Pitt hockey splits pair vs. area foes

It was a weekend of mixed emotions for the Pitt men’s Division I club hockey team, splitting… It was a weekend of mixed emotions for the Pitt men’s Division I club hockey team, splitting its games against Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock.

The Panthers traveled to IUP on Friday, winning a 6-5 nail-biter against the Crimson Hawks.

Freshman forward Graham Cohen led the charge for the Panthers, scoring two goals and dishing out two assists. Forwards Matt Lazzaro and Ryan Severyn each tallied two goals, and goalie Ed Nusser had 40 saves.

It was a different story on Saturday, though. Pitt dropped a 4-0 decision to Slippery Rock at home.

Although Slippery Rock out shot the Panthers by only two, Pitt couldn’t finish any opportunities and failed to build on any momentum from Friday’s win. The Panthers (6-3) will be back in action on Friday night when they face Buffalo.

Zipping past Akron

The Pitt Division III club team took home a clutch win against Akron in a shootout on Saturday, overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the third period.

Forward Mark Barakat scored twice on power plays in the third, cutting Akron’s lead to one. Just two minutes later, Mike Dziura scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season to send the game into overtime.

Neither team could come up with any scoring in overtime, leaving a shootout to determine the outcome of the game.

Defenseman Matt Haught finally ended the deadlock by beating Akron’s goaltender five-hole and ending the game. The Division III Panthers face West Virginia and California (Pa.) this weekend on the road.