Monday, December 21, 2015 by Matt Seehusen
After not starting the past two games, Saratoga senior goalie Danny Hobbs wanted to make an impact in his return to the ice. He did just that by allowing no goals in a 9-0 shutout against the Shaker/Colonie Jets on Friday, December 18.
“It was a good feeling,” said Hobbs. “The whole team played a great game and I’m happy that I got to be a part of it and help with the win.”
Hobbs, who has been sharing ice time with senior goaltender Tom Fornabia, hasn’t gotten the starting nod since December 9, when the Blue Streaks beat Guilderland/Mohonasen 13-0.
“Tom has been playing great for us and has really earned his success,” Hobbs said of Fornabia. “I knew what I had to do coming into this one and was glad I could help build on success we’ve been having this season.”
Saratoga notched their first goal of the night seven minutes into the first period, when junior Ryan Robens slipped the puck past Shaker/Colonie goaltender Ali Caruso. Senior forward Colin Paton extended the Blue Streaks lead to 2-0 with a goal of his own, just forty seconds later. The Jets couldn’t seem to generate many offensive chances against a strong Saratoga defense, getting merely five shots on goal in the first period. At the halfway point of the first period, Saratoga senior captain Elliott Hungerford scored his first goal of the night off a pass from junior forward Jake Fauler, making it 3-0 for the Blue Streaks.
“As a team I thought we did a lot of things right tonight,” said Hungerford. “Our team defense was great, I don’t think they got a shot up in the last period and a half. Things are clicking right now.”
Fauler found the back of the net with seven minutes left in the first, adding to the Blue Streaks’ offensive onslaught. Eight minutes into the second period, Saratoga junior forward Jonathan Luse shot a pass from Fauler past Shaker/Colonie’s Caruso, giving Saratoga a 5-goal lead. Just thirty seconds later, Fauler picked up his third assist of the night when senior captain Josh Dagle found the back of the net for the Blue Streaks’ sixth goal of the night.
“Fauler was unreal,” Hungerford said. “Some of the passes he made were just ridiculous. He’s been playing great so far this year.”
Forty-seven seconds into the final period of play, Hungerford tallied his second goal of the night, creating an 8-0 deficit. Just about six minutes later, the captain beat the Jets’ defense yet again, earning himself a hat trick off of another Fauler assist.
“It felt great but I think it was just a testament to how Jake, Josh (Dagle), and I were playing as a line,” said Hungerford. “I just happened to be the one that scored three but with the way we were moving the puck it could have been any of us.”
With about 14 minutes left to play, Fauler tallied his second goal, giving Saratoga their ninth and final goal of the game. A powerful Saratoga defense held the Jets’ to 0 shots on goal in the third period, and only allowed six in the whole game.
With this impressive win, Saratoga improves to 5-1 overall on the season, and looks to continue their five-game win streak when they take on Bethlehem on Wednesday, December 23 at the Bethlehem Area YMCA.
“They’re one of the best teams in the section, so it should be a battle,” Hungerford said of the team’s next opponent. “If we keep doing the little things right we’ll have a really good chance of getting the outcome we want.”