PITTSBURGH, Pa. – January 15, 2021 – The Chatham Cougars hosted the No. 7 ranked team in the country in the form of the Wilkes Colonels Saturday evening. The Cougars fought till the very end, facing a tie game with just over 2:30 left to play in regulation, but unfortunately fell 4-2, dropping Chatham's record to 5-7-2 overall and 4-3-2 in conference play.
 
It was a fast start for the Cougars, scoring just 94 seconds into the game. First-year Matthew Doyle scored his second goal in as many games after getting an assist by the team's leader in that category, senior Tristan Simm. Wilkes responded later in the period to keep the score deadlocked after one.
 
The Colonels added one just 49 seconds int the start the second period on the power play to take a 2-1 lead. However, near the halfway point of the stanza, Chatham faced a power play of its own when sophomores Chris Dusek and Carson Grainer combined to assist Simm on the goal, putting the score at 2-2 after two.
 
The third period was played mostly at a stalemate until the final 2:31 of the game. Wilkes had a turnaround goal that slipped in to take the lead. After the Cougars pulled the goalie to have an extra skater, Wilkes added the final nail with 16 seconds remaining, putting the final score at 4-2.
 
Senior goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez played valiantly for Chatham, making 39 saves. The Cougars were outshot 43-22 for the game as they blocked 13 Colonel shots.
 
Chatham hits the road for the next five games, beginning one week from tonight when it travels to Stevenson for a 7:00 puck drop on Saturday, January 22.