by Waylon Jones, Staff Writer
The UMPI Owls Hockey Club soared to its first victory of the season on Wednesday, taking down the Frontiers in a thrilling 10–5 win at The Forum. The energy was electric as the Owls came alive offensively, backed by a roaring home crowd that pushed them to the finish. Leading the charge was Brock Black, who notched an impressive three goals, while Carter Murphy and Aiden Toy each added two goals of their own. Hiawatha Paul, Jonah Baude, and Ian Michaud rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece, marking a total team effort across all lines. After the game, the celebration was on; coaches Dave Gustin and Justus Downs were immediately showered with celebratory water by the players before postgame interviews could even begin. Brock Black, who also runs player interviews for the team’s social media, caught up with Captain Jamie Bryan and both coaches to get their reactions. Reflecting on the team’s resilience after a slow start to the season, Captain Jamie Bryan said, “I think we had a good team game this game. We’re getting better every game. Players are contributing from all lines. Our power play was good today; we had a good opportunity in front, and our goaltending has improved. Everything’s improving each time we hit the ice, and we really appreciate the crowd tonight.” Coach Dave Gustin praised his team’s all-around effort by saying, “It’s monumental. We played a full 45, and I’m really proud of the effort. We built off our last game, which was the 3–3 tie, but tonight we came out and showed them. A lot of good effort all around by the boys, and we finally had our power forward, Ian, show up big. I’m so proud of them. Let’s carry this momentum into the next one.” Coach Justus Downs added, “The boys have been putting in the work, and clearly the scoreboard shows it. At the end of the day, I can’t complain.” The Owls look to keep their momentum rolling when they face off against the Whalers on November 12th at 8:00 PM, once again at The Forum. Fans can stay updated by following @umpiclubhockey on Instagram and @umpi.hockey on TikTok.
(Photos by Danielle Moser)
Players featured: Aiden Toy, Ian Michaud, and Carter Murphy (first photo); Aiden Toy and Jonah Baude (second photo).
