HARMAR TWP., Pa. — Many Pitt Panther fans had mixed emotions over the weekend as they witnessed their teams obtain contrasting results; while the women took both games from a short-bench Ohio State squad on Saturday and Sunday, the men dropped two games to Drexel, 2-1 and 4-1, on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.
MEN LOSE SEVENTH STRAIGHT, FALL TO 2-8: The Panthers continued to be plagued by a lack of offensive production as they dropped Friday night’s contest, 2-1, and Saturday night’s rematch, 4-1, to the Drexel Dragons. Pitt took an early 1-0 lead in the first period Friday on a goal by Trevor Handlovich and looked to extend the lead with several chances in the first period. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Dragons put two of their own into the back of the net, as Drexel would prevail 2-1. On Saturday, Drexel took the 1-0 lead midway through the second. Less than two minutes later, Jacob Tepe broke his three-game scoring drought to tie the game at one. The Dragons would get three more goals, including an empty-netter, to seal the 4-1 sweep. Matt Snader saved 18 of 21 shots. Through six starts, Snader has allowed 15 goals. He owns a 0.931 SV% and a 2.52 GAA.
MAJOR FOCUS: PANTHERS DROP SERIES AGAINST DREXEL
The bright news for Pitt is that goaltender Garet Ciaramella seemed to finally turn the corner, saving 16 of 18 shots Friday night, allowing only the two power play goals. He has improved his save percentage over 90 percent, to 0.909. He still holds a 3.50 GAA. The Panther’s offense seems to still be on vacation. Forward Milo Defay had five goals in the first four games but has not recorded a point in the last six games. The other scoring leaders, Trent Thomas (5), Alex Crilley (5), and Jacob Tepe (6), have been part of the drought as well. Thomas has not recorded a point in any of the last four games. Crilley is on a two-game drought. Tepe scored the lone goal in Saturday night’s 4-1 loss, but went three games without a point before that.
WOMEN TAKE DOWN THE BUCKEYES: The Panthers started their weekend with a close 1-0 win over Ohio State Saturday night. Pitt seemed to take control of the game early on, putting several shots on goal in the first period but were unable to find the back of the net. The name of the game was defense, with the self-titled “Buckeye 9” playing with a 3-woman bench. Freshman goaltender Alexis Peters practically stood on her head, fighting off every attempt the Panthers made to break the scoreless tie. Facing 33 shots during the course of the game, the lone goal given up was one that simply deflected underneath Peters’ pads and trickled slowly into the net. Before she could react, the goal had counted.
The Panthers took the second game, on Sunday morning, 3-0.
MAJOR FOCUS: Pitt Women sweep Ohio State
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Weekend scores from around the CHMA:
Friday:
Duquesne 1, Buffalo 6 (MeltDownTown Showcase Buffalo, NY)
Drexel 2, PITT 1
Slippery Rock 2, KENT STATE 4
Robert Morris 4, JOHN CARROLL 2
Mercyhurst 1, Rochester College 4 (MeltDownTown Showcase Buffalo, NY)
Oswego 2, IUP 0
Saturday:
Duquesne 4, Rochester College 8 (MeltDownTown Showcase Buffalo, NY)
Drexel 4, PITT 1
Kent State 5, SLIPPERY ROCK 4
John Carroll 1, ROBERT MORRIS 2
Mercyhurst 0, Canisius 11 (MeltDownTown Showcase Buffalo, NY)
Oswego 3, IUP 6
Sunday:
Duquesne 4, Canisius 7 (MeltDownTown Showcase Buffalo, NY)
Mercyhurst 1, Toledo 8 (MeltDownTown Showcase Buffalo, NY)
CHMA STANDINGS
Robert Morris has seemed to right their ship, winning five of their last six games after dropping five of their first six. The value of their three conference wins over Mercyhurst and John Carroll could be of some concern if they cannot turn those wins against higher quality opponents. No other conference action took place over the weekend. Six of the eight CHMA teams (all except Robert Morris and Mercyhurst), play at least one conference game the weekend of November 9, which includes the second city game of the year between Pitt and Duquesne on November 10 at Alpha Ice Complex.
| Team | W | L | OTL | Points | Games Played (Out of 14) |
| Indiana (PA) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| Duquesne | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| Robert Morris (PA) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Slippery Rock | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| West Virginia | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Mercyhurst | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| John Carroll | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Check out the ACHA schedule here for upcoming ACHA games.
