The Susquehanna River Hawks hosted the Bluejays of Johns Hopkins University on Sunday, October 10^th.   It was the season-opener for both teams and the first game for  the River Hawks in nearly (20) months.
 
The River Hawks flew off the opening face-off at a blistering pace, opening the scoring only 51 seconds  in to the game via a goal by team captain Griffin Erdely, with assists from Max Olree and Parker Baumann.   The River Hawks would stretch their lead to 2-0 at 3:53 off the clock via an unassisted goal by freshmen Chris Ciccarello, the first of his collegiate career.  
 
However, the screeching pace of the River Hawks would prove to be unsustainable and the Blue Jays came flying back to score 5-unanswered goals, including a powerplay goal and two short-handed goals.   The River Hawks found themselves reeling in the second half of the opening period, as the early blistering pace, the long hiatus, and the disadvantage in depth vs. the Bluejays began taking its toll.  
 
Despite an early 2^nd period goal from the Bluejays, the River Hawks were able to catch their breath and their composure during the first period intermission.   Behind some stellar goaltending from Nick Manning, the River Hawks found their legs and were able to settle in to a more sustainable pace.   Alex Stein got the River Hawks back on the right track with a goal 4:31 in to the second period, with the  assist from Liam Hartmann.   The River Hawks would go on to score a total of (5) unanswered goals through the second and third periods to take a 2-goal lead before Max Olree would seal the win with an open-netter to make the final score 8-5 in favor of the River Hawks.
 
It was a gutsy come-from-behind win for the River Hawks against a JHU team having some outstanding talent, including 6"-2" 205 lb stalwart/veteran defenseman Leif Benner, whom would chalk up a goal and 2 assists for the Bluejays.
 
Team captain Griffin Erdely would rack up a hat trick and then some, with (4) goals on the day.  Goals and assists for the River Hawks as follows: Player (G/A)-  Erdely (4/0), Stein (1/1), Ciccarello (1/0), Olree (1/1), Baumann (1/1), Hartmann (0/2), Granbois (0/1)
 
The River Hawks will have several practices to continue honing those rusty skills before returning to the ice on 10/23 at home vs. York College and 10/24 at home vs. rival Bucknell.