The Butler Bulldogs hockey team dropped both their games this weekend to the Miami University RedHawks with final scores of 2-0 and 9-2.
The RedHawks field a much larger roster than the Bulldogs and have had over 30 players play at least one game a year for them. The Dawgs endured a number of injuries on the weekend and by game 2 were playing with only 13 total skaters.
In game 1, Miami’s Robert Berner opened up the scoring early off a Butler turnover to take an early lead. The RedHawks added another goal late in the period from Evan Ingram to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
Butler’s freshman goaltender Ryan Dyball stood on his head for the remainder of the game making 52 saves in the game. However, the Dawgs couldn’t solve the Miami goaltender Jack Spaulding who made 29 saves in the shutout.
In game 2 the following morning, the teams took the ice at the Goggin Ice Arena, the Division 1 hockey rink on campus. This clearly fired up the hometown RedHawks as they led the game from start to finish. Butler had goals from leading scorer Brady Murphy and senior captain Eric Gentry. Both of the Bulldog goals were quickly answered by the RedHawk goals. Miami then took the game over and scored 6 unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.
The Butler Bulldogs move to 7-6-1 on the season and move on to their toughest test of the year, the Indiana University Hoosiers. They are nationally ranked in Division 3 and beat the Bulldogs three times last year. The first game on Friday will be a benefit game for the Kappa Foundation and is also Senior Night. The four soon to be graduates, Noah Brayton, Eric Gentry, Hunter Byram, and Jack Sigman, were four of the founding members when the club team was granted its charter three years ago. Game 1 starts at 9:15 PM and game 2 starts at 3:40 PM in Bloomington.
