The Hitmen delivered a dominant performance, skating to a decisive 6-2 victory over the Squids in a game that saw the home team explode for goals in every period. From the opening puck drop, the Hitmen set the tone, outshooting the Squids 28-17 in a lopsided first period. William Moores (#28) opened the scoring at 3:26 of the first, with Michael Pennino (#95) and Justin Ross (#9) earning assists. The Hitmen weren’t done, as Noah Hinson (#19) added another at 0:18 of the opening frame with help from Sam Palfrey (#27), giving the home side a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
The Squids showed some spark in the second, as Steven Fithen (#15) netted back-to-back goals with assists from Ryan Sporer (#92) and Curtis Brook (#9) at 12:23, followed by a second strike at 11:38 with Glendon Ho (#51) also chipping in. However, any momentum was short-lived. Brayden McCabe (#20) silenced the Squids’ rally with a late second-period goal at 0:08, assisted by Tyler Devlin (#98), sending the Hitmen into the locker room with a 3-2 lead.
The third period belonged entirely to the Hitmen, who poured in three unanswered goals to put the game out of reach. Pennino (#95) scored twice, first at 11:10 and again at 0:35, while McCabe (#20) struck for his second of the night at 7:53. Standout performances came from Moores and Ross, who each notched two assists, while McCabe’s two-goal effort fueled the offensive surge. In net, Jake Hansen-Loftus (#31) earned the win despite facing only 17 shots, while Squids’ goalie Coire McLaughlin (#30) took the loss after allowing six goals on 28 shots.