CANONSBURG, Pa. — The Elizabeth Forward Warriors officially returned to the varsity level in successful fashion on Tuesday night, defeating the Trinity Hillers 6-4 at Printscape Arena.
Dense fog was cast over the ice during their initial opener on Sept 30, when a game against Connellsville was suspended due to safety concerns.
On Tuesday, both teams battled for possession, with Trinity controlling the play early and keeping the Warriors from crossing center ice for more than a short rush at a time. Garrett Kristen found an opportunity on a broken play and opened the scoring late in the first, firing a rebound past Hillers starter Chase Bitz.
Michael Vasko extended the Elizabeth Forward lead to two in the second, only to have Matt Douglas find an opening in Warriors starter Billy Siemon’s stellar early play and cut that lead back to one. An unfortunate shot from behind the goal line from Ben Ruskay bounced off of Bitz and ended up behind the net, followed quickly by Vasko’s second of the night.
Corey Blommel opened the scoring for the Hillers in the third, but the Warriors netted goals from Chase Glunt and Tayte Donovan to pad the lead. A late flurry led to goals by Jeremy Hurd and Jake Snyder, but it was for naught as the Warriors held on late.
Siemon finished with 16 saves in the victory. Bitz stopped nine in the contest.
UP NEXT
Elizabeth Forward heads back to Rostraver Ice Garden to face Connellsville on Sept 21 in the make-up contest. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Trinity (1-2) hosts Morgantown at Printscape Arena on Oct 22. The puck will drop at 9:00 p.m for that contest.
