making 7 saves in the first, Kuntar remained perfect on the night, making 10 additional saves to preserve the lead. 

In the third, the Cougars would put the game out of reach. Six minutes into the final frame, junior Michael Roby would fire his team's leading 9th goal of the season into the back of the net to put the Cougars up three. Roby's powerplay goal was assisted by Jake LaRusso and Nick Cyprian.  Less than a minute later, sophomore Dylan Young would get in on the action, scoring his 1st goal of the season, from Kadsen Johnson and Oscar Saarinen, extending the lead to 4-0. At the 13:55 mark, SUNY Morrisville would cut the lead to 4-1 after capitalizing on a power play of their own. Junior Jake LaRusso would add another goal from Michael Roby and Caden Pendo to clinch the final score of 5-1. 

Cameron Kuntar would end the night stopping 29 of 30 shots, earning his 7th win of the season. Caden Pendo's two-point night also extended his point streak to 3 games. Four Cougars would add multi-point nights, and the Cougars as a team were an efficient 50% on the power play.  

The Cougars will face off against the Mustangs in game two of their series tomorrow, Sunday, January 4. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 pm.