Holy Cross returned from the semester break hoping to rebound from a losing streak, but instead suffered its sixth straight loss on Friday night to the Gaels of Iona.
Sophomore forward Brent Williams led the way for the Gaels, scoring four points on the night with one goal and three assists. Holy Cross dropped to 8-8 overall and 6-4 in the MAAC, while Iona improved to 4-11-1 overall, 4-6 MAAC.
The Gaels jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on one power-play goal by Ryan Swanson, a shorthander by Ryan Manitowich, and an even-strength goal by Tim Krueckl.
Holy Cross counterattacked at the end of the period with two goals of its own with less than three minutes to play, by junior forward Jeff Dams and sophomore defenseman Tony Coskren .
In the second period, Iona struck again with what proved to be the game-winning goal at the 4:38 mark by Chad Van Diemen. The Crusaders pulled within one goal again at 4-3 when junior forward Greg Kealey capitalized on a power play, but would get no closer.
Iona tallied two more goals in the third period to round out the scoring.
Holy Cross outshot the Gaels by a remarkable 56-16 count, but could not manage to find the back of the net often enough. Freshman goalie Tony Quesada stopped 10 shots.
Iona’s Ian Vigier recorded an overwhelming 53 saves, his career high, and second on the all-time Iona list.
Holy Cross and Iona are back in action Saturday afternoon in the second game of the two-game series.
