The Wilkes men’s hockey team were back on home ice for the first time since last week’s Middle Atlantic Conference semifinal win over Alvernia. Now in the conference final, the Colonels were looking to win the conference final in its inaugural season.

A win for either side would give them a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Colonels faced off against Stevenson, a team that gave them a bit of trouble during the regular season. 

Unfortunately for the Colonels, that trouble continued in the final. Stevenson took the lead just over two minutes with Aiden Lindley scoring off of a Colonel turnover in the defensive zone. 

About five minutes later, Caden Smith scored on the power play off assists from Blake Benson and Evan Beers. The Mustangs took the 2-0 into the second period.

Just over a minute in, the Colonels answered back when Carter Jordan found the net, with Cam Lowe and Mason Vonk assisting on the play. Stevenson answered back five minutes later on the power play again. John Musella scored off assists from Smith and Aidan Graham. 

The third period remained scoreless until the Mustangs dealt the final blow, scoring on the empty net to make it 4-1. Lindley was the scorer on the play, grabbing his second tally of the night. 

With the loss, the Colonels end their 2024-25 campaign with a record of 17-8-2, with a conference record of 16-3-2.

In net, Jack Perna made 27 saves on 30 shots faced. Jordan went 9-14 in the faceoff dot, with Joe Johnson, Cole Jungwirth, Matt Carlson and Max Cocchi each recording three shots on goal. 

For Stevenson, goaltender Ford DeLoss was named game MVP. DeLoss made 24 saves on 25 shots. The Mustangs had two multi point scorers in Smith and Lindley. The team improves to 18-7-2, with a conference record of 13-6-2. 

They move onto the national championship tournament, and await details of their first round matchup. 

For more information regarding Colonel Men’s Hockey, stay tuned to The Beacon.