From Kentucky Kernel
By Maria Moresea
Midnight isn’t a common start time for a hockey game unless you’re from Lexington. If you’re a Kentucky Wildcat, however, you know the madness always starts at midnight.
Kentucky men’s hockey took on McKendree University at the Lexington Ice and Recreation Center for its home opener this year. The Wildcats took down the Bearcats in a high-scoring fashion that would’ve made greats like Gretzky and Ovechkin proud.
Kentucky put together a 6-4 win to start its season with goals from four different players, but the biggest name of the night for the Cats was Jake Laube.
Laube put on an absolute show for fans with a hat trick to cap off the season debut. He scored once in the second period and twice in the third, making him the leading scorer of the night for either team.
“A little nervous,” Laube said when asked about how it felt being back out on the ice. “It was fun. I was excited for it, but well, definitely a little nervous going out there.”
Last season, Laube was All-ACC South Player of the Year as well as placed on the All-ACC South First Team. In 27 games, he racked up 33 goals and 27 assists, leading the team in both categories.
After his high-scoring performance, he announced that he plans to go back-to-back in both awards.
“I’m gonna try,” Laube said. “It’s hard, but I’m gonna try. That’s my statement. That’s the first step.”
The rest of the Wildcats also had a great night behind Laube, with the other goals coming from Gabe Rodriguez, Brian McConahy and Nicholas Delaney.
For McKendree, things weren’t as simple. The Bearcats started off hot, scoring just a few minutes into the first period.
The Bearcats were then shut out for a period and a half courtesy of Kentucky goaltender Kyle Hogan, who ended his night with 31 saves on 35 shots.
The Bearcats didn’t see their last three goals until a late push in the third period, but ultimately came up short.
Kentucky was able to follow up that win on Friday with another win against McKendree on Saturday, with a Laube goal capping off a 4-1 victory.
Kentucky will stay at home to take on Illinois State in a doubleheader with the first game on Friday, Sept. 11 and the second on Saturday, Sept. 12. Puck drop is set for 11:59 p.m. EST for both matches.
(Originally published at https://kykernel.com/127519/sports/jake-laube-hat-trick-powers-kentucky-hockey-home-opener-win-against-mckendree/)
