Hornets Swarm Notre Dame, 8-0

The Hornets have declared open season on goalies.

Eight different Hornets scored in an 8-0 walloping of Notre Dame in a game called after two periods because of the mercy rule Tuesday night at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

“We’re skating hard, fighting for pucks and then sharing the puck with each other,” said Saline head coach Drew Denzin. “We’ve been fortunate to have a balanced offense all year, but I don’t think we’ve ever won 8-0 with eight different goal scorers before.”

DJ Aben and Wyatt Ford each scored a goal and had two assists for the Hornets. Neil Flavin turned aside 10 shots for the shutout victory as Saline improved to 5-2-1.

The Hornets got on the board when Dino Tzavaras from Joe Colarossi and Mike Savage. Three minutes later, James Olson put Saline up 2-0, with assists going to linemates Aben and Grant Ellis.

The Hornets turned up the pressure in the second period. After a Notre Dame player was called for covering the puck in the crease, Saline was awarded a penalty shot.  Colin Cederna made good on it, giving Saline a 3-0 lead.

A few minutes later, the Hornets’ swarm overwhelmed their opponent, as Saline potted three goals in just 41 seconds to put the game away.

Aben started it from his familiar spot behind the net. He centered a pass out front and Ellis slammed it home for a 4-0 lead. Just 12 seconds later, Ford scored a beautiful goal. Taking a pass from Tyler Gross, Ford streaked up the right wing, cut to the middle, skated across the crease and waited for the goalie to bite. He did, and Ford stuffed it into the empty net. After the faceoff, the unrelenting Hornets were right back at it. With a full head of steam, Ford came in one-on-one with a Notre Dame defenseman.  Ford lost the puck but chased it to the Notre Dame goal. The pressure kept the play alive and Mike Savage arrived at the side of the net to slam the puck into an open net for a 6-0 lead.

Saline made it 7-0 with 3:11 to play in the period on a pretty passing play between Ford and Aben. On a two-on-one, Ford slipped a perfect pass between the defender’s skate and stick on to Aben’s stick. Aben redirected the pass into the goal.

Saline sent everyone home early after scoring their eighth goal. Cederna and Antonio Diaz-Levya outworked their opponents in the corner. Diaz-Levya gained control, peeled off the wall to the slot and then whipped a backhand off the post and in to seal the mercy-rule victory.

Saline is home to Allen Park Saturday. The puck drops at 6:25 p.m. at the Ice Cube's Olympic rink.