DURHAM, N.H. - Stevie Moses (Leominster, Mass.) scored four goals, Nick Sorkin (Rockville, Md.) recorded five assists and Kevin Goumas (Long Beach, N.Y.) tallied four assists to lead the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team to Saturday night's 9-1 non-conference victory against the University of Alabama-Huntsville at the Whittemore Center.
UNH won its sixth consecutive home game to improve to 6-6-2 overall and keep the Chargers winless through 15 games (0-14-1).
The four goals and four points both marked personal bests for Moses. Sorkin and Goumas both finished with career highs in assists and points, as did Trevor van Riemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.), who tallied three points, all on assists. Grayson Downing (Abbottsford, British Columbia; one goal, one assist) and John Henrion (Holden, Mass.; two assists) also recorded multiple points, and six other 'Cats had one point.
The last time UNH scored nine goals in a game was March 17, 2006 against Boston University (9-2 win). Moses recorded the first hat trick by a Wildcat since Paul Thompson on Jan. 7, 2011 (vs. UMass-Lowell) and Sorkin marked the highest assist total by a 'Cat since Dec. 5, 2010 (Mike Sislo vs. Vermont).
Matt Di Girolamo (Ambler, Pa.) exited the game with 14 saves and UNH leading 7-1 with 10:36 remaining in the third period. Casey DeSmith (Rochester, N.H.) stopped all six shots he faced during his relief appearance. Chargers' goalie C.J. Groh was credited with 28 saves.
Greg Burke (Lee, N.H.) gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at 13:33 of the first period. Downing sent a pass across the slot to Henrion, whose shot from the left circle sailed wide of the near post. The rebound caromed off the end boards to the right post, where Burke lifted a shot into the open near side.
Moses scored nearly two minutes later - at 15:42 - to extend the advantage to 2-0. Moses collected the centering pass off Norkin's stick of in the low slot, settled the puck and wristed a shot into the net. Goumas was also credited with an assist.
UNH went on the first power play of the game at 18:04 of the first period, but the Chargers' Sebastian Geoffrion netted an unassisted shorthanded goal at 18:36 when he blocked an entry pass at the blue line to create a breakaway down the slot before pulling the puck left and tucking a backhand inside the post to trim the deficit to 2-1.
The Wildcats broke the game open with four second-period goals. Damon Kipp (Salmon Arm, British Columbia) scored on a screened slap shot from the high slot at 3:11. Sorkin, with the diagonal outlet pass through the neutral zone, and Goumas, who slid the puck from the left point to Kipp, set up the tally.
Moses struck again with a power-play goal at 5:50 to extend the lead to 4-1. From the right doorstep, Goumas passed the puck back to the high slot for van Riemsdyk, who found Moses alone at the left post.
Connor Hardowa (Edmonton, Alberta) scored his first goal of the season, a power-play tally, at 9:47 to give New Hampshire a 5-1 lead. Sorkin initiated the sequence with a pass from the right wing to van Riemsdyk at the right point. He sent the puck across the high slot and Hardowa blasted a low shot through traffic into the net.
Moses completed his hat trick less than three minutes later at 12:44. Sorkin won the faceoff to Moses, who returned the puck to Sorkin and his shot was stopped by Groh. Moses controlled the puck off the rebound, circled from the left wing to the slot and fired a low shot inside the left post.
UNH scored three goals within a five-minute span in the third period. Austin Block (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), positioned at the right post, scored off a pass from Casey Thrush (Easton, Md.) and Jeff Silengo (Madison, Conn.) was also credited with an assist on the goal at 9:24.
Moses scored his fourth goal of the game - team-leading 10th goal of the season - at 14:40 and Downing completed the scoring 27 seconds later. Sorkin and Goumas once again combined to set up Moses' goal. van Riemsdyk, with a pass from the right dashers, and Henrion assisted on Downing's tally.
New Hampshire returns to action Dec. 2 at UMass-Lowell. The Wildcats' next home game is Dec. 3 against those River Hawks to conclude the home-and-home series. Both games begin at 7 p.m.