MIDDLETOWN, CT. – Ending a string of losses with a commanding performance on home ice, the Wesleyan men's ice hockey team put away seven goals in a 7-3 defeat of Conn. College on Saturday afternoon, effectively sweeping the regular season series as the team was led by Dylan Margel '29 and Dallas D'Amato '27 from Spurrier-Snyder Arena.

It's been nearly six years since the Cardinals (6-10-0 overall, 5-5-0 NESCAC) convened seven goals against a NESCAC opponent and Saturday's trouncing of the Camels (7-8-1 overall, 3-6-1 NESCAC) was nothing short of thrilling. The last sizable margin of victory for the Cardinals came at the expense of Trinity in the 2020 NESCAC Final.

Margel triggered the scoring frenzy in the opening minutes of the game, firing over the shoulder of Will McEvoy from out center of the faceoff circles with assists awarded to Daniel Lurie '26  and Andrew Haxton '28. The Camels capitalized on the power play, tying the game up at one before taking a short-lived lead in the opening period. Sending a tie game into the second period, Danny Judge '26 pocketed a goal for the Cardinals entering the first intermission, Haxton and Jack Bosco '26 tallying assists.

Nearing the midway point of the game, D'Amato scored his first career goal as a Cardinal to advance the Cardinals by one as he fired over the right pad of McEvoy on the connected pass from Jack Marottolo '26. Despite advances by the Camels in an attempt galvanize their own offense, the Cardinals would strike on the power play following a melee in the far corner that resulted in several awarded penalties. Margel's second of the game was discharged from above the far circle with help from Ethan Davidson '26 and Troy Maldonado '28.

Maldonado wasted little time in securing his own goal, stretching the Cardinals' count to five with a heavy one-timer from the far circle on a Camels holding call with Davidson and Judge assisting. With three minutes underway D'Amato scored his second goal of the afternoon, lasering a snapshot off the efforts of Bosco and Han Shin '28. The Camels replaced McEvoy with Primo Baldassarre managed a third goal inside the final 10 minutes but the Cardinals put away an empty-net goal off the stick of Connor Hagness '28.

The Camels cleared the Cardinals in a 37-27 shot margin, but the Cardinals' efforts were led by Judge, Margel, and Danny Markham '28 with four shots apiece.

In goal, Patrick McDevitt '28 earned his victory with 34 saves for the Cardinals, coming up strong on several breakaway attempts by the Camels. McEvoy and Baldassarre combined for 20 saves.

The Cardinals return to action on Friday, Jan. 30, in a second meeting with Hamilton on the road beginning at 7 p.m.