Both Alex Doughtery and Kam Clark saw their first starts of the 2023-24 season. The senior Dougherty stood tall and made 26 saves on 29 shots.

First Period

The Spartans started the scoring as Cam Hurley, off a pass from Dougherty, collected his rebound and shot the puck behind Kam Clark at 7:57. Hurley would then head to the penalty box for a tripping call. Logan Ormsby for the Vipers had quite a few solid chances and was quarterbacking the power play but could not score. The Vipers would encounter even worse luck as Dylan Parks got called for roughing. Homestead would get the first power-play goal of FWAHA league play as Dan Martinsky got the goal unassisted. Homestead would head to the penalty kill as Jacob Llewellyn got called for a trip. The Vipers would get within one as with 41 seconds left, Jackson Bertels scored off his rebound, the puck gliding under the crossbar and back out.

Second Period

All of the momentum that the Vipers might have had going into the quick intermission was shortly lost. They committed two infractions, 44 seconds apart for the five-on-three. Cam Hurley got his second goal off a one-timer from Andrew Litwinko at 10:29. Almost exactly four minutes after the goal, the Vipers would be down a man once more; this time, Simon Watson was called for slashing. The Spartans would get the fourth power play foal of the night, with Dan Martinsky shooting the puck from Jacob Gerber after stealing the puck out from under John Goodine’s skates. Kamryn Clark’s night was done; the Junior made 16 saves on 20 shots. Brody Rosswurm would get his second stint in league play with the Vipers. The Vipers would get another penalty to finish the period, as Khristian Williams headed off for a trip at 1:33.

Third Period

Homestead and FW would trade penalties as the game’s intensity heightened. No goals would be scored until 1:12 when Jackson Bertels shot topshelf after coming out of the penalty box. Homestead took a penalty (Daniel Martinsky off for high sticking), and the Vipers took their time out. Nicholas Vanryn scored off a feed from Bertels and Scully to try and get within one with 30 seconds left. However, the comeback was not meant to be. The Vipers finished with 29 shots on goal as the Spartans finished with 27 and the win, 4-3.

10/25/23

This article was written by Fiona Quinn