On Wednesday, April 18, the #9-ranked Dickinson Red Devils hosted Muhlenberg in what looked to be a colossal mismatch as Muhlenberg entered the contest still looking for its first Centennial Conference victory. Although Dickinson won by a comfortable nine-goal margin, the upset-minded Mules kept things interesting in the first half before the Devils pulled away in the final two periods en route to a 15-6 victory.

A pair of early goals by George Mazarakis ’15 answered early tallies by the visitors, as the teams ended the first period locked at three. The Devils were able to take a 5-3 lead in the second half as Parker Waldron ’12 and Sam Abramson ’12 each found the back of the net. The Mules, however, scored with 12 seconds left to cut the lead to one entering the break. The third quarter was a different story as Dickinson finally found some separation with a 5-0 run to extend the lead to 10-4. Brian Cannon ’14 led the charge with a hat trick in the third quarter alone. The game was well in hand by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, but some sloppy play from the Red Devils allowed the Mules to score twice to start the period and make things interesting. Dickinson quickly responded, however, tallying five straight to close out the game. The win moved the team to 11-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Greg Hanley’13 turned in undoubtedly the best performance of his career with 24 saves on the day, ten of those coming in the fourth quarter as Muhlenberg tried to furiously mount a comeback. Matt Cherry’13 finished the day with two goals and an assist to tally his 100th point of his career. With two games left the Red Devils controlled their own destiny. A win against F&M would set up the biggest match up of the year against Gettysburg with a chance to host the Centennial Conference playoffs on the line.

On Saturday, April 21, the Red Devils were stunned, however, falling in double overtime on the road to the Diplomats 11-10. Franklin & Marshall came into the contest battling for a playoff spot, as the team’s desperation fueled them to the improbable victory. Tyler White ’15 and Christian Beitel ’13 struck early for the Devils, with two tallies for the Diplomats sandwiched between them, to make it a 2-2 game at the end of the first quarter.

Franklin & Marshall secured momentum in the second quarter, scoring four of the period’s five goals to take a 6-3 lead into the break. Beitel had the lone goal for the visitors in the second period, his second score of the contest. The Diplomats added another just 56 seconds into the third quarter to open up a four-goal lead. However, the Red Devils were not going to go quietly. Dickinson rattled off four straight goals, as Abramson, Beitel, and Nick Leon ’13 (twice) each found the back of the net to draw even with the Diplomats. With 31 seconds to play in the quarter, however, Franklin & Marshall scored to re-take the lead, setting the stage for a wild fourth quarter. Leon tied the game early in the period, completing the hat trick, though the Diplomats pulled ahead 9-8, scoring a few minutes later. Leon, right on cue, responded for the Devils just 53 seconds later, as his fourth goal of the game knotted things up at nine. Franklin & Marshall would continue the pattern, scoring with just over six minutes left. The home team would cling to this one-goal lead over the final minutes, fending off a furious Dickinson attack. The Devils finally broke through, as Bobby Kingsley’12, who returned from injury, tallied the tying goal with 23 seconds left in the fourth to force OT. Neither team would score in the first overtime period, as Dickinson’s defense did not even allow the Diplomats a shot on goal. Franklin & Marshall would ensure that the second overtime period would not permit nearly as much drama, as the Diplomats scored just 51 seconds into the period to close out the victory. Beitel and Leon starred for the Devils on the day, scoring three and four goals, respectively. Hanley made eight saves on the day and recorded five GB’s.

The loss dropped the team to 11-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference. They trail both Gettysburg and Washington by a single game in the standings. They will host the Bullets in a rematch of last year’s Centennial Conference Championship on Saturday, April 28 at 1 p.m. The team will honor its seniors while also holding special recognition for service men and women and ROTC seniors. This event will be held with the company We Are One 365, a non-profit organization founded by Dickinson graduate Matthew Wood ’09.