The Marauders ice hockey team opened the 2018-19 season with a 8-7 victory over Somerset Tuesday night in an exciting and high scoring back and forth game. Led by a four goal performance by Demetri Butts of Bellefonte, the Marauders offense was on full display.

The scoring opened early with a goal at 13:15 in the first period from Somerset. The Eagles struck again at 6:53 in the first to push a 2-0 lead with the answering goal coming from the Marauders’ Demetri Butts of Bellefonte at 2:05 in the opening period to cut Somerset’s lead in half.

The first period ended with the Marauders trailing by one and on the penalty kill going into the second.

Somerset’s lead didn’t carry very far into the second period, with BG’s Demitri Butts sniping home a short handed goal at 13:39 in the second.

Somerset was quick to respond. Only 30 seconds later the tie was broken on the power play to put the Marauders in a one goal deficit yet again.

Not looking to remain behind, Butts recorded a hat trick to tie the score at three.

The back and forth scoring was disrupted 12 seconds later with a Dalton Berry goal that gave the  Marauders their first lead of the tilt.

Another 23 seconds elapsed before Somerset returned the game to a tie score with Somerset’s Logan Greenwalt scoring his first of four goals on the night.

The game remained at a stalemate for the rest of the period, until Greenwalt scored his second of the game with 31 seconds remaining in the second period.

It didn’t take long to knot the score once more, when Matthew Runk of Tussey Mountain scored with 18 seconds left in the period to tie the game at five.

The third period of play began with a Marauders goal breaking the tie once more off of a Mason Schrader (Bellefonte) slap shot from the point. The lead was short lived with Greenwalt potting his hat trick goal just over a minute later.

After a center ice faceoff and a quick rush down the ice, Hunter Dumond-Hatton capitalized on an opportunity directly in front of the goalie to regain the lead for his first ever varsity goal.

Five minutes passed before Somerset was able to tie the game once more, Greenwalt’s forth of the game.

Tension was high as the game whittled down to its final moments of regulation. With 55 seconds remaining in the third,  Demitri Butts scored his fourth goal of the contest and set the pressure to its maximum.

The Marauders played out the closing seconds of the game and went on to win 8-7.

Goaltender Morgan McDermott (Bellwood) made 24 saves on 31 shots to backstop the team to its first victory of the season.

The Marauders look to tighten up play defensively and put on an equally exciting showing in their next game against Richland on October 23rd.