CLINTON, N.Y. – The Skidmore College ice hockey team kept its offensive prowess going despite the 22-day break, getting five goals past Hamilton in a 5-2 victory at historic Clinton Arena Sunday afternoon.
 
Skidmore wins its third straight game, improving to 7-5-1 overall. Hamilton falls to 4-4-1.
 
It was another balanced offensive effort for the Thoroughbreds, who have tallied three or more goals in each of the last five games. Tim Allen led the Thoroughbreds with three points, via a goal and two assists. Matt Muzyka increased his points streak to nine games, contributing a goal and assist for two points. Paul Vella also tallied a goal and assist for two points. Mike Gelatt tallied his first career goal in his third game back from injury, and Avery Steele completed the Thoroughbred goal scoring. Austin Rook tallied two assists, with Brandon Borges, John Litscher, Jake McCarthy, and Corey Morgan adding assists.
 
Brian Kowalski picked up his third consecutive victory in net, stopping an impressive 44 Hamilton shots, including 18 in the third period.
 
Jason Brochu and Jordi Jefferson each scored for the Continentals. Bennett Morrison added two assists. Anthony Tirabassi made 30 saves in the loss.
 
As an evenly played first period came to a close, the Thoroughbreds ramped up the pressure and solved the Hamilton goalie on a pair of heady plays 1:20 apart. On the first goal, Rook lined up a shot from the left side which was kicked away by the Hamilton goalie, but into the waiting stick of Gelatt, who knocked in his first collegiate goal at 18:04. Just over a minute later, Borges raced along the right boards on the odd-man advantage, finding Litscher in the middle. Litscher would then feed Vella on the left side, knocking in the goal at 19:24. Skidmore held a 14-11 shots on goal advantage into the second period.
 
The second period was a wild one offensively in which the two teams split four goals. Hamilton tallied a pair of early goals 4:15 apart, tying the game at two. Not long after, Skidmore took advantage of a Hamilton penalty, scoring on the power-play goal to take the lead. With the man advantage, a cross-ice pass by Muzyka on the right side found Rook. He would find Steele near the slot who would knock the chance home at 8:18. A few minutes later in the period, McCarthy and Allen would find Muzyka on a pass from the blue line, and Muzyka would fire the puck just behind the net. The puck bounced towards the goalie's skate, taking a lucky bounce into the net as Skidmore retook the two-goal lead at 11:06.
 
Skidmore would hold off Hamilton in the third period, keeping the hosts off the board despite the Hamilton extra-man opportunities. Allen would finish off the game for the Thoroughbreds, tallying the empty-net goal with 49 seconds to go in regulation. Vella and Morgan added the assists.
 
The two teams will complete the home-and-home series on Monday at the Saratoga City Rink at 4 pm.