The men's hockey team cruised to a 3-0 victory over non-conference opponent Army Saturday at Meehan Auditorium behind a hat trick from forward Matt Lorito '15.
Lorito - who already led the team in goals entering the game and doubled his season total to six - found the back of the net once in the first period and twice in the third to help capture Bruno's (2-3-2) first win in three weeks. According to Head Coach Brendan Whittet '94, Lorito's performance was on par with the young player's skills.
"He's a very dynamic offensive player," Whittet said, describing Lorito as an "effortless, beautiful skater" with "good vision."
The Bears came out strong on the ice, controlling the puck for much of the first period and firing off 15 shots to Army's eight. Lorito's first goal of the night, on a power play five minutes into the period, highlighted the Bears' strong start. Ryan Jacobson '15 took a pass from Chris Zaires '13 and drove hard toward the goal from the right wing. Instead of taking the close-range attempt, Jacobson fooled the Army defense by looping all the way behind the goal and serving Lorito a pass on the other side. Lorito completed the well-designed offensive play with a hard slap shot past goaltender Ryan Leets.
Early in the third, the Bears doubled their lead when defensemen Dennis Robertson '14 and Matt Wahl '14 teamed up to assist Lorito on yet another Bruno power play. Good puck and player movement culminated in Lorito getting wide open just outside the crease for an easy second goal.
"I thought we played pretty good in the first," Lorito said. "We had a lot of chances on that power play - not just me, everyone. In the third, the coaches came in and said we've got to bear down on our chances, and luckily I got a few to go in."
Before the Bruno faithful could settle back into their seats after his last goal, Lorito capped off his standout performance with goal number three. This time it was Army that had the man advantage, but Massimo Lamacchia '15 turned the play in Bruno's favor by intercepting a pass from goalie Leets and kicking it out to Lorito who slapped a shot through the defense and into the net.
Lorito's impressive performance was complemented by a good showing from the Bruno defense. Goalie Marco De Filippo '14 notched his first career shutout as a Bear, stopping 25 Army shots.
"Marco is a special goaltender," Whittet said. "He made some deceptively good saves tonight, especially when we were short-handed." Whittet also credited the defensive pressure with forcing shots from outside the "grade-A area."
The win comes at an important time for the team, as they prepare to host intra-city foe Providence College next weekend for the 27th Annual Mayor's Cup.
"It's a big game that we circle on our calendar," Lorito said. "There's a trophy on the line. Last year, we were lucky enough to get the win and the trophy; this year, we're going to look to defend it against a good team."
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