Liam O'Donoghue Powers Wolves NCDC to Victory Over Rockets
- James Karr
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
The West Chester Wolves hosted the Rockets Hockey Club on Saturday night at PNY Sports Arena, earning a 4-2 victory in front of their home crowd. With the win, the Wolves continue to build momentum towards playoffs in what has been a competitive inaugural season.
It was a physical and tightly contested game, with both teams trading blows in the first period. The Wolves struck first as Emil Szepesi finished a feed from Anton Berg and Brayden Sprickman. The Rockets were quick to tie it up though scoring at 13:22 when Shawn Swavely converted a setup from Timotej Varga and Gabriel Simpson. Shots were evenly distributed in the opening frame, with both goaltenders tested early.
The Wolves regained control in the second period, thanks to a pair of quick goals. Liam O’Donoghue gave West Chester the lead at 6:19, burying a shot after receiving a pass from Connor Stokes. Just 38 seconds later, Owen Norman added to the lead, finishing a beautiful play created by O’Donoghue and Harrison Kinne. Wolves netminder Griffin Davis turned aside all seven Rockets shots in the period, preserving the 3-1 advantage heading into the final frame.
The Rockets refused to go quietly, pulling within one at 15:35 of the third period. Quinten Harvie found the back of the net, with Dylan Margel and Franco Canevari picking up assists. However, the Wolves’ defensive efforts stood strong, and Sean Tyrie iced the game with an empty-net goal at 19:28, assisted by Nico Pasquale and Harrison Kinne.
Griffin Davis was stellar in net for the Wolves, making 32 saves on 34 shots. Rockets goaltender Jason Cai also delivered a solid performance, stopping 30 of 33 shots faced.
The Wolves outshot the Rockets 33-34 and finished the night with a 4-2 victory. Special teams played a significant role, with the Rockets converting one of their six power plays, while the Wolves went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
